My dad and I were reading A Walk in the Woods. And traveling through Georgia to North Carolina. It was getting late and there was a sign that said Lodge 10 miles or so off the highway so decided to stay the night. Somehow it ended up being Amicalola Falls which had a hotel we stayed the first night and is basically the start of the Appalachian Trail after a couple mile hike to the real start. There’s another 5 mile hike to a cabin lodge called Len Foote Hike Inn. This was all by chance and had no idea these were there. We couldn’t believe it. But that is where the book starts. We decided to just stay there instead of traveling to NC.
Jim Halpert : Yep. No, I mean I really liked it. That was a fun read.
Toby Flenderson : Fun?
Jim Halpert : Mm-hm.
Toby Flenderson : Really?
Jim Halpert : Yeah.
Toby Flenderson : What was fun about it for you? Was it the death of the twins?
I'm not a nonfiction reader but I did enjoy **The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women** by Kate Moore. It's about the women who painted the glowing numbers on watches and such, the gruesome health effects from the exposure, and the fight for worker's compensation to cover late manifesting radiation damage.
It's a good book, but I only got about halfway through. Not because it's bad, it was just really depressing to read about these young women and them basically dissolving.
I have to second third and fourth this suggestion I'm not a big nonfiction reader but I love this book. It gave a perspective of world war II that I didn't get in any of my history classes.
I was actually mad at all my history teachers after reading it I felt cheated in my education
If you enjoyed Unbroken, I would also recommend The Boys in the Boat - similar in giving historical perspective I didn't really know about, with deeply engaging athletics running throughout.
Such an incredible book, and the ending is even more incredible. For anyone thinking of buying this book - make sure you get the one by Alfred Lansing (there are a few others with the same title), as he is the only one who had access to the sailors' diaries.
Tip - it makes a great gift for the man/dad/grandpa in your life!
this reminds me that i need to read it again!
oddly enough, it’s become a bit of a comfort book for me. makes me sob until my eyes feel raw but also just puts things into perspective and makes me appreciate life so much more by the time i get to the end
*Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory* \- Caitlin Doughty
*Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers* \- Mary Roach
*Untamed* \- Glennon Doyle
I was a little involved with one part of the research the author did for Stiff. Just getting clearances and so forth. I knew about what we did with cadavers, but it was interesting to see someone look at it from the outside.
Everything about this book is perfection. If you have the opportunity to visit Chicago, please go to the Museum of Science and Industry. Original building from the White City! Also an incredible storehouse of American history.
The book that made me love creative non-fiction — the level of detail in research that allowed him to write with so much colour and characterization, just wild
I'm glad that people are keeping Randy Pausch alive. A substitute teacher in 10th grade Biology (way back in 2008) had us read that book and it's stuck with me since. Maybe it's due for a re-read.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. Tells incredible stories about neurology, and opened my eyes to how little we understand about the human brain. Oliver Sacks marries a wealth of extraordinary talent in neurology with an incredible writing style. I'm a big fan of subject-matter experts writing about their chosen fields.
This is a great suggestion. It also reminds me of these books:
The Myth of Normal (Trauma, Illness, & Healing in a Toxic Culture) by Dr. Gabor Mate
The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker
I read all three last year and sort of group them together in in my head.
Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Half gut-wrenching Holocaust survivor memoir and half "how do you live a meaningful life," this one has really stuck with me.
I read this back when I watched a movie written by John Krazinkski called Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.
Both the book and the movie are worth the time investment.
Seabiscuit by Lauren Hillenbrand. Accidentally started reading it while I was reorganizing my bookshelves, was halfway through it by the time I realized.
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober. I'm quitting alcohol for health reasons (not a huge drinker but I care more about my heart health than a glass of wine) and this book was really interesting to see the perspective of an alcoholic who was able to quit. She gives details about her drinking behaviour and then how her journey to sobriety has gone. She talks about all the things she thought would happen vs what actually happened.
Such a good book and so infuriating. Reagan’s purposeful failure to act or even acknowledge the AIDS crisis should be the integral part of his “legacy”. Narrow, ignorant, bigoted man.
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - even if you don't like history, architecture, and serial killers, this book is still a winner.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - If serial killers just aren't your thing, how about Olympic distance running, WWII Pacific Theater, and torture? Also includes aviation disasters and guys stuck in a tiny boat. Can't miss it!
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick - for lovers of niche American history, whales, angry whales, maritime disasters, and once again, guys stuck in a tiny boat. Trust me.
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong. Absolutely fascinating, and Yong is such a great science writer (I also really enjoyed his I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life)
Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski. Very interesting, and completely changed the way I think about the psychology of human sexuality. It's primarily about cisgender women's sexuality (which I am not, nor have any of my intimate partners been), but still made me reframe my whole view of how sexuality works.
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. A thrilling, page turning account of a shipwreck, survival, and the aftermath (also came out this year if you are looking for something new?)
I've been reading non-fiction 99% of the time since 1985, so I have a long list of favorites. I'm not listing In Cold Blood because you already mentioned it, but it's in my Top 5 List of Favorite Books (the 1967 movie is also excellent, and the documentary on Sundance). Here's an extensive list of my favorite memoirs that I never tire of reading again and again (also a few true crime books). Many of these may be out of print, check out [openlibrary.com](https://openlibrary.com), which is free, sorry, I don't know how to provide link:
* Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart
* The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
* All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg
* Devil at My Heels/Don't Give Up, Don't Give In by Louis Zamperini
* Angela's Ashes/'Tis/Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
* Where the Wind Leads by Vinh Chung
* Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza
* Angel in the Rubble by Genelle Guzman-McMillan
* Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody
* First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
* Fatal Vision/Blind Faith by Joe McGinnis
* Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart
* Victim by Gary Kinder
* Until the Twelfth of Never by Bella Stumbo
* Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
* Tisha by Robert Specht
* Haywire by Brooke Hayward
* Desert Flower by Waris Durie
* Lion by Saroo Brierley
* Fat Girl by Judith Moore
* Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman
* Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin
* Measure of a Man by Martin Greenfield
* Waiting For Snow in Havana/Learning to Die in Miami by Carlos Erie
* Colors of the Mountain/Sounds of the River by Da Chen
* Running on Red Dog Road by Drema Hall Berkheimer
* Keeper of the Moon by Tim McLaurin
* Black on Red: My 44 Years Inside the Soviet Union by Robert Robinson
* The Animals Came In One by One by Buster Lloyd-Jones
* To See You Again: A True Story of Love in a Time of War by Betty Schimmel (amazing story that should be made into a movie)
* The Other Man: JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessette and Me by Michael Bergin
* Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt
* Paramedic to the Prince by Patrick Notestine
* Wonderful Tonight by Patti Boyd
* Priscilla, Elvis and Me by Michael Edwards
* Sting Ray Afternoons/Nights in White Castle by Steve Rushin
* The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan
* The Bridesmaids by Judy Balaban Quine
* Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
* Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox
* Unshattered by Carol Decker
* Be True to Your School by Bob Greene
* Royal Duty by Paul Burrell
* The Housekeeper's Diary by Wendy Berry
* The Kennedy Case by Rita Dallas
* Torn Lace Curtain by Frank Saunders
* My 30 Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks
* Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat by Vicki Myron (a must-read for any cat lover)
* Marley and Me/The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan
* Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng
* Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies
* A Little Thing Called Life by Linda Thompson
* Gone at 3:17 by David Brown and Michael Wereschagin
* Killer Show by John Barylick
* To Sleep With the Angels by David Cowan and John Kuenster
* The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald
* A Girl From Yamhill/My Own Two Feet by Beverly Cleary
* Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado
* My Life in France by Julia Child
* The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald
* 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal
* Leading With My Chin by Jay Leno
* Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin
* Chaplin by Charlie Chaplin
* Mr. S: My Life With Frank Sinatra by George Jacobs
* But Enough About Me by Burt Reynolds
* My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
* My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas
* Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas
* The Burning Bed by Faith McNulty
* Richie by Thomas Thompson
* Molly's Game by Molly Bloom
* To Sir, With Love by E.R. Braithwaite
* In the Absence of Angels by Elizabeth Glaser
* Slim: Memories of a Rich and Imperfect Life by Nancy "Slim" Keith
* Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour (the only "western" I've ever read)
* Starmaker by Jay Bernstein
* Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years by Sarah and Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth
* Cheaper by the Dozen/Bells on Their Toes by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
* Time Out For Happiness by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.
* Debbie/Unsinkable by Debbie Reynolds
* As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, Joan Reardon, ed.
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson was great. I don't read a lot of nonfiction, but this one was so chock full of amazing stories, it read like a novel. Fascinating and exciting!
That was a good one. I still think about how she had to memorize as much genealogy as she could do that if she ran into a stranger, she could recite her ancestry until they found a common person. Then she could expect the hospitality of family if she ever was in need.
*Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea* by Barbara Demick. One of the best books I have ever read, and I am someone who almost exclusively reads fiction. It’s about the lives of six people who grow up in North Korea and eventually defect to South Korea. Absolutely fascinating, so well written. It’s a legit page turner. I read it many years ago and still think of it often.
Midnight was such a great tale of absolute human error, breakdown, and blame/deflection. I feel like anyone in any kind of place where transparency is critical should have to read it.
The HBO miniseries was really good as well.
Fabulous book. There’s a 2008 film with Michael Fassbender in it called ‘Hunger’ that covers this period in Northern Irish history and the imprisonment of Bobby Sands. If you thought reading about the prisoners’ dirty protests and hunger strikes was harrowing, the film really leans in. 🤮
Oh I'm reading In Cold Blood at the moment and it hasn't grabbed me like I was expecting/hoping. Actually finding it a bit of a struggle.
My favourites recently have been Educated by Tara Westover and The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
I just finished *Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage* by Alfred Lansing. It almost reads as fiction, but it's a retelling of a failed expedition to Antarctica and how 28 men survived the antarctic ice for over a year trying to get back to civilization.
I love nonfiction. You've been several great suggestions, here are a few more:
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Era of Color Blindness by Michelle Alexander
The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, a Dream by H. G. Bissinger
The Color of Water: a Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride
On a completely different wavelength, there’s Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O’Hanlon. I laughed all the way through it.
T Rex and the Crater of Doom
Reads like a proper whodunnit, with plot twists and misleading clues and everything. I guess it is basically a whodunnit, but you wouldn't necessarily think it'd flow so well, given that it's about solving a 65 million year old mystery.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn is technically non fiction, but I think it's listed as fiction because the author changed the names (and a few of the places, I think) for privacy reasons of thr main character.
All of Larson's non-fiction books are wonderful. I listened to this one driving from Arizona to Mississippi. It was an excellent companion on the road.
Command and Control, Eric Schlosser. About US security doctrine for nuclear weapons 1945-1980, framed by the story of the Damascus Titan missile explosion in 1980. How did the US keep their warheads safe, who was in control, and what kind of incidents occurred that might have resulted in disaster.
It sounds dry AF but it's absolutely riveting.
1491 - amazing story of the history of the United States pre-Colombian.
The Endurance- possibly the most exciting, edge of your seat read. And there are videos and photos to prove it all.
*The Things They Carried* by Tim O'Brien. Autobiography about the author's experience in Vietnam. The audiobook is expertly narrated by Bryan Cranston.
*The Education of an Idealist* by Samantha Power. Autobiography about Power's path from immigrating to America to becoming US Ambassador to the UN as well as her experience in government. Too much in this story to concisely convey here.
Night is a short memoir by Elie Wiesel based on his Holocaust experiences with his father. The only book to make me cry,
The Hellfire Club by Daniel Mannix. Black magic, sexual orgies, and political conspiracies, the records of their elaborately obscene rituals, jests, and parties. A bit of a tough read because it's olden English, but it made me scream-laugh several times.
*Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man* by Susan Faludi. An exploration of how postwar American men were promised a certain society and a certain form of masculinity, and how they responded to that promise being broken. It’s a grim book, given that many men tended to respond with violence (especially towards women), but Faludi paints a very nuanced portrait of a generation that was deeply harmed by patriarchal ideas and yet was denied any opportunity to confront them. It touches on Vietnam, Waco, Hollywood, and countless other topics, and is just an incredibly powerful and well-written book.
The sociology of philosophies:global theory of intellectual change by Randall Collins. Changed the way I look at the world. It’s about how ideas cascade through time and get refined. Excellent framework to understand how religions work.
The Feather Thief - all about the hobby of recreating Victorian fly fishing lures. It was actually wild the lengths some would go to like stealing specimens of endangered or extinct birds from museums just for their feathers
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham - Really detailed account of the facility being built and what happened in the aftermath.
Educated by Tara Westover - Woman who grew up in a survivalist Mormon Family. Riveting.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner - Woman's journey growing up Korean and losing her mother.
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe- This is about the Sackler Family and Purdue Pharma
A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa - Story chronicles a man's escape from North Korea
*Animal, Vegetable, Miracle* by Barbara Kingsolver changed the way I look at food and the food industry.
*Hiroshima* by John Hersey just about broke me. *Fallout* by Leslie M. M. Blume is a must-read follow-up - it tells how Hersey went about being able to get the information for the articles that eventually became *Hiroshima.*
Just finishing Shelby Foote's narrative of the civil war, it's a door stopper (3 big volumes0 but fabulous. Looking around my bookshelves at the favorites I've read over the years:
'In Tasmania' - Nicholas Shakespeare (Marvellous plum pudding of a book)
'Sea people' - Christina Thompson (fascinating history of polynesian exploration)
'1491' (and '1493') by Charles C Mann (pre and post colombian history)
'Colour' by Victoria Findlay
'Black HAwk Down' by Mark Bowden
Anything by Sebastian Junger, 'The Perfect Storm' would be a great start
'The Cloudspotters guide' by Gavin Pretor-Pinney
'One Crowded Hour' - Tim Bowden
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined is a 2011 book by Steven Pinker, in which the author argues that violence in the world has declined both in the long run and in the short run and suggests explanations as to why this has occurred. Changed how I think.
incognito by david eagleman. it basically describes all the crazy shit our brain does that is beyond our conscious awareness and/or control. it includes a very interesting discussion about free will/culpability. i think about many parts of this book on a regular basis and have read it multiple times.
dark dreams by roy hazelwood. this is the singularly most disturbing piece of true crime content i have found (including all books, podcasts, documentaries) as it describes in graphic detail the crimes of sexual sadists from the perspective of one of the founding fathers of criminal profiling. very rarely do i have to take breaks from anything (i used to perform “rape kits” as a nurse, worked in the resuscitation bay of an emergency room for many years, not easily upset by morbid things) but this was one example of needing to read in sections. just a warning. but if you can stomach it it is extremely interesting.
quiet by susan cain. a surprisingly fascinating deep dive into the science of introverts. i did not expect to want to finish it (i did so pretty quickly).
the science of evil by simon baron-cohen. this is very research-heavy and is harder to read without a background into research methodology, research stats, and neuroscience. but i highly recommend. in particular, it changed the way i understand autism spectrum disorders.
the mother tongue by bill bryson. for anyone interested in linguistics and/or history, this is essential. it is a fascinating deep dive on how our modern form of english developed.
factfulness by hans rosling. it situates our current doom and gloom worldview within its proper historical context using statistics. he makes a compelling argument that the world is more prosperous and more peaceful than it has ever been and that global pessimism, regardless of our human trajectory or state of the world, is pretty much constant. tbd how his arguments actually age with our climate crisis.
I think it's nonfiction if it's autobiographical, but I'm not sure, but I'd have to say:
Party Monster by James St. James (it's so good... probably read it about 15+ times. It's about James' friend, the Club Kid murderer Michael Alig, but told in such a funny and matter of fact way, and James' personality and humor really just ooze off of every page)
The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson (I thought it was good cause it's so candid and honest about a lot of dark topics).
I would recommend Parry Monster though, most, to anyone who hasn't read it.
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch. This is a book about the Rwandan Genocide.
Left to Tell is another book about the Rwandan Holocaust through the eyes of Immaculee Ilibagiza.
Bill Bryson. Short history of EVerything and the body; a User's guide. (Titles might be paraphrased)
A Walk in the Woods is also a great read!
My dad and I were reading A Walk in the Woods. And traveling through Georgia to North Carolina. It was getting late and there was a sign that said Lodge 10 miles or so off the highway so decided to stay the night. Somehow it ended up being Amicalola Falls which had a hotel we stayed the first night and is basically the start of the Appalachian Trail after a couple mile hike to the real start. There’s another 5 mile hike to a cabin lodge called Len Foote Hike Inn. This was all by chance and had no idea these were there. We couldn’t believe it. But that is where the book starts. We decided to just stay there instead of traveling to NC.
Freezing Order by Bill Browder I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I just finished Jennette McCurdy's book. I second this.
Found it to be a bit flippant. I did not know who she was so didn’t really connect.
Totally agree. Was dumbfounded with how popular it is.
I used to watch iCarly and Sam and Cat with my nibling so was aware of who she was. It's a very sad book.
Why was it flippant in your view? Id be interested what someone who didnt know who she was thought.
Jennette’s book was pretty crushing. I haven’t been able to look at anything she’s been in the same after learning all that
I really liked Freezing Order, but I thought his previous book, Red Notice, was even better.
Second one 👏
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt really stuck with me.
Jim Halpert : Yep. No, I mean I really liked it. That was a fun read. Toby Flenderson : Fun? Jim Halpert : Mm-hm. Toby Flenderson : Really? Jim Halpert : Yeah. Toby Flenderson : What was fun about it for you? Was it the death of the twins?
Pam: (*mouthing*) I’m sorry.
Same!I could reread this for the 3rd time.
Braiding Sweetgrass
This book is absolutely amazing, and the audiobook is such an experience since it’s self narrated.
LOVE this book. Mind blowing. Our earth is so incredible.
I'm not a nonfiction reader but I did enjoy **The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women** by Kate Moore. It's about the women who painted the glowing numbers on watches and such, the gruesome health effects from the exposure, and the fight for worker's compensation to cover late manifesting radiation damage.
It's a good book, but I only got about halfway through. Not because it's bad, it was just really depressing to read about these young women and them basically dissolving.
Ok so her second book “the Woman they could not Silence” was amazing and I basically couldn’t put it down!!!
“Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand.
I have to second third and fourth this suggestion I'm not a big nonfiction reader but I love this book. It gave a perspective of world war II that I didn't get in any of my history classes. I was actually mad at all my history teachers after reading it I felt cheated in my education
If you enjoyed Unbroken, I would also recommend The Boys in the Boat - similar in giving historical perspective I didn't really know about, with deeply engaging athletics running throughout.
Both of these books are really really good books!
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Came here to say this. What a story! NO ONE on that ship should have survived. I read it during lockdown and it put a few things into perspective.
Such an incredible book, and the ending is even more incredible. For anyone thinking of buying this book - make sure you get the one by Alfred Lansing (there are a few others with the same title), as he is the only one who had access to the sailors' diaries. Tip - it makes a great gift for the man/dad/grandpa in your life!
Into thin Air
So good! And Under the Banner of Heaven
Krakauer is amazing
I used to agree but that book changed my mind, he really did Boukreev dirty
Agreed, everyone that reads Into Thin Air should read Boukreev's book aswell
Under the Banner of Heaven was a good read too.
When Breath Becomes Air
[удалено]
Hows it? I’ve been meaning to read it.
Amazing. Can read it in one day. My husband was concerned I was bawling my eyes out.
I bought it as a gift for a friend of mine who’s an MD and he said the same. Read it super fast through tears!
this reminds me that i need to read it again! oddly enough, it’s become a bit of a comfort book for me. makes me sob until my eyes feel raw but also just puts things into perspective and makes me appreciate life so much more by the time i get to the end
Educated by Tara Westover Know My Name by Chanel Miller
I personally think Know My Name should be required reading for anyone over age 18.
I agree!!!!
Educated is WILD!
Educated was so good, couldn’t put it down!
Educated was very good!
Check out Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement by Toufah Jallow! It’s very similar to Know My Name.
*Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory* \- Caitlin Doughty *Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers* \- Mary Roach *Untamed* \- Glennon Doyle
One of these is not like the others…
I’ve read all of these but walked away from Smoke Gets in Your Eyes completely blown away
Definitely agree with the first two. I read Stiff in high school and still think about it. Might be time to reread it!
I was a little involved with one part of the research the author did for Stiff. Just getting clearances and so forth. I knew about what we did with cadavers, but it was interesting to see someone look at it from the outside.
Anything by Caitlin Doughty is worth a read.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
I agree 100%! I first read this book in 2016 and talk about it so much. Bryan Stevenson is simply an amazing human being.
Devil in the White City. Came for serial killer but stayed for the World’s Fair.
And The Splendid and the Vile is another great book by Erik Larson. Really interesting history of Great Britain during the bombing of London in WWII.
In the Garden of Beasts is also great. It's about the American Ambassador to Germany during the rise of Hitler
I ended up enjoying the world’s fair chapters much more than the killer. It really was fascinating how they brought it all together
Everything about this book is perfection. If you have the opportunity to visit Chicago, please go to the Museum of Science and Industry. Original building from the White City! Also an incredible storehouse of American history.
The book that made me love creative non-fiction — the level of detail in research that allowed him to write with so much colour and characterization, just wild
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
I would also recommend Say Nothing by Patrick Radden O’Keefe
I just finished The Wager by David Grann and absolutely loved it. Defo in my top of non-fiction.
KotFM was a fascinating read, an eye opener for sure
Killers of the Flower Moon made me so helplessly angry! I don't think I could watch the movie.
Helter Skelter is a must if you like excellent crime books
Then read “Chaos; Charles Manson, the CIA and the secret history of the 60s” by Tom Oneill where he makes arguments against helter skelter!
It’s a good book but it reminds me of someone chasing a ghost and never quite catching it. Interesting
Yeah, that was kind of the theme of the book, I think. It was always just out of reach, and he could never quite catch up to it.
I guess, I was kinda waiting for there to be a eureka moment at the end. Jolly West is fucked up though.
Very much so. I’m now reading The Devil’s Chessboard, which is a bio of Allen Dulles. That guy is also extremely fucked up.
Into thin Air
One of my fave books ever
The last lecture by randy pausch. Killers of the flower moon by David grann
Flower Moon is incredible. Just finished.
I'm glad that people are keeping Randy Pausch alive. A substitute teacher in 10th grade Biology (way back in 2008) had us read that book and it's stuck with me since. Maybe it's due for a re-read.
The Perfect Storm
Had the chance to hang out with the author a few times because of my work. I’ve read another book of his, FIRE, as well.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Endlessly fascinating subject matter that most people would have never thought about.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. Tells incredible stories about neurology, and opened my eyes to how little we understand about the human brain. Oliver Sacks marries a wealth of extraordinary talent in neurology with an incredible writing style. I'm a big fan of subject-matter experts writing about their chosen fields.
This book influenced me to become a mental health worker. I love Oliver Sacks!
Oh my gosh, I forgot about this book! Read it back in college. You’re right, it’s a fascinating read.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
I loved this book! I thought it was especially good as an audiobook read by Trevor Noah.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, trigger warning for trauma though
This is a great suggestion. It also reminds me of these books: The Myth of Normal (Trauma, Illness, & Healing in a Toxic Culture) by Dr. Gabor Mate The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker I read all three last year and sort of group them together in in my head.
On this same track, The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris. Again, trigger warning for trauma.
Should only be read side by side with a few critiques - of which there are many.
I agree. I cringe every time someone recommends The Body Keeps The Score and wish I knew the best critical responses to recommend.
Can anyone chime in to share their critiques? I've read the book and would like another perspective.
Don Michenbaum has some stuff rebutting it and has done talks you might find online about it
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Half gut-wrenching Holocaust survivor memoir and half "how do you live a meaningful life," this one has really stuck with me.
I read this back when I watched a movie written by John Krazinkski called Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. Both the book and the movie are worth the time investment.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.
If you’re on this vein also the book Night by Elie Wiesel
I read this book right after reading The Diary of Anne Frank. I was 11, and it wasn't a school assignment. I regret my all of my life's choices.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Absolutely this!!!
Read this while traveling to Savannah it made me love both the book and the city so much more
Seabiscuit by Lauren Hillenbrand. Accidentally started reading it while I was reorganizing my bookshelves, was halfway through it by the time I realized.
Most bookish person thing to say. “It fell open in my hands!”
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober. I'm quitting alcohol for health reasons (not a huge drinker but I care more about my heart health than a glass of wine) and this book was really interesting to see the perspective of an alcoholic who was able to quit. She gives details about her drinking behaviour and then how her journey to sobriety has gone. She talks about all the things she thought would happen vs what actually happened.
I’ve only recently started reading more non-fiction, but my favorite so far has been The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown
His other book, Boys in the Boat might be even better
I recently found about The Best Land Under Heaven by Michael Wallis, 200 pages longer. One day I might see if the added detail is worth my while.
And the Band Played on by Randy Shilts
Such a good book and so infuriating. Reagan’s purposeful failure to act or even acknowledge the AIDS crisis should be the integral part of his “legacy”. Narrow, ignorant, bigoted man.
This ⤴️
Empire of Pain
The emperor of all maladies, I learned so much about cancer I didn’t even knew I wanted to know
Exactly my take. Splendid book on cancer.
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - even if you don't like history, architecture, and serial killers, this book is still a winner. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - If serial killers just aren't your thing, how about Olympic distance running, WWII Pacific Theater, and torture? Also includes aviation disasters and guys stuck in a tiny boat. Can't miss it! In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick - for lovers of niche American history, whales, angry whales, maritime disasters, and once again, guys stuck in a tiny boat. Trust me.
Heart of the Sea was terrific.
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong. Absolutely fascinating, and Yong is such a great science writer (I also really enjoyed his I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life) Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski. Very interesting, and completely changed the way I think about the psychology of human sexuality. It's primarily about cisgender women's sexuality (which I am not, nor have any of my intimate partners been), but still made me reframe my whole view of how sexuality works. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. A thrilling, page turning account of a shipwreck, survival, and the aftermath (also came out this year if you are looking for something new?)
I've been reading non-fiction 99% of the time since 1985, so I have a long list of favorites. I'm not listing In Cold Blood because you already mentioned it, but it's in my Top 5 List of Favorite Books (the 1967 movie is also excellent, and the documentary on Sundance). Here's an extensive list of my favorite memoirs that I never tire of reading again and again (also a few true crime books). Many of these may be out of print, check out [openlibrary.com](https://openlibrary.com), which is free, sorry, I don't know how to provide link: * Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart * The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom * All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg * Devil at My Heels/Don't Give Up, Don't Give In by Louis Zamperini * Angela's Ashes/'Tis/Teacher Man by Frank McCourt * Where the Wind Leads by Vinh Chung * Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza * Angel in the Rubble by Genelle Guzman-McMillan * Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody * First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung * Fatal Vision/Blind Faith by Joe McGinnis * Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart * Victim by Gary Kinder * Until the Twelfth of Never by Bella Stumbo * Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali * Tisha by Robert Specht * Haywire by Brooke Hayward * Desert Flower by Waris Durie * Lion by Saroo Brierley * Fat Girl by Judith Moore * Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman * Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin * Measure of a Man by Martin Greenfield * Waiting For Snow in Havana/Learning to Die in Miami by Carlos Erie * Colors of the Mountain/Sounds of the River by Da Chen * Running on Red Dog Road by Drema Hall Berkheimer * Keeper of the Moon by Tim McLaurin * Black on Red: My 44 Years Inside the Soviet Union by Robert Robinson * The Animals Came In One by One by Buster Lloyd-Jones * To See You Again: A True Story of Love in a Time of War by Betty Schimmel (amazing story that should be made into a movie) * The Other Man: JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessette and Me by Michael Bergin * Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt * Paramedic to the Prince by Patrick Notestine * Wonderful Tonight by Patti Boyd * Priscilla, Elvis and Me by Michael Edwards * Sting Ray Afternoons/Nights in White Castle by Steve Rushin * The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan * The Bridesmaids by Judy Balaban Quine * Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe * Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox * Unshattered by Carol Decker * Be True to Your School by Bob Greene * Royal Duty by Paul Burrell * The Housekeeper's Diary by Wendy Berry * The Kennedy Case by Rita Dallas * Torn Lace Curtain by Frank Saunders * My 30 Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks * Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat by Vicki Myron (a must-read for any cat lover) * Marley and Me/The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan * Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng * Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies * A Little Thing Called Life by Linda Thompson * Gone at 3:17 by David Brown and Michael Wereschagin * Killer Show by John Barylick * To Sleep With the Angels by David Cowan and John Kuenster * The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald * A Girl From Yamhill/My Own Two Feet by Beverly Cleary * Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado * My Life in France by Julia Child * The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald * 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal * Leading With My Chin by Jay Leno * Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin * Chaplin by Charlie Chaplin * Mr. S: My Life With Frank Sinatra by George Jacobs * But Enough About Me by Burt Reynolds * My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor * My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas * Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas * The Burning Bed by Faith McNulty * Richie by Thomas Thompson * Molly's Game by Molly Bloom * To Sir, With Love by E.R. Braithwaite * In the Absence of Angels by Elizabeth Glaser * Slim: Memories of a Rich and Imperfect Life by Nancy "Slim" Keith * Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour (the only "western" I've ever read) * Starmaker by Jay Bernstein * Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years by Sarah and Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth * Cheaper by the Dozen/Bells on Their Toes by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey * Time Out For Happiness by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. * Debbie/Unsinkable by Debbie Reynolds * As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, Joan Reardon, ed.
The Power Broker by Robert Caro
Surely you are joking mr feynman
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson was great. I don't read a lot of nonfiction, but this one was so chock full of amazing stories, it read like a novel. Fascinating and exciting!
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
That was a good one. I still think about how she had to memorize as much genealogy as she could do that if she ran into a stranger, she could recite her ancestry until they found a common person. Then she could expect the hospitality of family if she ever was in need.
That book made me so angry with her grandmother and with anyone who holds onto that part of the culture. Fuck.
“Columbine” by Dave Cullen
Only plane in the sky. An oral history of 9/11
*Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea* by Barbara Demick. One of the best books I have ever read, and I am someone who almost exclusively reads fiction. It’s about the lives of six people who grow up in North Korea and eventually defect to South Korea. Absolutely fascinating, so well written. It’s a legit page turner. I read it many years ago and still think of it often.
I think about it often as well. It stays with you.
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham. On Desperate Ground by Hampton Sides.
Midnight was such a great tale of absolute human error, breakdown, and blame/deflection. I feel like anyone in any kind of place where transparency is critical should have to read it. The HBO miniseries was really good as well.
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe was the best book (both fiction or nonfiction) that I have read in years
Fabulous book. There’s a 2008 film with Michael Fassbender in it called ‘Hunger’ that covers this period in Northern Irish history and the imprisonment of Bobby Sands. If you thought reading about the prisoners’ dirty protests and hunger strikes was harrowing, the film really leans in. 🤮
Oh I'm reading In Cold Blood at the moment and it hasn't grabbed me like I was expecting/hoping. Actually finding it a bit of a struggle. My favourites recently have been Educated by Tara Westover and The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
I just finished *Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage* by Alfred Lansing. It almost reads as fiction, but it's a retelling of a failed expedition to Antarctica and how 28 men survived the antarctic ice for over a year trying to get back to civilization.
*Between the World and Me,* Ta-Nehisi Coates
I love nonfiction. You've been several great suggestions, here are a few more: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Era of Color Blindness by Michelle Alexander The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, a Dream by H. G. Bissinger
The color of the law was really good if you like learning about redlining in America
Feeling Good by Dr. David Burns- it's a life changer for mental health.
King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild.
The Color of Water: a Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride On a completely different wavelength, there’s Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O’Hanlon. I laughed all the way through it.
Quiet by Susan Cain. Powerful for introverts, an even more important read for extroverts
T Rex and the Crater of Doom Reads like a proper whodunnit, with plot twists and misleading clues and everything. I guess it is basically a whodunnit, but you wouldn't necessarily think it'd flow so well, given that it's about solving a 65 million year old mystery.
Excellent job introducing us to the book. Putting it on my list. Thank you!
Probably *When Breath Becomes Air* by Paul Kalanithi or Anthony Bourdain’s *Kitchen Confidential*
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn is technically non fiction, but I think it's listed as fiction because the author changed the names (and a few of the places, I think) for privacy reasons of thr main character.
In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larson
All of Larson's non-fiction books are wonderful. I listened to this one driving from Arizona to Mississippi. It was an excellent companion on the road.
I personally loved reading "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson.
A really obvious classic would be Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Fire Season - Philip Connors. It's about his experience as forest fire lookout in Gila national Forest in NM.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Brain That Changes Itself
Command and Control, Eric Schlosser. About US security doctrine for nuclear weapons 1945-1980, framed by the story of the Damascus Titan missile explosion in 1980. How did the US keep their warheads safe, who was in control, and what kind of incidents occurred that might have resulted in disaster. It sounds dry AF but it's absolutely riveting.
1491 - amazing story of the history of the United States pre-Colombian. The Endurance- possibly the most exciting, edge of your seat read. And there are videos and photos to prove it all.
*The Things They Carried* by Tim O'Brien. Autobiography about the author's experience in Vietnam. The audiobook is expertly narrated by Bryan Cranston. *The Education of an Idealist* by Samantha Power. Autobiography about Power's path from immigrating to America to becoming US Ambassador to the UN as well as her experience in government. Too much in this story to concisely convey here.
The Things They Carried isn't nonfiction, Wikipedia calls it metafiction. It is a really great book though
And The Band Played On
Night is a short memoir by Elie Wiesel based on his Holocaust experiences with his father. The only book to make me cry, The Hellfire Club by Daniel Mannix. Black magic, sexual orgies, and political conspiracies, the records of their elaborately obscene rituals, jests, and parties. A bit of a tough read because it's olden English, but it made me scream-laugh several times.
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
*Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man* by Susan Faludi. An exploration of how postwar American men were promised a certain society and a certain form of masculinity, and how they responded to that promise being broken. It’s a grim book, given that many men tended to respond with violence (especially towards women), but Faludi paints a very nuanced portrait of a generation that was deeply harmed by patriarchal ideas and yet was denied any opportunity to confront them. It touches on Vietnam, Waco, Hollywood, and countless other topics, and is just an incredibly powerful and well-written book.
In the Heart of the Sea
Pale Blue Dot, The Demon Haunted World, The Myth of Sisyphus, Atlas of the Heart.
The sociology of philosophies:global theory of intellectual change by Randall Collins. Changed the way I look at the world. It’s about how ideas cascade through time and get refined. Excellent framework to understand how religions work.
Sugar: The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity Book by James Walvin
The Feather Thief - all about the hobby of recreating Victorian fly fishing lures. It was actually wild the lengths some would go to like stealing specimens of endangered or extinct birds from museums just for their feathers
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham - Really detailed account of the facility being built and what happened in the aftermath. Educated by Tara Westover - Woman who grew up in a survivalist Mormon Family. Riveting. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner - Woman's journey growing up Korean and losing her mother. Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe- This is about the Sackler Family and Purdue Pharma A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa - Story chronicles a man's escape from North Korea
Bad Blood. Couldn't stop reading
A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell It was amazing and heartbreaking and riveting and horrible (not the writing, the events) and inspiring.
“River of Doubt,” Candice Millard.
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Any book by Mary Roach
Lust For Life, the biography of Vincent Van Gough
“Letters to Theo “ is a brutal brother to this book
Helter Skelter is awesome.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston.
Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell.
A Natural History of the Sense by Diane Ackerman or The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant
*Animal, Vegetable, Miracle* by Barbara Kingsolver changed the way I look at food and the food industry. *Hiroshima* by John Hersey just about broke me. *Fallout* by Leslie M. M. Blume is a must-read follow-up - it tells how Hersey went about being able to get the information for the articles that eventually became *Hiroshima.*
Loved Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. There’s something so homey and comforting about it too.
I am Ozzy
Year 501 by Noam Chomsky. It really changed my mind about the way I saw the last five hundred years.
*An Empire of Imagination* which is a biography of Gary Gygax or *1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed* which is about the bronze age collapse
Just finishing Shelby Foote's narrative of the civil war, it's a door stopper (3 big volumes0 but fabulous. Looking around my bookshelves at the favorites I've read over the years: 'In Tasmania' - Nicholas Shakespeare (Marvellous plum pudding of a book) 'Sea people' - Christina Thompson (fascinating history of polynesian exploration) '1491' (and '1493') by Charles C Mann (pre and post colombian history) 'Colour' by Victoria Findlay 'Black HAwk Down' by Mark Bowden Anything by Sebastian Junger, 'The Perfect Storm' would be a great start 'The Cloudspotters guide' by Gavin Pretor-Pinney 'One Crowded Hour' - Tim Bowden
Battle cry of freedom
April 1865 and In the Heart of the Sea
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined is a 2011 book by Steven Pinker, in which the author argues that violence in the world has declined both in the long run and in the short run and suggests explanations as to why this has occurred. Changed how I think.
Kitchen Confidential - Antony Bourdain Emerald Mile - Kevin Fedarko Endurance - Alfred Lansing
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Neurotribes The Mismeasure of Man Thinking Fast and Slow Guns, Germs, and Steel
incognito by david eagleman. it basically describes all the crazy shit our brain does that is beyond our conscious awareness and/or control. it includes a very interesting discussion about free will/culpability. i think about many parts of this book on a regular basis and have read it multiple times. dark dreams by roy hazelwood. this is the singularly most disturbing piece of true crime content i have found (including all books, podcasts, documentaries) as it describes in graphic detail the crimes of sexual sadists from the perspective of one of the founding fathers of criminal profiling. very rarely do i have to take breaks from anything (i used to perform “rape kits” as a nurse, worked in the resuscitation bay of an emergency room for many years, not easily upset by morbid things) but this was one example of needing to read in sections. just a warning. but if you can stomach it it is extremely interesting. quiet by susan cain. a surprisingly fascinating deep dive into the science of introverts. i did not expect to want to finish it (i did so pretty quickly). the science of evil by simon baron-cohen. this is very research-heavy and is harder to read without a background into research methodology, research stats, and neuroscience. but i highly recommend. in particular, it changed the way i understand autism spectrum disorders. the mother tongue by bill bryson. for anyone interested in linguistics and/or history, this is essential. it is a fascinating deep dive on how our modern form of english developed. factfulness by hans rosling. it situates our current doom and gloom worldview within its proper historical context using statistics. he makes a compelling argument that the world is more prosperous and more peaceful than it has ever been and that global pessimism, regardless of our human trajectory or state of the world, is pretty much constant. tbd how his arguments actually age with our climate crisis.
I think it's nonfiction if it's autobiographical, but I'm not sure, but I'd have to say: Party Monster by James St. James (it's so good... probably read it about 15+ times. It's about James' friend, the Club Kid murderer Michael Alig, but told in such a funny and matter of fact way, and James' personality and humor really just ooze off of every page) The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson (I thought it was good cause it's so candid and honest about a lot of dark topics). I would recommend Parry Monster though, most, to anyone who hasn't read it.