Category Notable Nonfiction

Texas Hold ‘EM Kinky Friedman The irrepressible, future Governor of Texas is back with a crusade to stop the wussification of the Lone Star State. He never thought he’d see the day when he’d miss gun racks in the back…

My Story: Elizabeth Smart In this memoir, Elizabeth Smart reveals how she survived and the secret to forging a new life in the wake of a brutal crime. On June 5, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the daughter of a close-knit…

Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother’s Murder, John Du Pont’s Madness and the Quest for Olympic Gold Mark Schultz On January 26, 1996, Dave Schultz was shot in the back by du Pont heir John E. du Pont at…

The Boys in the Boat Daniel James Brown It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to…

Chords of Strength David Archuleta In Chords of Strength David shares his unexpected and inspiring journey, including how he overcame vocal cord paralysis to achieve his dream of being a singer. He reveals insecurities he felt about his voice-before he…

Ex Libras: Confessions of a Common Reader Anne Fadiman This witty collection of essays recounts a lifelong love affair with books and language. For Fadiman, as for many passionate readers, the books she loves have become chapters in her own…

On the Hippie Trail Rick Steves In the 1970s, the ultimate trip for any backpacker was the storied “Hippie Trail” from Istanbul to Kathmandu. A 23-year-old Rick Steves made the trek, and like a travel writer in training, he documented…

The Reason I Jump Naoki Higashida You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how…

Humans of New York Stories Brandon Stanton Humans of New York: Stories is the culmination of five years of innovative storytelling on the streets of New York City. During this time, photographer Brandon Stanton stopped, photographed, and interviewed more than…

A Year In the World Frances Mayes A Year in the World is vintage Frances Mayes—a celebration of the allure of travel, of serendipitous pleasures found in unlikely locales, of memory woven into the present, and of a joyous sense…