Horace Miner's "Body Rituals Among the Nacirema" and Why Teaching Non-Fiction is Worth the Curriculum Space

Horace Miner's famous sociological paper entitled "Body Rituals Among the Nacirema" is an example of how non-fiction can be just as powerful and interesting as fiction. This is an article that reveals ethnocentrism, the belief that one's own culture is superior to another's culture, by showing off the "strange" body rituals of the Nacirema tribe. Little does the reader know but there is a surprise hidden in the intent of the work. Nacirema, spelled backwards, is American. This is meant to show how anything can be spun to be completely different with the right words.

This work, when I first read it, blew my mind. For any student that believes non-fiction is second best to fiction, I will give them this article and wait for the lightbulb to turn on.

Non-fiction, in my opinion, is an underappreciated genre of literature. Most students, if asked to name nonfiction, will probably cite a dusty, heavy book with no pictures and lots of dates and facts. Yet, the Sports Illustrated in their hands counts as nonfiction and they will probably never realize this fact unless it is pointed out. Magazines, biographies, articles. These all count towards non-fiction.

Non-fiction not as interesting as fiction? This is a popular phrase among students as to why they do not iindulge in more non-fiction reading. To this point I ask this question: are war, sex, scandal, heroism, survival, and politics not interesting? If the scope of nonfiction's reach is shown, students should begin to realize just how interesting non-fiction can be. Also, the best part about curling up with a good and exciting non-fiction story is that it is just that: non-fiction. At the end of the experience, the reader can go: Oh My God, this actually happened.

Last (and Late), but Not Least

Since I have already confessed to being a nonfiction, self-help flunkie, let me tell you about another piece of nonfiction that I just love to pieces: Virginia Woolfe's essay "A Room of One's Own."  I would have loved to have had the opportunity to sit and chat with Ms. Woolfe; her sense of humor flirts with sarcasm in a way that I find truly refreshing in 2012, and I imagine it was quite "humorous" in 1928 when she wrote the piece.  I love how she unknowingly walks the reader through the writing process, and I love her sarcasm as she tells the imaginary story of Shakespeare's sister, who becomes so frustrated with her lack of opportunity and freedom that she kills herself.  I have always had the idea floating around in my head to be a writer, but fear of failure and a crazy personal life often clip my wings.  After I read Woolfe's essay, I find myself reflecting on her words quite often, "woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."  Considering my family's single-income lifestyle and the inability to even go to the bathroom on my own, I think that my wings may be clipped--at least for now. 

A Call to Arms

The most intriguing and awakening piece of nonfiction I have read in recent history is Stephen G. Bloom’s “Observations From 20 Years of Iowa Life” printed in December 2011 in The Atlantic. I am a native Iowan, and we take great pride in being from Iowa. Iowa as a state is largely a joke to the rest of the United States, and Bloom’s article basically made fun of Iowans on a large scale. His argument was framed around the idea that our state is not worthy enough of being the first Presidential Primary for many reasons, but the way Iowans interpreted it was much different. There was a huge backlash towards Bloom for his portrayal of all Iowans as god-fearing, abortion hating, pocketknife wielding, and hat wearing conservatives. To us natives Bloom was just picking on us and using a small population of Iowans to describe the whole state. I tried to take an unbiased look at my state after reading Bloom’s article, and I found that many of his assertions may very well have been true. However, the way he presented the information was flawed. He had been exposed to such a small sample of Iowa in his twenty years obviously, because as an Iowan would tell you, he got it all wrong. 

 

I think the overwhelming response of Iowans to Bloom’s article highlights the importance and beauty of nonfiction. Bloom’s words got us all talking. The article had us all looking around and examining ourselves. It got us thinking again. That is what good nonfiction will do. It will push you to feel a certain way, to research more into the topic, and to become personally invested in the world around us. I had never heard or seen so many of my peers talking about the same thing. Every Iowan I knew was reading and reflecting on Bloom’s article. There were Facebook posts, Tweets, written responses, and videos. The state was alive with rhetoric. The outsider, Bloom, had sparked an incredible response from Iowans. For weeks on end, all I heard about was Bloom’s article and how angry everyone was with it. The University of Iowa, where Bloom taught, even came out and said that Bloom’s article was not in line with their beliefs and that he did not speak for the University. As time passed, the article was largely forgotten about, but I will never forge the response Bloom’s article incited within my friends and family. 

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Suprise!! everything I read is nonfiction (apparently)

After evaluating my reading of the nonfiction genre, I was surprised to see that most of what I read on a daily bases is nonfiction! I am an avid reader of news articles, magazines, and blogs. Some of the blogs I visit on a daily basis are outblush.com and whowhatwear.com. These blogs center around my interest in beauty, fashion, and all things girl related. I also recently finished a book on wine, one of my other interests and passions. This book on wine informed me of everything I needed to know about specific grapes, blends, and the wine making process which I eventually plan to attempt. I am also a subscriber to the Pittsburgh magazine. If you are not a subscriber, I seriously recommend trying it out. The magazine offers numerous stories, critiques, and reviews of everything Pittsburgh from dining, bars, events, doctors, etc. The current July issue is "The Best of the Burgh": best place to spot a celebrity, best waffles, best wines, best pupcake (a cupcake for your pooch), and of course the best nightlife. I was surprised to find that the best place for a fine-dining funnel cake is right in my backyard at the restaurant Willow! I realized after pondering this post how much I do love nonfiction! Now I must get back to reading nonfiction articles about teaching nonfiction!

The Truth is Stranger than Fiction (and More Amusing)

I've never been mountain climbing, or hike- hiking (as in more than just my jaunts around Raccoon Creek State Park), nor camping. While road tripping across America is like a siren song to me, I've never done that either. However, there's something immensely appealing to me about the idea. As such, Bill Bryson's account of his trip following the Appalachian Trail in A Walk in the Woods had me hooked just by reading the blurb on the back of the book.I happened to open up to a funny bit about bears in the middle of it that had me laughing aloud in Barnes & Noble, so I bought it.

Don't judge this book by its cover!

Bryson's book had me in hysterics throughout most of the reading. From his wife's reception of his decision to follow the trail to his trip to the camping store, his inviting his childhood friend Katz and the ups and downs of their journey, Bryson recounts everything as if he's telling it over a cup of coffee in his living room. His intense fear of bears is sprinkled throughout the book providing me with laugh-myself-to-tears moments and the need to run out and share the jokes with my family.

In the midst of Bryson's tale, he writes with a motive beyond sharing his hilarious hike with the world: he is speaking out on behalf of nature in America. He writes for the wildlife, the trees, the national parks, the trails. They're on the way to extinction, and it's the fault of humanity. Bryson, seeing everything first-hand, pleads with his readers to become aware of what's going on so that the problem can be stopped. 

Most of my adventures in non-fiction have been either speeches or essays required for class. I was introduced to David Sedaris through Me Talk Pretty One Day and realized non-fiction could be amusing and entertaining too. People sharing their stories in a creative way cast the non-fiction genre in a whole new light. I encountered more non-fiction in my literary journalism class textbook, The Art of Fact, which consists of magazine-length interviews written almost as if they're short stories.

I think it's important to share with students the joy that can ensue from reading non-fiction. Biographies and essays are fine for those who are into that sort of thing-- but in high school, not many are. Students can study and work to attain their own writing styles to record their personal histories in new ways, whether in a journal or in the style of Bryson and Sedaris. Studying these techniques shows them how to be creative with facts, to spin a web and entertain readers with the seemingly mundane experiences of everyday life.