This Week in Nonfiction: The Class of 5.20.25

New nonfiction just dropped. Some came dressed to impress. Others brought drama. A few brought snacks.

It’s another Pub Day—meet the class of 5.20.25:

This week’s nonfiction lineup includes tech moguls, teen movies, trauma recovery, true crime, and more. A few titles stood out right away:

I was lucky to get a copy of The Joy Reset: Six Ways Trauma Steals Happiness and How to Win It Back by MaryCatherine McDonald—and I already wrote out this quote in my journal:

“Joy and hope are fraternal twins and they are not f*cking around.”

The Lost Voice by Greta Morgan is one of those books that, unless you know who

Greta Morgan

is (music lovers, take note), the cover won’t give much away. In 2019, she was a musician performing with Vampire Weekend and Jenny Lewis. But after a 2020 Covid diagnosis, she developed a rare neurological disorder that took away her ability to sing. This memoir follows how she fought to reclaim her creative identity.

I don’t know much about Barry Diller, but I recently saw a piece on Diane von Furstenberg being married to him—well, now he’s written a memoir: Who Knew. He’s not on Substack, but here’s a great review by

Tina Brown

I found:

Big Dog Barry

And of course, any book on creativity will grab my attention—Doom and Bloom: The Case for Creativity in a World Hooked on Panic by Campbell Walker sounds like it was written for our times (insert nervous giggle).

I wasn’t familiar with the story behind Murder in the Dollhouse by Rich Cohen, but now I’m very curious. The Jennifer Dulos case got national attention, and this new book digs into the events with a journalist’s eye.

And finally, one of my favorite nonfiction podcasters,

Brendan O'Meara

, is teaming up with my favorite sports librarian,

Katie Quinn

, and now it all makes sense—his new book is about legendary runner Steve Prefontaine. Can’t wait to see how The Front Runner tells his story.

Here’s what else is new today, grouped so you can scan fast and sort your TBR accordingly (^ indicates a substack author):

Memoir & Personal Narrative

• ^The Lost Voice: A Memoir –

  Greta Morgan

• What a Girl Wants: A (True) Story of Sexuality and Self-Discovery – Roxy Bourdillon

• Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson – Tourmaline

Psychology, Wellness & Self-Help

• The Joy Reset: Six Ways Trauma Steals Happiness and How to Win It Back – MaryCatherine McDonald

• The Practice of Immortality: A Monk’s Guide to Discovering Your Unlimited Potential for Health, Happiness, and Positivity – Ishan Shivanand

• Ask a Matchmaker – Maria Avgitidis

Culture, Media & Pop Topics

• Hollywood High: A Totally Epic, Way Opinionated History of Teen Movies – Bruce Handy

• Who Knew – Barry Diller

• Doom and Bloom: The Case for Creativity in a World Hooked on Panic – Campbell Walker

Investigative & True Crime

• Murder in the Dollhouse: The Jennifer Dulos Story – Rich Cohen

• Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKULTRA – John Lisle

History & Current Affairs

• By the Second Spring: Seven Lives and One Year of the War in Ukraine – Danielle Leavitt

• Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back – Joan C. Williams

• The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future – Keach Hagey

Science, Nature & Curiosity

• Is a River Alive? – Robert MacFarlane

• ^Clamor –

  Chris Berdik

• Things in Nature Merely Grow – Yiyun Li

Sports & Inspiration

• ^The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine –

  Brendan O'Meara

Curious about one of these? I’d love to hear—just reply to this email. And if you haven’t tried the app yet, give it a go. It’s honestly a better way to read.

Happy reading, and a round of applause for this week’s graduating class!

Jaymi

P.S. I’ve had to pause the usual Friday Nonfiction Digest while I settle into a new job—so for now, these Tuesday “Pub Day” posts are doing the heavy lifting. I’ve mostly been sharing them in Notes, but I figured I’d try posting here too. Thanks for rolling with the changes!

---