Thematic Guide to Popular Nonfiction

by Lynda G. Adamson

Overview

Popular nonfiction is widely read, and is increasingly prominent in the curriculum. This guide helps students, teachers, and librarians identify popular works of nonfiction related to particular themes. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on 50 themes, such as Animals, Exploration, Genocide, Immigrants, Poverty, and Race Relations. Each entry begins with a definition and discussion of the theme, followed by critical summaries of three or four works of nonfiction. The entries conclude with lists of additional nonfiction for further reading, and the Guide closes with lists of additional themes and related works, along with a bibliography of works on popular nonfiction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313328558
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/30/2006
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.81(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Lynda G. Adamson is Professor Emeritus of Literature, Prince George's Community College, where she has taught American, Children's, and Comparative Literature courses. Her many books include Thematic Guide to the American Novel (2002), Notable Women in American History (1999), and Recreating the Past: A Guide to American and World Historical Fiction for Children and Young Adults (1994), all available from Greenwood Press.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Adolescent Females
African Life
American Dream
Animals
Beginnings
Brothers
Change
Commerce
Conservation
Cooperation
Death
Desire
The Earth
Education
Environment
Expatriate Experiences
Exploration
Family
Fathers and Sons
Female Identity
Fishermen
Genocide
Illness
Immigrants
Investigations
Islamic Women
Jourbanalists
Latinas in America
Leadership
Mavericks
The Mind
Mothers and Sons
Murder
Mysteries
Perseverance
Poverty
Power
Prisons
Race Relations
Roaming
Rocket Science
Sports Dreams
Survival
Technology
Traveling to Tibet
Vietnam War Encounters
Women of Chinese Ancestry
Work
World War II
Writers

Editorial Reviews

This work aims to guide librarians and teachers in selecting the most outstanding works on various themes. Popular nonfiction means works with an enduring readership that present a personal viewpoint on topics, but not from a scholarly perspective. Adamson divides the field into 50 categories ranging from Adolescent Females to World War II. Each section begins with a very short bibliographic essay and then presents at length the merits of three to four titles. For the section Race Relations, Adamson selected W. E. B. Du Bois's The Souls of Black Folk, John Howard Griffin's Black like Me, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. For each she gives a useful synopsis of the work, helpful when searching for titles that delineate the theme in a significant way and that are appropriate for students. At the end of a section is usually a short list of other titles of merit….Highly recommended. Librarians/libraries serving high school or young adult readers.” —Choice

“[T]his title achieves its aims consistently and admirably… Teachers at … high school and college level have here a useful resource to choose books and themes to work with their pupils. Interested students have also a resource to help them widen their reading and and make that reading even more informed and productive. Any such work is to be welcomed.” —Reference Reviews

“Whether it is labeled creative nonfiction, factual fiction, literary jourbanalism or new jourbanalism, the practice of presenting fact through the technique of fiction by concentrating on immediacy within such forms as autobiography, memoir, biography, essay, jourbanal, science writing and travel writing. Adamson offers over 50 themes and over 150 works to provide an overview of creative nonfiction, covering such topics as adolescent girls, African life, beginnings, change, conservation, desire, the earth, education, exploration, genocide, illness, leadership, murder, poverty, sports dreams, survival, work and writers. She provides brief descriptions of works and themes for each topic, along with a list of other suggested reading. The result is not only informative but both inspirational and cautionary for aspiring high school and college nonfiction writers.” —Reference & Research Book News

“In her preface, author Adamson explains that this guide discusses books sometimes called creative nonfiction, nonfiction novels, or other similar terms. It was written for high-school and college teachers teachers who need to identify nonfiction works that can be used in courses in various disciplines….The heart of each chapter is the analysis of the chosen books and how they exemplify the theme. The discussion for each book is a page and one-half and covers not only the content in the book but also the literary devices used, the author's style and use of language, plot devices, setting, and approach to theme. The discussions are quite complete and will let teachers easily see if a book would be appropriate for their courses….High-school and college teachers will find the guide very useful, and for this reason school and college libraries should purchase it. Public libraries can purchase as need demands.” —Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

From the Publisher