Rutabaga's Reads 2024: Part 11

We’re getting close to 2024’s end, and it’s finally nonfiction’s turn in the spotlight. As you’ll see if you peruse this post, there’s a variety of nonfiction here. If you’re a nonfiction reader, please share what sorts of nonfiction books you gravitate toward.

Kitty Language: An Illustrated Guide to Understanding Your Cat (June 13, 2023) by Lili Chin.

            Your cat is staring straight at you without blinking or moving. Is she staring deep into your soul? Possibly, but more likely she’s focused on some movement or noise that’s alerted her. If you’ve ever questioned what that tail swish meant, wondered over your cat’s ear flicks or slow-blinked back at your cat, this fun-size guide is here to be an educated visual reference. With language typically short and simple and illustrations informative and vivid, this book vetted by cat behavior consultants and scientists is delightful as well as reputable and factual.

            This practically-pocket-sized nonfiction book is plumb full of playful, animated and informative illustrations by author and illustrator Chin. It’s a fun guide and a quick read into the world of feline behaviors, postures and movements – look at the entire body! – with clear-cut writing and expressive illustrations featuring cats of varying species. The information isn’t groundbreaking, and anyone who’s a cat person – like me! – will already recognize the behaviors and body language from the cats in their own lives. This charming book is an excellent guide for families welcoming their first cat and is an overall good choice for cat lovers and the cat-curious, alike.

Outofshapeworthlessloser (Feb. 6, 2024) by Gracie Gold.

There are three selves to Olympic figure skater Gracie Gold: (1) There’s Grace Elizabeth, her private self, the daughter of an anesthesiologist dad and an ER nurse mom, who likes baggy sweatpants and oversized sweatshirts. (2) Then there’s Gracie Gold, her public persona, the blond, classically pretty, Olympic-level skater. (3) And there’s Outofshapeworthlessloser, her secret self, shaped over years of depression, family troubles, trauma and self-destructive tendencies. Outwardly, Gracie has it all with well-to-do parents who can afford skating lessons and ice time, sparkly costumes and skates. She was the face of the 2014 Sochi Olympics and baked cookies with Taylor Swift. Her public star was as golden as her name, but her private life was crumbling. Food became the one thing she felt she could control, and anorexia and bulimia entered the chat. She even became obsessively dependent on laxatives. Too many years spent with demanding coaches, parents who expected nothing less than gold, the trauma of sexual assault and her own debilitating perfectionism took its toll. She made the choice to enter treatment for an eating disorder and anxiety, certainly, but also for depression and suicidal ideation. All that glitters is not gold, and Gracie Gold holds nothing back.

            I have always loved figure skating. My all-time favorites are Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan. For anyone who idolizes figure skating, this isn’t the book for you. Or maybe it is exactly what you should read, especially if you, or someone close to you, is a competitive figure skater. Gold is boldly candid, unflinchingly personal and unreservedly defiant. Her memoir is stunning in its talk on the topic of mental health, which is, unfortunately, still too often seen as a taboo subject, and U.S. Figure Skating’s lack of care for its athletes. Gold’s memoir also tried my patience. While I can acknowledge that we only truly know our own experiences, Gold can come across as selfish. She is not the only person on this planet with big feelings and big emotions. She’s not the only person who’s experienced trauma, but sometimes her writing makes it seem like she is. Through thick and thin, though, she has picked herself up again and again and again, and hopefully she is always the coach that skaters need her to be!

Weird But True! Disney (Sept. 26, 2023) by National Geographic Kids.

In this edition of the bestselling Weird But True! series, the focus is Disney. Hardcore fans may know plenty of facts about the history of Disney, the theme parks, the cruise ships, etc., but for the casual fan, this book shares “300 wonderful facts to celebrate the magic of Disney.” There are fun facts and surprising secrets behind everything from Disney films, park attractions, Walt Disney and more. For example, did you know that the 82-foot-tall fireplace in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge mimics the layers of the Grand Canyon, which represent 1.6 billion years of geologic history? Or that the lighthouse built for Pete’s Dragon (1977) was so authentic that the film crew had to get permission from the United States Coast Guard to use it? Discover how many Swarovski diamonds were sewn into just one pair of costume pants for Broadway’s Aladdin. Or how many balloons it would actually take to lift Carl’s house in Up (2009) in real life!

            I’m one of those casual Disney fans. You know the ones. The ones who typically visit Walt Disney World (WDW) Resort every other year, when, in reality, they wish they could visit every other month! It’s thanks to a Mother-Daughter WDW trip two months ago that I realized this book existed. I saw it advertised in multiple Disney Transport buses that we rode on. All Disney fans of all ages should own this book. Even if hardcore fans happen to know all 300 facts before reading this, it contains accompanying pictures in full color. It’s on brand with Nat Geo Kids’ excellence in nonfiction aimed at younger readers. For Disney adults like me, it’s got whimsy, nostalgia and magic. And I’m wishing I was right back at WDW!