What Caught My Eye Online #31
Nonfiction picks, education, dinner ideas, and more
This week marks the beginning of my summer break! I am beyond excited for a couple of months of a more relaxed schedule.
Since today is Juneteenth, I wanted to recommend a book I read a while back that helped me better understand what this important holiday is all about. It’s a slim volume by Annette Gordon-Reed called On Juneteenth. Here’s part of the description:
“Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed's On Juneteenth provides a historian's view of the country's long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships that African-Americans have endured in the century since, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow and beyond.”
Highly recommend!
Today’s roundup is a bit shorter than usual because I’ve been busy blissfully ignoring my computer. Still, there are some great links below that I hope you enjoy. Thanks for being here!
I’ve been a longtime follower of Sharon McMahon’s Instagram account, and now she has a Substack. McMahon talks about government, history, and politics in easy-to-understand language. She covers important topics and doesn’t waste her readers’ time with clickbait or oversensationalized reporting.
Most years, about 40% of the books I read are nonfiction. I’m a nonfiction evangelist, trying to convince readers it’s not dry or boring. NPR is helping my case by sharing nonfiction titles their staffers have loved so far this year.
NPR shares their fiction picks, too.
Educator and writer Davon Loeb shares how his experiences as a Black man are integral to his work as a teacher. He writes:
“I’ve been in a classroom for most of my life. As both a teacher and a student, I have felt both invisible and hyper visible because of the color of my skin. I have been challenged and have battled with my race since I was a boy and still as a man. Even though I have been teaching for over a decade, I am still looking for representation in education.”
I love quick, simple, and fresh meals in the summer. Here’s a list featuring 75+ summer dinner ideas, including some bonuses, like desserts and sauces.
It’s important to have hobbies, to have something in your life you do simply because it brings you joy. This video was suggested to me on YouTube in which the creator recommends 15 beginner-friendly hobbies. This was fun and inspiring to watch!
I’ve been enjoying Lizzy McAlpine’s new album and enjoyed this profile in the New Yorker.
What things have caught your eye lately? Share below!
Thanks for sharing the NPR link for non-fiction books, I’d like to add a few to my summer TBR!
I needed some fresh summer meal ideas. Thanks for the link!