Nonfiction Books Research Articles

Functions of sovietisms in American literary nonfiction discourse (based on N. Mailer’s book “Oswald’s Tale: An American Mystery”)

The assassination of John F. Kennedy is known as the “murder of the century” and is firmly embedded not only in political and media discourse, but also in fiction, nonfiction and cinema. Literary nonfiction discourse is characterized by a special “hybrid nature”, which combines factography, on the one hand, and a high degree of emotional impact, on the other. In this regard, the authors of literary nonfiction texts often develop a special set of linguistic means that allow them to influence the recipient in the absence of an opportunity to turn to the aesthetic potential of artistic fiction. This paper studies the functions of sovietisms as a special layer of vocabulary in the literary nonfiction book “Oswald’s Tale: An American Mystery” (1995) by N. Mailer. The classification of sovietisms is given according to the thematic principle and is based on their word-formation, semantic and stylistic features. We also analyze adaptation features of sovietisms when translated into English. The article concludes that the sovietisms, used in the speech utterances of numerous narrators, as well as in written documents related to Lee Harvey Oswald’s case, not only allow the author to convey the national and cultural features of the life in the Soviet Union, where Oswald spent several years before the assassination of Kennedy, but also act as “status” details. They are used to characterize the identities of witnesses and eyewitnesses who participated in the literary investigation conducted by N. Mailer.

Epilog. Diagnoser og skønlitteraturens gnosis

This epilogue situates the special issue within discussions from the health humanities more broadly. It is argued that fiction and non-fiction books about issues of health and illness as well as research on the topic proliferate these years, because there has been a dearth of humanistic and existential inputs under a biomedical paradigm. It is suggested that there are three recurring themes that often characterize research on illness representations in literature: 1) Discussions of a medical and literary language use, 2) discussions of illness experiences as narratives, and 3) discussions of difficulties with transferring bodily experiences into linguistic representation.

The books that made me: Gary Younge

From the British Academy's 2024 Summer Showcase, Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester and Honorary Fellow, Gary Younge, discuss the literature that has influenced his life, intellectual development, and current work, with writer and assistant lecturer at the University of Essex, Amelia Horgan. From childhood memories of reading to present-day reflections, they delve into both fiction and non-fiction books that have shaped and inspired Gary’s thinking.

Diverging paths, converging goals: Framing crisis to kairos in Bill Gates's and Greta Thunberg's climate discourse

This article introduces a typology of nine communication frames and analyzes how they operate in Bill Gates's How to Avoid a Climate Catastrophe (2021) and Greta Thunberg's The Climate Book (2022). The typology draws special attention to how non-fiction books are vehicles that can appeal for timely action (i.e. kairos), establish authorial ethos, disseminate climate science, and advocate for climate activism and energy transitions. The application of the typology highlights the books' narrative arcs: Gates and Thunberg both begin by acknowledging the reality and severity of the climate crisis and the correspondence between social progress and justice. Then, their arguments diverge: Thunberg critiques ineffective policies, cites climate science, and urges immediate social action; Gates provides economic context to support his appeals for innovation spurred by applied science. Towards their conclusions, the two authors' rhetorical appeals converge again as they each advocate for timely action. The results of this thematic analyses reinforce the value of book-length arguments that engage scientific evidence and envisage urgent individual and collective responses to climate crises.

‘The Emperor of All Maladies, the King of Terrors’: The Violent Somatechnics of Cancer

This article considers the current worldwide cancer epidemic as shaped through complex somatechnical intra-actions between the intimately fleshy suffering of individual bodies and structural violence exerted through carcinogenic necrotechnologies such as pesticides. Additionally, it unpacks the epistemologies of ignorance that characterise contemporary cancer imaginaries in the west by reflecting on how they operate through the widespread deployment of warfare metaphors; metaphors that, in the twenty-first century, have morphed into ‘war against cancer-as-terror(ist)’- images. United States oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee’s bestselling book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (2011) – also the winner of the Guardian’s non-fiction book award – figures as a nodal point for the ways in which mainstream western cancer narratives and biomedical models obscure the links between cancer and what anthropologist-chemist Anastasia Karakasidou calls chemical modernity; that is, the global spread of carcinogens as a consequence of the worldwide racial capitalist transformations of agriculture and production through chemicalisation. Investigating how epistemologies of ignorance work at the levels of cancer biology, cancer treatment, and environmental carcinogenesis, this article at the same time also demonstrates how the somatechnical lens makes it possible to analyse the intertwined operations of violence, power, technologies, and bodies at all of these levels. This analysis is then complemented by a contemplation of the conative vitality of bodily matter that ontologically accounts for the chiasmatic two-way process between techné and soma that is central to a somatechnical understanding of cancerous embodiment. This article also uses autobiographical material to reflect upon the ways in which epistemologies of ignorance and their matching stories of cancer as natural pathology/enemy/doppelgänger/terrorist are nourished at the individual level of experience of cancer patients and their companions and carers.

A Fork in the Road? Rethinking Culinary Genius, Power Dynamics, and the Impact of Social Movements on U.S. Food Media and Popular Culture

This article aims to enrich our understanding of the political significance of U.S. food media and the evolving dynamics of authority and power within this field. It does so by identifying and describing a sense of fatigue with the paradigm of the genius-chef in U.S. journalism and popular culture, which resonates with wider discussions on sustainability and justice in the restaurant industry. After a brief overview of the conditions that enabled the ascent of chefs to eminence, the article elaborates on how social movements that advocate for systemic analyses of abuse of power (#MeToo and Black Lives Matter) inform the current rejection of the “toxic” chef. Critiques of this figure center on how its cultural appeal has been used to rationalize workplace abuse in the name of culinary perfection. This argument is supported by discussion of a non-fiction book on post-pandemic restaurants, opinion articles, and a television series, The Bear, all published or aired between 2020 and 2023.

Sámi on Display: Sámi Representations in an Early Nonfiction Book for Children

Sámi on Display: Sámi Representations in an Early Nonfiction Book for Children

The Grapes of Wrath: Steinbeck, Carey McWilliams, and the Committees for Social Change

Abstract For the most part, no one doubted the veracity of John Steinbeck’s story The Grapes of Wrath. They agreed or disagreed with his message and his viewpoint, but they did not doubt the truth of what he wrote. The one glaringly indefensible weakness in his novel appeared to be the tractoring-off scene at the beginning of the book. Many sought to prove that the heavy machinery aspect of what led to the farmers being put off their land did not happen, especially not in the area that Steinbeck used in Oklahoma for his starting point of the Joads’ exodus. Many tried to use this as a wedge to disprove the other “facts” as if this was a nonfiction research book. Even Carey McWilliams, who was in fact a nonfiction researcher and a staunch supporter of Steinbeck and the dispossessed and oppressed people that Steinbeck obviously cared about greatly, went into research mode in Ill Fares The Land, and did not see the proof of the reality behind Steinbeck’s novel. No tractors and no Joads where Steinbeck placed them in The Grapes of Wrath. Neither The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck nor Factories in the Field by Carey McWilliams was directly responsible for causing measurable improvements to happen for the migrant workers, but both more than served their purpose of bringing public awareness to the table, causing widespread as opposed to local scrutiny, in turn resulting in the Tolan Hearings and the La Follette Hearings; this article deals with these themes, focusing mainly on The Grapes of Wrath and the Tolan Hearings. As Susan Shillinglaw wrote, “Steinbeck had not lied.”

Review of Non-Fiction Science Picture Books for Pre-School Children

Science education in the pre-school period can use different methods and techniques. One such method is the Turkish language practice of non-fiction and fiction science picture books for children. It is thought that non-fiction science picture books are important in terms of developing children's scientific vocabulary. This study aimed to examine non-fiction science picture books for children selected from different publishers. The research was carried out using the document analysis method, a descriptive research model. In the study, data on 59 science-themed picture books selected from different publishing houses were collected through the Picture Story Assessment Scale and the Assessment List for Children’s Non-Fiction Science Picture Books developed by the researcher. According to the results of the research evaluating non-fiction science picture books for pre-school children using the Assessment Scale for Children’s Picture Books, all the books are at an adequate level; the most narrated non-fiction science picture books are preferred; and the problem-solving process is included in most of the books. The most common scientific content among the standard science fields, is life science, especially environmental and weather events. The number of scientific words used is sufficient and most of the books are suitable for science education. It is thought that the science-themed children's picture books selected according to the evaluation list included in this study will be beneficial in terms of realizing science education effectively. Suggestions are made in light of the research results.

Ecological Literacy and Local Wisdom of Australian Aboriginal People in Welcome to My Country Written by Laklak Burarrwanga and Family

The life of Aboriginal people in Australia has been depending on nature since thousands of years ago. The sources of their food are entirely of natural origin. Although they live in a nomadic way, they still maintain and protect the nature around them in order not to damage and become extinct. This research aims to explore ecological literacy (eco-literacy) and local wisdom of Aboriginal people to maintain a mutual symbiosis between man and nature, reflected in a non-fiction book entitled Welcome to My Country written by Laklak Burarrwanga and Family. This is descriptive qualitative research using the ecocriticism approach. The result shows that Australian Aboriginal people have much knowledge of eco-literacy that they apply in everyday life to maintain the sustainability of the ecosystem. Besides, they also have local wisdom they believe will bring good things in their life in terms of protecting their natural environment.

Investigation of The Effect of Science Activities Applied with Non-Fiction Science Picture Books on The 21st Century Skills of 60-72 Month Old Children

In this research, it is aimed to investigate impact of science activities applied with non-fiction science picture books on 21st century skills of 60-72 months old children. The study was conducted with a total of 58 children, in other words 29 children in the experimental group and 29 children in the control group. In the research, quantitative data were obtained with the 21st century skills scale which as given to children before and after the application, and the obtained data were construed by using statistical analyzes. In the light of the results obtained from the research, it can be observed that applying science acitivities through/via the non-fiction science books positively supported the 21st century skills and their sub-dimension skills such as “learning and innovation”, “living and career”, and “information-media and technology” skills of the children.

Realia vs irrealia in non-fiction vs fiction texts: A case study of translation

In response to the ever-growing globalization and intercultural exchange, the cultural aspects of translation are of the utmost importance. This article aims to examine and compare the translation procedures and strategies used to render culture-specific items, particularly realia and irrealia, in non-fiction and fiction texts. Realia, being culture-bound concepts in the real world, and irrealia, denoting similar concepts but in a fictional world, are challenging for translators since they have deep cultural ties. This study involves a translation analysis, comparative analysis, descriptive methods, and frequency calculations. This study employs a dataset of 400 culture-specific vocabulary items from the non-fiction book by L. Johnson What Foreigners Need to Know about America from A to Z and the apocalyptic novel Seveneves by N. Stephenson and their translations into Ukrainian. The analysis reveals that realia and irrealia are translated by employing different procedures, with calque being a popular choice for realia and contextual synonyms for irrealia. Notably, translation through neologisms has been found only in irrealia. Despite the contrast in translation procedures, both realia and irrealia were predominantly translated using a domestication strategy, boosting Ukrainian readers' cultural comprehension.

“Our moon has these blood clots, and it is no use hiding them”: In conversation with Rahul Pandita

ABSTRACT Rahul Pandita is an acclaimed Indian writer and journalist. He is a 2015 Yale World Fellow, and the author of multiple bestselling non-fiction books, including Hello, Bastar: The Untold Story of India’s Maoist Movement (2011) and Our Moon Has Blood Clots: The Exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits (2013). He is known chiefly for his reportage on Maoist insurgencies in central and eastern India and the issues pertaining to Kashmiri Pandits in Northern India. His works focus on violence, displacement, and life for those with experience of forced migration. Our Moon Has Blood Clots is one of the first books to portray the events of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and its aftermath. This conversation focuses on Pandita’s perspective on his writings and the plight of the exiled Kashmiri Pandits. It also covers the trauma experienced by the community, especially in exile, and the question of their approach towards a better future.

Recruiting and Selection during the Era of Umar Bin Khattab Administration

The Era of Umar Ibnul Khattab is considered as the golden age in the history of Islam, The public treasury (Baitul mal), Army bureau, department of Records (Diwan), Hisba were all initiated in his time which led to signifying recruitment. This comprehensive paper�explores the subject of recruitment and selection during the reign of Umar ibn Khattab, the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. The reign of Umar bin Khattab from 634 to 644 AD saw notable progress in administrative structures, such as the implementation of a well-organized recruiting and selection procedure. This study examines the strategies used by Umar bin Khattab to find and choose persons for important roles within the Islamic state. Utilizing reputable print encyclopedias, nonfiction books, academic journals, and dictionaries, this study offers a comprehensive examination of the historical backdrop, selection criteria, and the influence of Umar bin Khattab's approach on the governance of the caliphate.This paper further describes and analyzes job recruitment and selection in this era. The method used in this research is a descriptive approach, the recruitment policy, and its process were described. And the data were collected from secondary sources. The research found that his employment of experts regardless of closeness or any other factor was the main characteristic of his era, his policies and procedures in recruiting can be used to establish an Islamic recruitment policy and structure.�

Anesthetic Zombanol: The Horror Effect in the Fabrication of Evil as a Representation of the Other in Movies Based on a True Story

This article approaches the claim of truth in the representation of zombies and elements of the Haitian folklore recreated in the American imaginary as a way to reinforce the evil Other through the fictionalization of historical accounts in movies under the umbrella label “Based on a True Story”. The movies in question are White Zombie (1932) and The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) which claim to be based on factual accounts reported in the non-fiction books respectively The Magic Island, by Seabrook, and The Serpent and the Rainbow, by Davis, as a technique to amplify the horror effect in their viewers, and thus, resulting in the reinforcement of that very representation of the evil Other in the mainstream culture.

Boost Your Brain. Om lexikal kreativitet i faktaböcker för barn i ett svensk-engelskt perspektiv

This study investigates the expression of lexical creativity in Swedish and English nonfiction books for children aged 3–12. The first part examines the pattern of lexical creativity in 14 nonfiction books, originally written in Swedish. In these books, simile, metaphor, anthropomor- phism, neologism and wordplay are the most common categories of lexical creativity, whereas alliteration, allusion and other creative expressions are much less frequent. These findings are compared with the expressions of lexical creativity in two English nonfiction children’s books of similar contents. Analysis reveals that one of the books, Moira Butterfield’s How Animals Build, has a pattern of lexical creativity much like that of the Swedish books. In the Swedish translation of this book, most of the lexical creativity is preserved. The other English book, General Knowledge Genius! by Chrisp et al., exhibits a non-target-like pattern of lexical creativity, resulting in a considerable loss of lexical creativity, in particular alliteration, in the Swedish translation. The article ends by discussing the main factors related to the neutralisation of lexical creativity in these books, namely divergent genre norms in the source and target cultures, target group adap- tation as well as the translator’s effort to maintain the stylistic level and coherence.

“The Hero’s Bloody Journey”

This work employs the basic narrative structure of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey to analyse female protagonists in various menopause narratives found in both fiction and non-fiction books. The article focuses on the study of four texts: Darcey Steinke’s Flash Count Diary (2019), Colette's Break of Day (1928), Dana Spiotta’s Wayward (2021), and Deborah Levy’s Living Autobiography Series (2018-2021). In his classic work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell outlines three major stages of the hero’s journey: departure from the familiar daily world, initiation in a new, challenging world, and return to the former world with the gains obtained during the initiation. I argue that this framework is a useful tool for interpreting female characters dealing with menopause and its consequences. The daily known world of these protagonists is shaped by their pre-menopause lives and their bodies. Menopause can be viewed as the “other world” where the heroine’s initiation takes place. There, she confronts unknown forces that transform her, as she returns, changed, to her body and her daily life. I propose that in these works, this change marks both a new beginning and a continuity that the protagonists confront with a sense of rage, new places to inhabit, and fresh approaches to their bodies.

Comparison of Using Modified and Nonmodified Books on Comprehension of Students With Extensive Support Needs

Modified books are frequently used as comprehension supports for students with extensive support needs (ESN), despite limited evaluations of their creation process or impact on comprehension. This study evaluates the impact of individualized book and comprehension question modifications made through a systematic decision-making process on student comprehension during nonfiction shared book reading in general education classes. A repeated acquisition single-case research design was used to compare student comprehension of nonmodified and modified books for one first-grade and one fourth-grade student with autism and moderate intellectual disability. Findings indicate student comprehension was higher after reading modified grade-level, nonfiction books compared with similarly matched nonmodified books. These findings show students with ESN can access grade-level books in general education settings with individualized modifications. Recommendations for research and practice are shared. These recommendations include a systematic process for identification of the type and intensity of book modifications that may support comprehension for students with ESN.

Sexual Violence and Racial Capitalism: James Baldwin's Prisons, 1969–74

AbstractThis essay engages with James Baldwin's work on prison rape in the early 1970s: his directing of John Herbert's play Fortune and Men's Eyes while in Turkey (1969–70), his nonfiction book No Name in the Street (1972), and his penultimate novel, If Beale Street Could Talk (1974). Over the course of these works, Baldwin theorized that sexual violence constitutes racial capitalism by mediating between the two state-organized institutions tasked with securing the primitive accumulation and surplus value on which racial capitalism relies: the family (and, more broadly, heterosexuality) and the prison (and, more broadly, policing). In turn, Baldwin helps converge two intellectual traditions that developed after him, the black radical and Marxist feminist traditions, in order to explain how sexual violence expropriates both forced productive labor and unpaid reproductive labor through its production of racialized gender and kinlessness.

Moving Together, Sharing Space in Dance Your Way Home by Emma Warren

Italian has two words for dancing, ballare and danzare. The former refers to the informal, everyday dancing one does with family and friends; the latter means dancing of a high level, the kind that usually requires years of formal training. British author Emma Warren observes that the conflation of both these meanings into the single English verb ‘dance’ comes at the cost of nuance; for one to be defined as a dancer, the assumption follows that one is good at dancing. In her vibrant non-fiction book Dance Your Way Home: A Journey Through the Dancefloor, she seeks to decouple these meanings: if one dances, she argues, then one is a dancer, no matter how excellently or terribly one dances. Her book is concerned not with professional dance but with the ordinary movement of bodies together to music, the spaces this shapes, and the communities this creates. She writes: ‘Moving together to music, I realised, allows us to form new relationships with ourselves and with the wider world’ (7).