July's Book Competition - Non Fiction by BIPOC Author

For July, I wanted to challenge my friends to a non-fiction book. Both of them are avid fiction readers, so I wanted to see what the selections would be for a non-fiction, BIPOC author book.

The Ground Rules

To help keep things mostly apples-to-apples, I selected a theme each month. Then, Leslie and Noah each submit a book to me for reading. Neither knows what the other shared with me. Then, over the course of a month, I read the books and choose a winner for the best book that month.

July 2022: Non-fiction by a BIPOC author

Leslie submitted Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley Ford. Noah submitted The Autobiography of Malcolm X as his selection.

Somebody’s Daughter is a powerful memoir of growing up poor, Black, and female. It’s beautifully written and I was prepared with trigger warnings on some sensitive and heavy material in this book. The writing is compelling and the story is very emotional. However, my issue with this book is the disparity of the synopsis and the actual content. Much of the marketing around this book leads the reader to believe that Ford’s relationship with her father is the central theme of the book, but it’s barely discussed. I see this book as more of a mother-daughter relationship book. The other thing that didn’t sit well with me, and this is true of many memoirs, is that the stories are standalone anecdotes. There wasn’t a central thread that tied the anecdotes together for a full story.

3/5 Stars

The Autobiography of Malcom X (I will refer to him as X here) is just as powerful as you’d think it is. X writes beautifully, compellingly, and passionately. His stories from childhood of both blatant and subtle racism shaped him into the Civil Rights Leader we know, but this book shows so much more of X than the “angry Black man” trope many people were fed in school. Many of his thoughts and arguments are still valid and prevalent today, despite the (supposed) societal progress the country has made. This is a powerful story that everyone needs to read.

5/5 Stars

Two Will Enter, One Will Win

Comparing these books and deciding on a winner between my two friends still isn't easy. I found it very interesting that both books were in the memoir/biography genre, which made for a more straightforward comparison this month. For July, Noah is our winner!

Here’s a recap of point totals:

January: Noah | February: Tie | March: Leslie

April: Leslie | May: Leslie | June: Noah

July: Noah

We have a tie! Noah is now at four points, while Leslie stays at four points. August’s book selection is the mystery/whodunnit category and I’ve got high expectations for this genre!