Books for the Special People on Your Holiday List: Part 2

Dec 14, 2017 by Victoria Noe, in Al Katkowsky , books , Hamilton , holiday gifts , holidays , Jeremy McCarter , John McPhee , Lin-Manuel Miranda , Rania Zeithar , writers

Last week I offered some shopping suggestions for the hard-to-buy people on your list. All turned out to be nonfiction and memoir by women. This week’s list is equally eclectic, with books by men and women this time.

For your writing group leader, who always begins your meetings with a writing prompt - Question of the Day: Where Truth is the Dare by Al Katkowsky

For the theatre fan in your life, as well as the person who can’t read enough history - Hamilton: The Revolution by Jeremy McCarter and Lin-Manuel Miranda

For nonfiction writers at all phases of their careers - Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process by John McPhee

For anyone curious about the experience of Muslim immigrants to the US, a very personal and eye-opening memoir - America Through My Eyes: Experiences of an Egyptian American Muslim Woman, by Rania Zeithar

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And finally, yes, my books. They may seem like odd choices for gifts. But many of those who have purchased them have done so with the intent of giving them to someone who could benefit.

They’re for anyone who has grieved the death of a friend: someone they grew up with or worked alongside. It’s often that we don’t realize just how much those friends mean to them until they’re gone. And too often, others don’t recognize how deeply we’re affected. They brush it off as unimportant because friends aren’t as important as family. They are. Sometimes more important.

In these books you’ll meet people who have lost a best friend or dozens of friends. They’ve found ways to honor those friendships, sometimes making major life changes to fulfill the potential their friends recognized in them.

If you’re afraid that sounds depressing, they’re not. Some of the stories are sad, some will make you laugh. But all of them affirm the transforming power of friendships. And there are few things as defining as the friendships that shape our lives.

So, those are my suggestions. And though the links are Amazon, you can purchase these books and ebooks on many other sites as well, including your favorite indie bookstore.

Give the gift of reading to someone you love. And don’t forget to include yourself, as well!

PS - If you're looking for a last-minute charitable deduction, check out my next book (Fag Hags, Divas and Moms: The Legacy of Straight Women in the AIDS Community) on the New York Foundation for the Arts website. Through their fiscal sponsorship program, your support of my book's production is fully tax-deductible.

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Victoria Noe

Award-winning Author, Speaker, Activist