The concept of Nonfiction November has been around for over a decade, but I don’t remember when I first heard about it. I didn’t need a month to encourage me to read more nonfiction—as of this writing, I’ve read almost 500 nonfiction books over the last 10 years—but when I first heard of it I thought it would be a fun challenge to read only nonfiction for a whole month. Since then I’ve done it most years, and I’m planning it again this year. (Subscribe to see what nonfiction books I end up reading this month!)
Whether you plan to read nonfiction only this month or you’re someone who has never ventured out of the fiction world, here are 20 excellent nonfiction books that I’ve read over the last 10 years. These are books I have never mentioned on my Substack and most of them are probably ones you’ve never heard of. I ran across many of them accidentally!
It was almost impossible to group the books into categories, but I did the best I could.
Memoirs / Biographies
You may be beginning to pick up on the fact that this is my favorite genre. I love stories about real people, famous or not. None of the books on this list are about famous people, unless you count John Nash, who was not famous outside of academic circles until the movie based on the book came out.
A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
The film based on this book is one of my favorite movies. The book is very different, of course, because there is no way to fool the reader in the book to the same degree you can through visual media, but it’s still a fascinating and heartbreaking book.
The Only Girl in the World: A Memoir by Maude Julien
This is a difficult-to-read memoir by a woman who grew up in a home that was dominated by her controlling and abusive father. The thought of any child withstanding what she went through and being able to write about it later is mind-blowing.
Raising a Rare Girl: A Memoir by Heather Lanier
The author’s daughter was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare disease that affects a child’s growth and can come with a variety of other complex medical issues.
Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South by Rick Bragg
Everything Bragg writes is gold. I recommend listening to him read the audiobook. He is serious and funny at the same time, and if you have spent any time in the South, you’ll find something relatable in his book.
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
At the age of 22, the author was diagnosed with leukemia and given a very low chance of survival. Her chemotherapy and recovery took up many years of her life, and once she is cancer-free, she goes on a road trip and meets some of the people she connected with during her illness.
All That Moves Us: A Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Young Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience by Jay Wellons
I absolutely love medical memoirs, whether they are written by people who have had or currently have health issues, or by doctors. This one is particularly poignant as it is about children with very serious neurological diseases or injuries.
The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics by Barton Swaim
Fun fact: I worked in the governor’s office in South Carolina for about nine months right after I got married, and my time there overlapped with the author’s. Both of us were there when Governor Mark Sanford went “missing” on the Appalachian trail in 2009. This book is not about that, but it’s a fascinating look into speechwriting and a lesser known area of working in politics.
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
This is a story about someone you’d probably never have heard of if he hadn’t written this book.
Politics / History / Crime
The Wars of the Roosevelts: The Ruthless Rise of America’s Greatest Political Family by William J. Mann
This is not one of my favorite periods of history, but this book was still fascinating. It was so interesting to see how one family was present at or connected to so many historical events.
Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich
This is a short but powerful book with survivors of Chernobyl, mostly told in chronological order.
One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps by Andrea Pitzer
It may or may not surprise you that this was a “vacation read” for me several years ago. What, you don’t find it relaxing to listen to descriptions of various concentration camps?
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddarth Kara
This book made me want to throw my phone in the trash. I had no idea what went into making these little devices that consume our brains.
The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber
Eddie Redmayne will forever be Marius to me, but he is also a pretty good serial killer in the film that was made based off this book. The “good nurse” in question is a man who moves from hospital to hospital after people begin to get suspicious about the number of deaths under his watch. But because the hospitals are afraid of liability, they never report any of it and just let him move on to a new place to do the same thing. Finally, a courageous co-worker works with the FBI to catch him.
Children of the State: Stories of Survival and Hope in the Juvenile Justice System by Jeff Hobbs
This is a heartbreaking look at the stories of children who have found themselves in the juvenile justice system. It is a compassionate book that humanizes kids who have found themselves in terrible situations.
Sex / Psychology / Humor / Parenting / Poetry / Religion
In other words, the miscellaneous category. I think some people might not realize that books of essays or poetry are mostly nonfiction. Nonfiction doesn’t have to be academic, boring, or long. Here’s a smorgasbord of nonfiction that I’ve enjoyed over the years.
Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski
I won’t say much about this book because my 16-year-old subscribes to my Substack, but I’d recommend this evidence-based book if you are its target audience.
The Whole-Brain Child: Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel
A must-read for any parents, no matter how old your kids are. This is not a book on gentle parenting; this is a book that looks at scientific evidence about how kids’ brains develop and helps you understand how to talk to them and teach them as they grow.
Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms by John Hodgman
The Judge John Hodgman podcast is, in my opinion, the funniest podcast out there. After the success of his podcast, Hodgman has gone on to write books of hilarous essays. I have found some comedians who perform don’t translate well into books—that is not at all the case in this situation.
I Hope This Finds You Well: Poems by Kate Baer
I have bought all of Kate Baer’s poetry books as they have come out. As a woman and as a mom I have found very few that haven’t touched me in some way. Most of the poems in this book are “black-out poems” that she created by redacting words from negative and aggressive comments people made on her social media posts.
The Preacher’s Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities by Kate Bowler
I read this book almost 7 years ago and when I added it to this list, it occurred to me that I think the “evangelical woman celebrity” influence has started to lessen. Now, I think, the danger is from random moms on social media giving incorrect and unhelpful advice and calling it biblical. In any case, this book is still an interesting look at the history of evangelical women who rose to positions of power.
The Bible Told Them So: How Southern Evangelicals Fought to Preserve White Supremacy by J. Russell Hawkins
While this is an academic book (I believe it was the author’s dissertation), I think it is a must-read for any Christian, especially if you live in the southern United States. I was dumbfounded to learn about segregation academies, which I had never heard of, and even more horrified to find out that many of the private schools in our city were initially founded to give white children a place to go to school where they wouldn’t have to be with African-American children. This book will probably make you uncomfortable, but I think it’s an important read.
If none of these books look interesting, I’ve got tons of other lists of nonfiction books that might appeal to you more:
I’d love to hear your favorite nonfiction books, if you have any—it’s not too late for me to add to my TBR for Nonfiction November!
That's a pretty good list. Thanks.
You're right, a lot of these are new to me and sound fascinating! I agree that anything Rick Bragg writes is always entertaining!