Best Non-Fiction of March

Maybe I felt like a good cry was what I needed in March.  All three of these books are amazing, but two of them were extremely devastating.  And yet, I loved reading every single word of them and will keep them on my shelf for a future re-read.  

I also could easily write a full, detailed review of all three of these books.  Instead, I'm going to try my best to give you a short, concise review that will make you want to go out and grab one of these right away.

The Unwinding of the Miracle by Julie Yip-Williams was one of the books that could have left me in tears the entire time I was reading. And yet, how could it? Despite the fact that Yip-Williams was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer in her late 30s, she recognizes that her life has truly been a miracle.  Born blind, her parents are advised by her grandmother to let her die, that her life will never amount to much.  Instead, Julie is able to eventually move to the US, receive a surgery that will not correct her eyesight, but will restore some of it, graduate from Harvard, get married and have children.  She is grateful for every moment she has been given -fighting for her life, accepting the future that awaits her, and providing much wisdom in the writing of her memoir.  Although sad, I found this book to be so inspirational.

Good Talk by Mira Jacob-  I continue to believe that graphic novels aren't really my thing, except that I've read quite a few of them now, and generally enjoy them. So maybe they are my thing. This is a graphic memoir and I absolutely loved it.  Jacob begins her memoir with a conversation she has with her seven year old about race.  Jacob is Indian, her husband Jewish, and their conversations about politics and race are timely and should get readers thinking.  I did think that Jacob was promoting her own beliefs and opinions which made me a little less enchanted with Good Talk, but there is quite a lot to love about this memoir, that I can overlook that.

Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene- Greene is a writer by trade, and this is a well crafted memoir, despite the fact that it will reduce you to tears.  Greene's daughter, Greta, was sitting outside on a bench in New York City with her grandmother when a brick fell off a nearby building, striking Greta in the head, killing her.  Greene shares the trauma and despair of learning of their daughter's accident, but he also shares their grief and the healing process he and his wife experience after this devastating tragedy. This is not a story you will forget, and you will find great wisdom and comfort in reading about the Greene's ability to move forward after Greta's death.

These three are my favorite non-fiction reads of March, and I can't imagine forgetting any of these stories.