Whether you’re looking for adventure, biography, cultural analysis or a bit of inspiration, our list of October Nonfiction to watch for has something for you. Here are the releases for the upcoming month that particularly caught my eye. All quotes from publishers unless otherwise indicated Into the Abyss: how a deadly plane crash changed the lives of a pilot, a politician, a criminal and a cop (M) by Carol Shaben A small plane crashes in remote Northern Alberta, killing 6 on board but leaving four survivors: the pilot, politician, criminal and cop of the book’s title. Journalist Shaben traces their fight for survival and the surprising bonds they formed. Some Great Idea: good neighbourhoods, crazy politics and the invention of Toronto(M) by Edward Keenan “Since 2010 Toronto’s headlines have been consumed by the outrageous personal foibles and government-slashing, anti-urbanist policies of Mayor Rob Ford. But the heated debate at City Hall has obscured a bigger, decade-long narrative of Toronto’s ascendance as a mature global city. It raises questions: What role does a mayor play in a city’s temperament and self-confidence? Can an unpopular mayor make a city better by forcing its citizens to engage? What place is there in our new decentralized, global, open-source world for an autocrat?” I’ll Seize the Day Tomorrow(M) by Jonathan Goldstein Humour fans will delight in this book of essays from Canadian author, journalist Goldstein who you may know from CBC’s Wiretap, or his appearances on NPR’s This American Life or his previous books Lenny Bruce is Dead and Ladies and Gentleman, The Bible! Press blurbs are coming from fellow funny folks Shalom Auslander and David Sedaris and Canadian literary big wigs like Miriam Toews and David Bezmozgis. Expect laughs, lots of laughs. In the Pleasure Groove: love death and Duran Duran(M) by John Taylor Please don’t tell my older sister about this new biography of Duran Duran bassist John Taylor, you’ll spoil her intended Christmas present. One of the biggest bands in the world in the 1980s, Duran Duran are still touring and playing music today, and Taylor’s book looks back at his personal journey through stardom and turmoil. One World Schoolhouse: education reimagined(M) by Salman Khan Have you heard of the Khan Academy? According to their website, which offers educational videos on everything from an introduction to art history to an explanation of the Greek Debt Crisis to Using polynomial expressions and factoring polynomials (it’s math), they are “a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere. From the founder of the Khan Academy, One World Schoolhouse takes is an exploration of education and what we could be doing differently. Queen of Katwe(M) by Tim Crothers The inspiring story of how a young girl went from struggling each day in a Ugandan slum to becoming an international chess sensation. From a Library Journal preview, “At age 11, Phiona Mutesi had a lot of strikes against her; barely literate, she lived in the worst slums of Kampala, Uganda. Then a slum dweller who had become a missionary taught her to play chess, and three years later she was an international champion. Basing this book on his National Magazine Award‚ nominated story, Sports Illustrated senior writer Crothers tells a story that isn’t just inspirational but a corrective to our most damning assumptions.”
