Just a Spoonful of Sugar—Non-Fiction to Smile With and Learn From

(Updated and Revised 3/7/22)
I stumbled onto my notes from Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic: A Comedian’s Guide to Life on the Spectrum a while back (and yeah, I forgot almost all of them in my post about the book). But it got me thinking about McCreary’s approach—taking a hard-to-talk about subject and adding a touch of humor (or at least a light-hearted voice) to it to make it palatable. It’s a great way to get someone to look at the subtleties of what the Autism Spectrum Disorder can be, how individuals can fall somewhere on that spectrum (and therefore have many things in common), and yet be very different from one another.

Now, I realize that some would point to our cultural inability to discuss difficult subjects with the sobriety and seriousness they deserve as a significant problem. And there’s something to that. More than something, probably. Still, I don’t like to think I enjoy these books and their approach because I’m shallow, but I guess I shouldn’t rule that out.

Shallowness aside, there’s something to the approach—whether it’s technical issues, trauma, socially awkward topics, disease, disorders, or other things people try to avoid discussing—doing so in a light-hearted manner or with plenty of laughs, tends to make the audience receptive. It takes a lot of skill to blend the difficult topic into an entertaining package. But it’s a great way to gain a new perspective, a deeper understanding, or learn something.

Here’s a list of the books that I’ve read/posted about in the last few years that entertain while informing/giving insight:

Go Back Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American by Wajahat Ali—Ali’s memoir of growing up as the child of immigrants from Pakistan. While telling his own story, he shines a light on the kinds of things that people that look like him and/or come from similar backgrounds have to deal with in school and society (both within the Muslim community and without). Of special focus are the days and years post-9/11 and how that’s changed things for better or worse (mostly worse). His telling shows a good sense of humor, and sometimes will spend a good deal of time on humor, but that’s not the focus.
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher—Fisher addresses her addictions and mental health problems (and the extreme solutions) in this frequently laugh-out-loud memoir
Everything is Normal by Sergey Grechishkin—Grechishkin’s memoir of growing up in 1980’s-era Soviet Russia brings the grins (and a chuckle or two) while not letting us forget how hard and terrifying it could be.
Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16 by Mose Kasher—Kasher’s account will make you smile, break your heart, and help you understand addiction
We Had a Little Real Estate Problem by Kliph Nesteroff—This is the story of Native Americans/Indigenous people in Entertainment–particularly comedy, but there’s a little spill over to other areas, too. Unlike the rest of this list, the prose is straightforward and no-nonsense. But Nesteroff’s subject is comedy and he quotes frequently from those he tells the story of–and their humor shines forth while this dark, yet hopeful, story is told.
Gluten Is My Bitch: Rants, Recipes, and Ridiculousness for the Gluten-Free by April Peveteaux—on the one hand, this seems the slightest of the issues addressed. Ask any person with Celiac Disease how hard it can be to find food that doesn’t make you violently ill—and just how violent that illness can be. But Peveteaux will make you laugh, while offering hope and help..
Henry by Katrina Shawver—even in a Nazi work/death camp, friendship helps, people can find some release.
 Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic: A Comedian’s Guide to Life on the Spectrum by Michael McCreary—I realize I started this post talking about the book, but when I revised things, it felt like a bad list if it wasn’t on it. This Comedian talks about growing up with Autism Spectrum Disorder and how he became a comedian—he works to dispel some myths, and offer some real insight while entertaining.
You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin, Lacey Lamar:—Amber Ruffin and her sister, Lacey, recount various racist things that people have said (or done) to Lacy on an almost daily basis in her professional and personal life. It may not sound that funny, but it frequently is.
And Then You’re Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling Over Niagara by Cody Cassidy and Paul Doherty—the publisher describes this as, a “gleefully gruesome look at the actual science behind the most outlandish, cartoonish, and impossible deaths you can imagine.”

Help me expand this list—what are some other works along these lines that I should read?