Cheyenne Roche: Non-fiction doesn't have to be boring

Apr. 4—For Christmas this year, I caved and finally asked for a Kindle. My mother-in-law bought in on a good Black Friday deal, but gave it to me on one condition — I had to read some non-fiction books too.

I'm not entirely opposed to non-fiction books, but I definitely read them far less than their fictional counterparts.

Last year, eight of my 114 books were non-fiction. That's pretty good for me, to be honest. Some have been hits and others have just been OK.

I started with autobiographies. I really enjoyed Jennette McCurdy's "I'm Glad My Mom Died." As someone who watched the show "iCarly" growing up, it was crazy to hear about the internal and external struggles McCurdy was going through.

If you're interested in the trauma of the child star industry, I highly recommend the read.

As a "Harry Potter" fan, I loved Tom Felton's "Beyond the Wand." Though he also went through his fair share of troubles as a young adult, his description of filming the movies felt like a behind the scenes view into something really special. He talks about his relationship with the other actors and how they all excelled in different areas.

I read Matthew Perry's autobiography, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," before his passing in October. It's an interesting read because Perry holds no punches. He doesn't pretend to be a hero. He portrays himself as he was when he was deep in the alcohol and drugs.

For some people, this makes it hard to resonate with him. They think he is playing the victim when he needs to take responsibility for his actions. For me, I guess I was just looking for an insight into how someone becomes that way and what they do when no one is watching. I was never in it to fall in love with Perry as a person.

After I made it through these autobiographies, I was stumped. I started "Spare," by Prince Harry, but when my time ran out, I never renewed it. I just couldn't get into it.

In middle and high school, I really enjoyed reading books about World War II, specifically the Holocaust. I know that's a pretty dark thing for a 12-year-old to be interested in, but I just found it tragic, horrific and captivating.

I frequently use Libby for audiobooks. It's an app where you input your library card information and are given access to thousands of audiobooks and ebooks for free. Sometimes there's a wait time on a book, but you still don't have to pay.

As I was scrolling through, I found "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris. The biography was written by Morris after she was introduced to an elderly gentleman in 2003 "who might just have a story worth telling."

That man was Lale Sokolov, one of Auschwitz' tattooists. Though it's debated what category the book falls into, it is primarily true with potentially fictional details threaded in to make it more like a true story. The story isn't long, but it's deeply emotional and moving.

I stumbled upon a recommendation for the book "Educated" by Tara Westover, and it's still my favorite non-fiction book to date. The book follows Westover as she grows up in a Mormon, end-of-the-world survivalist family. The way the children are raised and the many ways they almost die throughout the novel is astounding.

Ever since reading this, I've been looking for something to replicate the the way it made me feel. When reading about the horrors other experience behind the facade of a happy family, it makes me have more empathy for what others may be dealing with behind closed doors.

I finished the year with Brittney Spears' "The Woman in Me." The beginning was a little slow, but once it got to the part about her conservatorship and her children taken from her, I couldn't put it down.

I remember the drama when Spears shaved her head. People thought it was insane, but someone was literally keeping her babies from her. She said she talked to someone who told her, "If they took my babies, I'd do something a lot worse than shaving my head."

This year, I've read two so far. I read "438 days," a biography of Salvador Alvarenga who survived 14 months lost in the sea. It was a recommendation by a family member, and I enjoyed it. Also a short read, it was quick and the survival tactics were very interesting. It happened in late 2012, and I just kept thinking where I was in my life while this man was adrift in the Pacific.

I just finished "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. It's the closest I've got to the story "Educated" gave me. Walls grew up with a father who was an alcoholic and a mother that looked at her children as an unfair burden placed on her.

The family moved around a lot, ate very little and experienced all kinds of bullying and abuse. In both books, my favorite part is watching the women pull themselves out of these situations and make a better life for themselves.

If you're looking for an entertaining non-fiction read, I hope these are helpful. If you know of any others I may like, please send recommendations to [email protected].