It’s Week 2 of Nonfiction November hosted by Frances at Volatile Rune. The topic this week is Choosing Nonfiction.

There are many topics to choose from when looking for a nonfiction book. For example:  Biography, Autobiography, Memoire, Travel, Health, Politics, History, Religion and Spirituality, Science, Art, Medicine, Gardening, Food, Business, Education, Music to name but a few.  Maybe use this week to challenge yourself to pick a genre you wouldn’t normally read?   Or stick to what you usually like is also fine. If you are a nonfiction genre newbie, did your choice encourage you to read more?

I mostly read about the environment and nature, followed by science and technology, politics and history. There are plenty of interesting books on those topics to more-than-fill my reading time. But I’ll occasionally pick up a book in another genre if it sparks my curiosity for some reason, or if it’s recommended by someone whose opinion I trust.

One book that did push the boundaries for me this year was Medicine Wheel for the Planet. It’s about Indigenous forms of knowledge by Jennifer Grenz, an Indigenous ecologist from British Columbia.

The book presents a of view of knowledge and research that’s very different from the Western scientific method I’m familiar with. Western science has brought incredible benefits, but I have to admit that it also has problems and limits. There are other types of knowledge and other ways of understanding the world. Maybe we and our planet would be better off if we gave some consideration and some respect to these other approaches. If nothing else, it might teach a bit of much-needed humility. Medicine Wheel for the Planet is a good introduction to other ways of seeing the world.

Thanks for reading