Thursday, March 14, 2013

Non-Fiction. That is All.

Hello Literati!

Can you believe we're already a couple weeks into March? It's incredible how quickly the days go by. I am, however, happy to report that I did bust out of my Writer's Block. (Freeeedom!) It just took scraping twenty two pages, but hey, whatever works, right? Things are better this way, right? Right? ... (insert cricket chirps here) ...

So, I've been tackling a horrible case of insomnia lately (let's face it, if it's not Writer's Block, it's something else!). Earlier this week, said insomnia led me to open my Netflix queue at 10 p.m. and browse. I came upon a movie that I've always wanted to see, and decided it was about time to give it a shot. The movie? Capote. I know, I know! How have I not seen this movie before?? What?!? How could I? The horror!! 

I won't review the movie here (it was good, enough said), but I will say this, it got me thinking about non-fiction. What I've always found fascinating is how the non-fiction novel, when compared to fiction, is like...well, a newborn baby. For those unawares, Truman Capote's book, In Cold Blood, is considered to be the first work of non-fiction ever published. The book was published in a four-part series by The New Yorker in 1965. That's right, 1965! See? Non-Fiction, a baby genre. Consider fiction for a second, with the first stirrings of the genre being discovered as early as 2000 BC. And stories such as The Illiad and The Odyssey were recorded in 8th century BC. 

Yeah, let that sink in.

Why did it take so long for the birth of a non-fiction story? I have no idea. There are some critics who will site other works as non-fiction, but it's widely agreed that Capote's book was the first non-fiction novel. 

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but of what I have read, I've enjoyed. If you are new to non-fiction, I'd suggest In Cold Blood, but if you're not one for gory details, check out another one of my favorites, The Catcher was a Spy. And there's always Into Thin Air, which was excellent! How about you, is there a non-fiction book you'd recommend?

In the spirit of Capote, I've taken up a book I've had for a couple years and have yet to read: The Devil in the White City. It's more of a creative non-fiction novel, but so far it's incredibly interesting! So if you're a fiction junkie, maybe next time you're browsing through Goodreads, or trying to figure out what to read next, take a look at something non-fiction, it may surprise you!

What non-fiction books have you read and loved? Or are you devoted to fiction and simply refuse to read non-fiction? Let us know!

...And as always, Happy Reading and Writing!

2 comments:

  1. I hope your insomnia gets better! Or, that you find lots more movies on Netflix you've never seen, but always wanted to. Just kidding!

    Hope all is well. I need to add Cold Blood to my TBR!

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  2. Yes! You've got to read In Cold Blood. I read it back in high school and am considering picking it up again after I finish The Devil in the White City. Although, I'll probably need a break in between those two novels...something cheery to break up the whole murderer theme...

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