Nonfiction Books
Following are some nonfiction books that I read, most of which I liked. There are thousands more out there, including biography, autobiography, real-life adventure, etc. If you would like additional recommendations, then please ask a librarian for some ideas. A librarian will be glad to offer you information and recommendations based on your interests, hobbies, passions, etc. You might also consider looking at The New York Times Book Review in their non-fiction section.
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Absolutely American by David Lipsky. As a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine, Lipsky was asked to write an article about West Point, the United States Military Academy located in New York (I grew up 20 minutes from there). When Lipsky finished his article, he realized he wanted to write more, so he followed one class of cadets from their first day at West Point through to their graduation. The book offers an interesting way to learn more about military life, the military mentality, and the training these soldiers go through to help defend our country. Includes mature content.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver: In this book, Kingsolver, her husband, and her daughter chronicle a year of living off the land. Essentially, Kingsolver and her family decide to either grow their own food and animals (they own a small farm) or eat only those items that are grown locally. This is a really interesting book – one that really challenges the reader to pay attention to where food comes from, what is involved in growing and transporting food, and what are environmentally sustainable ways to eat. The book is both funny, including lots of interesting family stories, and a bit preachy. That said, I love that this book encourages the reader to eat in a more environmentally friendly way – even if we don’t live on farms. Strongly encouraged for students interested in the environment, healthy eating, gardening/agriculture, and cooking. To learn more about the book, please click here. (Posted September 2008)
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell: I happen to love Sarah Vowell, a 30-something writer with an edgy writing style and a love for American history. (By the way, I have some other entries for her on this page.) Anyway, this book is about Vowell’s visits to historical places related to the assassinations of four American presidents. It sounds morbid, but really, the book is funny and interesting and quick to read. (Hey, movie buffs, Sarah Vowell was the voice of Violet in The Incredibles.)
Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich: This fascinating book tells the story of how a group of MIT students won millions of dollars playing blackjack in Las Vegas casinos during the early 1990s. An interesting story, but it does have some mature content.
A Civil Action by John Harr. This book chronicles the story of several families coping with cancer, which was caused by environmental pollution, and the attorney who tried to punish the polluters. A great, bittersweet courtroom drama.
Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales: This book is a fascinating mixture of real-life adventure stories gone awry (i.e., mountain-climbing accidents, plane crashes) and an explanation of why accidents happen and how survivors survive these accidents. I found this book fairly compelling, although Gonzales’ information about brain research was a smidge boring. If you are interested in learning more about survival or adventure stories, I recommend this book (makes a great Father’s Day gift, too).
Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood by Jennifer Traig: In her memoir, Traig writes about her 1980’s childhood, focusing heavily on her Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anorexia, and obsession with Judaism. While these subjects may sound uncomfortable or challenging, Traig handles her tale with self-deprecation and humor (I often found myself laughing out loud), and I was particularly impressed with Traig’s descriptions of how her family coped with her many neuroses. A student recommended this book to me, and I’m glad she did. Contains mature language. (Posted March 2008.)
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: This book tells two parallel stories: one is about the construction of the 1893 Columbia Exposition (aka The World’s Fair) in Chicago; the other is about one of America’s first documented serial killers, who killed dozens of women and children during the course of the Chicago World’s Fair. While the story about the Fair’s construction is interesting, it is the story of H.H. Holmes and his many victims that really makes the book a page-turner. I didn’t love this book, but it is interesting. To learn more about the book, please click here. (Posted September 2008)
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic by Alfred Lansing. All I can say is that you will never believe this book is nonfiction. In the early 1900s, Ernest Shackleton and his men were shipwrecked in Antarctica, camped on ice floes for months, and eventually made a desperate attempt to reach civilization. Remember, at the time there was no way for the crew to communicate with anyone to let them know they were still alive. This book is a nail-biter, and when you’re done, you can give it to your Dad for Christmas.
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas: Through a series of short essays and stories, Mrs. Dumas tells her readers what it was like to grow up as an Iranian-American during the 70s and 80s (a time period that was particularly difficult for Iranians). She also discusses challenges she still faces as an adult – particularly because she is Muslim. Each essay is funny and honest; I enjoyed this book and find that its lessons are both subtle and relevant. (Posted December 2008)
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel. In her autobiography, Kimmel records the day-to-day events of life in small-town Indiana during the 1960s and 70s. This book was funny and sweet – a real delight to read. If you liked Angela’s Ashes, you might want to read this book, although you’ll probably find it a lot funnier and a lot less depressing than McCourt’s book. As the book jacket says, “A Girl Named Zippy offers a rare a welcome treat: a memoir of a happy childhood.” I highly recommend it.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: In this autobiography, Walls recalls her, well, crazy childhood. Walls’ mother is a free-spirited artist who tends to focus on herself more than on her four children, and Wells’ father is an alcoholic who frequently endangers his family. Yet Wells, for most of this book, has an unwavering affection for her father and believes in his dreams of building “a glass castle” for his family once he comes up with the money. The parents are impractical and frustrating, but the book is very interesting, and I am deeply impressed by the author and her siblings’ abilities to escape the lives they were forced to lead as children. (Posted January 2008)
Growing Up Empty by L. Schwartz-Nobel. The faculty at Visitation was asked to read this book during the summer of 2004 – and I loved it! Schwartz-Nobel takes a long, hard look at poverty in America and analyzes why there are more than 15 million children who go hungry every day. This may sound either too bleak or too boring, but it isn’t. Rather, the author does a great job of telling personal stories and talking about the whys of hunger and possible solutions.
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston: Preston’s account of the Ebola virus and a near-outbreak in Washington, D.C. in 1989 is fascinating! (Ebola virus is an extremely deadly and highly contagious disease that basically turns its victims into mush.) This book is part medical text, part mystery, part horror story; I loved it!
Icebound by Dr. Gerry Nielsen. The author, the only doctor at the South Pole at the time, is diagnosed with breast cancer and is unable to leave the Antarctic to receive treatment. The author is a bit (okay, a lot) self-absorbed, but her story is pretty interesting.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. The author details his harrowing experience climbing to the top of Mount Everest during one of the deadliest climbing seasons ever. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read; I couldn’t put it down.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. In this book the author tells the story of a young man who abandons his family and life to forage in the Alaskan outback – with deadly consequences; fascinating stuff – especially for nature buffs or wannabe hermits.
Jennie: The Life of Lady Randolph Churchill by R. G. Martin. If you like biographies, this is the book for you. Before she married Lord Churchill and eventually became the mother of Winston Churchill, Jennie was a beautiful woman with a lot of lovers (some of whom she hung onto throughout her marriage). This book is the first in a two-volume set that chronicles Lady Churchill’s life and loves. I really liked it!
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah: In this true story, Beah recalls his life as a boy soldier in Sierra Leone before he is rescued by United Nations peace-workers. At the beginning of the book, Beah and his friends travel to another village but find themselves unable to return to their home because of civil war. Beah runs away from the violence for a long time until he must become a soldier himself in order to save his own life. This memoir is very violent, and, therefore, I found it difficult to read. But the book is interesting in that it sheds light on a common worldwide problem: children being made to fight in wars. (Posted November 2008)
Marley and Me by John Grogan: This New York Times bestseller is about the author and his relationship with Marley, “the world’s worst dog.” Throughout the book, Grogan recalls Marley’s many bad antics – including getting expelled from obedience school – and his many loving and tender moments, such as consoling Grogan’s wife after she suffered a miscarriage. The book is, ultimately, light and funny, although it seems as much of an autobiography about Grogan as it is a memoir about his dog. Students love it; I thought it was okay. (Posted December 2008)
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder: In 2005, the Visitation faculty was asked to read this compelling story about Paul Farmer, a Harvard-trained physician who spends several months a year tending to the poor and sick in Haiti. Kidder followed Farmer for several years, and his book offers readers some fascinating information about Haiti, politics, world poverty, and a man who devotes his life to alleviating sickness among the world’s poor. A great book.
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. The author actually tried living on minimum wage in three different cities, and the results are pretty shocking. I loved this book; I couldn’t put it down. If you’re interested in social justice, poverty, or the plight of women in the US, this is the book for you.
Stick Figure by Lori Gottlieb: This is a sad but fascinating book about the author’s bout with anorexia when she was just eleven-years old. Gottlieb relies heavily on the diaries she kept when she was eleven, and uses them as the foundation of her book, which chronicles her family life, her feelings about food and her weight, her disdain for her doctors, her hospitalization, and the moment that ultimately helped Lori stop her anorexic behaviors. I really enjoyed this book, particularly the author’s commentary at the end of the book regarding why women have eating issues – even if they don’t have anorexia.
The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell: Yes, it’s another Sarah Vowell book (I told you I loved her). Anyway, this funny, slightly sarcastic book is a series of essays that reflect on life in America and life for Sarah Vowell. Topics range from pop-a-shot basketball to Tom Cruise to Bush’s inauguration.
The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger . This is the depressing but interesting story of a devastating oceanic storm and the men who are eventually eaten alive by the ocean. Hard to put down (but please don’t confuse the movie with the book).
The Professor and The Madman by Simon Winchester. Although a book about the writing of a dictionary may seem like boring stuff, this book tells a very compelling tale of how the Oxford English Dictionary came to be. This is good reading (even if you don’t want to become an English major).
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Ann Fadiman. Fadiman tells the story of a Hmong girl in California who suffers from severe epilepsy; the author chronicles the clash between Eastern cultures and Western medicine; this is a fascinating book – another one of my favorites. Great for learning more about the Hmong culture.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach: In Stiff, Roach enlightens readers about the history and purpose of cadaver research from its grave-robbing beginning 2,000 years ago to its use today in everything from plastic surgery to car engineering. I know it’s hard to believe, but the book is hilarious and I read it fairly quickly. Also hard to believe: this book is not nearly as gross as it sounds. If you like CSI, then you’ll probably like this book (except Gil Grissom is not funny, but Mary Roach is.)
Take the Cannolli by Sarah Vowell: Interesting factoid: my husband and I read this book aloud to each other while we were waiting for me to give birth to our son. Too much information? Perhaps. Either way, the book is funny and good, which made the hours pass quickly. Take the Cannolli is a series of essays about varying topics. My favorite was Vowell’s reflection on going to DisneyWorld. Perhaps more educational is Vowell’s essay on the Trail of Tears. Vowell is witty, wry, and smart.
Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl: Reichl was the food critic at The New York Times for years (this is a very prestigious job). Now she is the editor of Gourmet Magazine. This book chronicles Reichl’s introduction to food, from eating mold-covered sour cream at her mother’s home to having exotic food and wine around the world. This memoir is both funny and interesting, especially if you love food! My favorite chapter: the one where Ruth goes to Beatrice’s house and eats with B’s father.
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt: I hate to say it, but I found this book terribly boring. Frank McCourt chronicles his 30+ years of teaching in this book; he also sprinkles in a bit of information about his adult life.
‘Tis by Frank McCourt: This is the sequel to Angela’s Ashes, and it chronicles the author’s life from his landing in America when he was 19 through to his late adulthood. While the book is interesting if you want to learn more about McCourt and his family, it is also much angrier than Angela’s Ashes was. There isn’t as much humor, and there is a side of McCourt that is presented that may make you not like him.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. The author recounts his adventures of hiking the Appalachian Trial with a buddy; relatively light-hearted. Good for nature buffs.
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