Nonfiction November 2017: Fiction Nonfiction Book Pairings Link-Up

Nonfiction November 2017


Today’s Nonfiction November (hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey, Lory at Emerald City Book Review, Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness, Julz at Julz Reads, and me) topic is fiction/nonfiction book pairings:

It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.

Fiction / Nonfiction Book Pairings is my favorite topic of Nonfiction November and I keep a running list throughout the year of all my ideas for pairings. I hope y’all have just as much fun with it!

Link up your posts below and check out the plans for the rest of the month at here! I’ll be posting a round-up of everyone’s posts on Friday.

Fiction Nonfiction Book Pairings

The Shooter’s Mother’s Perspective of a Mass Shooting

Columbine shooter Dylan Klebold’s mother (Sue) shares her struggle following the shooting and Dylan’s suicide in her poignant memoir, A Mother’s Reckoning.

Jodi Picoult’s novel, Nineteen Minutes, centers around a mass school shooting in a small, New Hampshire town. Chapters are told from various characters’ perspectives, including the mother of the shooter’s. 

On Caring for a Terminally Ill Parent

Dan Marshall’s memoir, Home is Burning (my review), chronicles his journey caring for his ALS-stricken father in hilariously inappropriate detail and with heart-wrenching emotion. 

In Anna Quindlen’s One True Thing (my review), an up-and-coming New York journalist returns home to care for her cancer-stricken mother and comes to understand her much better in the process.

A Family’s Struggle to Survive Massive Wartime Oppression

Forty Autumns tells the story of the author’s East German family’s experience living behind the Iron Curtain…and their heart-breaking separation from their daughter, Hanna, who escaped.

Georgia Hunter’s novel, We Were the Lucky Ones (author interview), is inspired by the true story of her Polish Jewish family, who was split apart during World War II. PS – We Were the Lucky Ones was nominated for a 2017 Goodreads Choice Award for Debuts – if you read and loved this book, vote here now!

Beneath the Surface of Seemingly Perfect Teenagers

What Made Maddy Run is the heart-breaking story of a seemingly perfect (if you looked at her Instagram account) teenager who commits suicide during her freshman year on the Penn State track team. This is a must-read for parents of young athletes. And, the book Maddy had with her when she died was…

Reconstructing Amelia (my review) is the fictional story of an over-achieving teenage girl who apparently jumps to her death from her school after getting caught cheating. 

The Intensity of Youth Sports

Friday Night Lights profiles the incredible intensity of high school football in Texas. Plus, it inspired my all-time favorite TV show of the same name!

Beartown (my review) is Fredrick Backman’s fictional story of elite youth ice hockey in Sweden…and the fallout of all that intensity. 

Incidentally, there is another nonfiction book that I’m dying to pair with Beartown, but telling you what it is would spoil one of Beartown‘s central plot elements. Those of you that have read Beartown can probably guess the mystery nonfiction book…

Inside the Lonely Psyche of a Pro Tennis Player

Andre Agassi’s memoir, Open, chronicles his lonely childhood playing tennis under the tutelage of his overbearing father and his continued loneliness on the pro tour.

The main character of Trophy Son (my review), Douglas Brunt’s fictional story about a young tennis star, seems suspiciously similar to Agassi, down to the Greek father.

What are some of your favorite Nonfiction / Fiction pairings?

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40 Comments

  1. I love your pairings and am adding Forty Autumns to my TBR list right now. If it goes well with We Were the Lucky ones then it’s a book I need to read! I’ll be doing a link up tomorrow with a few of my own match ups.

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      You’ll love Forty Autumns 🙂

      Posted 11.8.17 Reply
  2. Angela wrote:

    I love your pairings! The one with Reconstructing Amelia is particularly interesting – I loved that book, and What Made Maddy Run sounds heartbreaking. My pairings will be up tomorrow!

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Thank you! Maddy is good on audio too if that interests you.

      Posted 11.8.17 Reply
  3. I love your pairs. I really need to read Beartown. It sounds like my kind of thing, and I like the author’s work.

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      OMG – YES! One of my favorites of the year!

      Posted 11.8.17 Reply
  4. I’ve got to get my hands on What Made Maddy Run. I loved Trophy Son and want to read Open. Great list!

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
  5. I’ve read Nineteen Minutes, but haven’t been able to convince myself I want to read A Mother’s Reckoning. I think it will be too sad for me.
    I don’t think I’ve read anything else on your list, but there are a couple I plan to read. I want to read We Were The Lucky Ones, so I’ll have to add your book pairing to my list. My book club is considering reading Reconstructing Amelia, so we may need to pair up that one, too!

    I can’t find your link up, and for some reason if I leave a link to my blog in the comments, WordPress rejects them, so hopefully you can find me if you are interested. I paired Lilac Girls with Ravensbrück (with The Nightingale)

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
    • Nevermind…..I see the link up just wasn’t active yet when I checked earlier. I’m good now.

      Posted 11.6.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Sorry about the link-up. I set the AM/PM open time wrong!

      I was skeptical of A Mother’s Reckoning (if I’d just get angry reading it), but it’s really well done and is a really nuanced perspective.

      Posted 11.8.17 Reply
  6. I always love seeing the connections you make! I didn’t do a whole post, because I couldn’t find many pairs this year, but a couple from my reading this year are The Shore (fiction) and White Trash (non); and Frankenstein (fiction set in Switzerland) and The Gilded Chalet (nonfiction about books set or written in Switzerland).

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Oooh – great pairing with The Shore and White Trash! Adding White Trash to my TBR list since I loved The Shore.

      Posted 11.8.17 Reply
  7. Great pairings! I read Nineteen Minutes and it was chilling, well written. Picoult has a way of delving into a character and making them so real. Thanks for hosting!

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
  8. renee wrote:

    I think I need to read Open! I was thinking about Agassi the whole time I was reading Trophy Son . I haven’t read We Were The Lucky Ones but it sounds great!

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
  9. I love book pairings week, though I haven’t read many pairs this year, I managed to match up some recent non fic reads with older novels.

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
  10. I’ve been wanting to read A Mother’s Reckoning, so I may just take your suggestion and pair it with Nineteen Minutes. It’ll be another downer of a book pairing post, but I’ve never stayed away from depressing book topics 🙂 Great post!

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
  11. I love this topic! (could have done a dozen but restricted myself to six).

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
  12. Tara wrote:

    Oooh, Trophy Son; that was such a great read, thanks to you! What Made Maddy Run is on my list; I need to get to that one because I think it’s going to be really interesting.

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
  13. Lindsay wrote:

    I paired up “Nineteen Minutes” with “A Mother’s Reckoning” too!

    Posted 11.6.17 Reply
  14. Emma wrote:

    Fascinating topics. Just added my link

    Posted 11.7.17 Reply
  15. I just linked up – I am predictable with my food and wine interests 🙂

    Posted 11.7.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Nothing wrong with food and wine!!

      Posted 11.8.17 Reply
  16. Ceri wrote:

    I’ve not read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult but We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver always reminded me of the Columbine shootings. So haunting. I’ll have to look out for the Picoult book. I’ve enjoyed her books in the past.

    Posted 11.8.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      And I want to read We Need to Talk About Kevin! It’s been on my list for years.

      Posted 11.8.17 Reply
  17. So many great suggestions here, but I’m especially interested in Forty Autumns and We Were the Lucky Ones. Thanks for hosting this week!

    Posted 11.8.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I think you’d love both 🙂

      Posted 11.14.17 Reply
  18. Naomi wrote:

    I find that I’m drawn to the terrifying stories about teenagers – the mass shooting books and the books about seemingly perfect teenagers. You’d think because I have teenagers now, I’d be running from these books, but maybe I feel like they’ll provide me with clues into their heads. Haha!
    (I know exactly what other book you’re talking about! *whimper*)

    Posted 11.9.17 Reply
  19. Anita wrote:

    I immediately thought of Nineteen minutes and either Columbine one the book by Sue Klebold that I have still on my shelves. I need to put my thinking cap on to put together a book pairing or two. Great list Sarah.

    Posted 11.9.17 Reply
  20. This is my first year taking part. Thank you for hosting this week 🙂

    Posted 11.9.17 Reply
  21. Great pairings! I really felt like I should be able to come up with something for Forty Autumns and I couldn’t, so I’m glad to see it on your list 🙂

    Posted 11.11.17 Reply

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