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Nonfiction Books

Most Recommended Books

Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder

“The book is about people’s lives in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Anna Funder is an Australian journalist who was living in Berlin after the fall of the wall. She was really interested in the fact that the stories of East Germans just weren’t being told. The book is the account of her attempts to find these stories. She speaks to people who were resisting the Stasi – the secret police that controlled East Germany – and to people who were involved in the regime. It’s incredibly gripping, an eye opening account of the ways that people’s lives were touched—sometimes in small ways, and often in huge, seismic ways. Through these close, personal retellings she builds up a compelling view of the whole infrastructure of control.”

Samira Shackle,

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Across our site, we have thousands of nonfiction book recommendations, divided by subject matter (eg. history books, economics books etc.) On this page, you'll find more general book recommendations, useful if you're in the mood for nonfiction, want to read a really, really good book, but don't really mind so much what it's about.

There are vast numbers of new books published every year, which makes choosing some of the best ones seem somewhat random and subjective. To try and get some objective sense of which books to read, our first port of call every year is always the Baillie Gifford Prize, the UK's most prestigious nonfiction prize. Judges scour 100s of books—many of them lengthy tomes.

Our aim is to find the best nonfiction books, books that are compelling, important and well-written.

Whether you're interested in ghosts or neuroscience, the Holocaust or the Beatles, it's a great time to be alive if you like reading really gripping nonfiction.

    The Best Narrative Nonfiction Books, recommended by Samira Shackle

  • Read
    The Best Narrative Nonfiction Books - Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder

    1

    Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall
    by Anna Funder

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction Books - Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick

    2

    Nothing to Envy
    by Barbara Demick

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction Books - Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

    3

    Behind the Beautiful Forevers
    by Katherine Boo

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction Books - Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

    4

    Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
    by Patrick Radden Keefe

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction Books - City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp by Ben Rawlence

    5

    City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp
    by Ben Rawlence

The Best Narrative Nonfiction Books, recommended by Samira Shackle

Narrative nonfiction is a style of writing that takes the facts and dramatises them to create novelistic retellings of real life events. Samira Shackle, author of Karachi Vice, a book that offers vivid insight into the lives of five of the city’s residents, recommends five books that have inspired her—and explains how a writer might begin to carve ‘plot’ and ‘characters’ from reams of research material.

    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020, recommended by Sophie Roell

  • Read
    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020 - How to Live a Good Life: A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Philosophy by Daniel Kaufman, Massimo Pigliucci & Skye C Cleary

    1

    How to Live a Good Life: A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Philosophy
    by Daniel Kaufman, Massimo Pigliucci & Skye C Cleary

  • Read
    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020 - Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time by Gaia Vince

    2

    Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time
    by Gaia Vince

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020 - Slavery and Bristol by GM Best

    3

    Slavery and Bristol
    by GM Best

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020 - War: How Conflict Shaped Us by Margaret MacMillan

    4

    War: How Conflict Shaped Us
    by Margaret MacMillan

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020 - A World Without Work: Technology, Automation, and How We Should Respond by Daniel Susskind

    5

    A World Without Work: Technology, Automation, and How We Should Respond
    by Daniel Susskind

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020 - Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum

    6

    Twilight of Democracy
    by Anne Applebaum

The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020, recommended by Sophie Roell

As the world went into lockdown early in 2020, many of us without frontline jobs and lucky enough not to fall sick with Covid-19 found more time to read than usual. The sudden change to a slower gear also left more room to reflect on the state of the world and our place as humans in it. Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books, takes us through her personal choice of the best nonfiction books of 2020.  

    The best books on Global Cultural Understanding: the 2020 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize, recommended by Patrick Wright

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    The best books on Global Cultural Understanding: the 2020 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize - Imperial Intimacies: A Tale of Two Islands by Hazel Carby

    1

    Imperial Intimacies: A Tale of Two Islands
    by Hazel Carby

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    The best books on Global Cultural Understanding: the 2020 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize - Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent by Priyamavada Gopal

    2

    Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent
    by Priyamavada Gopal

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    The best books on Global Cultural Understanding: the 2020 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize - Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power by Pekka Hämäläinen

    3

    Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power
    by Pekka Hämäläinen

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    The best books on Global Cultural Understanding: the 2020 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize - Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century by Charles King

    4

    Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century
    by Charles King

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    The best books on Global Cultural Understanding: the 2020 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize - All Our Relations: Indigenous Trauma in the Shadow of Colonialism by Tanya Talaga

    5

    All Our Relations: Indigenous Trauma in the Shadow of Colonialism
    by Tanya Talaga

The best books on Global Cultural Understanding: the 2020 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize, recommended by Patrick Wright

Every year the British Academy's Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize is awarded to the best nonfiction book that has contributed to 'global cultural understanding.' This year, the legacies of colonization and empire loom large. Patrick Wright, Emeritus Professor at King's College London and chair of this year's panel of judges, talks us through the books shortlisted for the £25,000 prize.

    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019, recommended by Stig Abell

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 - Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep

    1

    Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
    by Casey Cep

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 - On Chapel Sands: My Mother and Other Missing Persons by Laura Cumming

    2

    On Chapel Sands: My Mother and Other Missing Persons
    by Laura Cumming

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 - The Lives of Lucian Freud: Youth 1922 - 1968 by William Feaver

    3

    The Lives of Lucian Freud: Youth 1922 - 1968
    by William Feaver

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 - Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell

    4

    Maoism: A Global History
    by Julia Lovell

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 - Guest House for Young Widows: Among the women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni

    5

    Guest House for Young Widows: Among the women of ISIS
    by Azadeh Moaveni

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 - The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

    6

    The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
    by Hallie Rubenhold

The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019, recommended by Stig Abell

Every year, the Baillie Gifford Prize judges seek to identify the very best nonfiction books published in the last year. Here, the chair of this year’s judging panel Stig Abell talks us through the 2019 shortlist: a thrilling line-up of books that are as notable for their literary prowess as for their weight and significance.

    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018, recommended by Fiammetta Rocco

  • Read
    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 - Hello World: How to Be Human in the Age of the Machine by Hannah Fry

    1

    Hello World: How to Be Human in the Age of the Machine
    by Hannah Fry

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 - The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre

    2

    The Spy and the Traitor
    by Ben Macintyre

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 - Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man

    3

    Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 - Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age

    4

    Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age

  • Read
    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 - Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy by Serhii Plokhy

    5

    Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy
    by Serhii Plokhy

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    The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 - She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity by Carl Zimmer

    6

    She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity
    by Carl Zimmer

The Best Nonfiction Books of 2018, recommended by Fiammetta Rocco

It’s a difficult task: to identify the very best nonfiction books of the year. But the Baillie Gifford Prize aims to do just that. The chair of the prize’s 2018 judging panel Fiammetta Rocco talks to us about the six fascinating titles that made the shortlist.

    Editors’ Picks: Favourite Nonfiction of 2018, recommended by Sophie Roell

  • Read
    Editors’ Picks: Favourite Nonfiction of 2018 - Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli's Lifelong Quest for Freedom by Erica Benner

    1

    Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli's Lifelong Quest for Freedom
    by Erica Benner

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    Editors’ Picks: Favourite Nonfiction of 2018 - Talk on the Wild Side: The Untameable Nature of Language by Lane Greene

    2

    Talk on the Wild Side: The Untameable Nature of Language
    by Lane Greene

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    Editors’ Picks: Favourite Nonfiction of 2018 - Beyond the Northlands: Viking Voyages and the Old Norse Sagas by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough

    3

    Beyond the Northlands: Viking Voyages and the Old Norse Sagas
    by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough

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    Editors’ Picks: Favourite Nonfiction of 2018 - Haig's Enemy: Crown Prince Rupprecht and Germany's War on the Western Front by Jonathan Boff

    4

    Haig's Enemy: Crown Prince Rupprecht and Germany's War on the Western Front
    by Jonathan Boff

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    Editors’ Picks: Favourite Nonfiction of 2018 - Ottoman Odyssey: Travels through a Lost Empire by Alev Scott

    5

    Ottoman Odyssey: Travels through a Lost Empire
    by Alev Scott

Editors’ Picks: Favourite Nonfiction of 2018, recommended by Sophie Roell

Journalist and Five Books editor Sophie Roell looks back on her favourite nonfiction books read this year.

    Editors’ Picks: The Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2018, recommended by Zoe Greaves

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    Editors’ Picks: The Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2018 - Maria Sibylla Merian: Artist, Scientist, Adventurer by Jeyaraney Kathirithamby & Sarah B Pomeroy

    1

    Maria Sibylla Merian: Artist, Scientist, Adventurer
    by Jeyaraney Kathirithamby & Sarah B Pomeroy

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    Editors’ Picks: The Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2018 - Young Heroes by Lula Bridgeport

    2

    Young Heroes
    by Lula Bridgeport

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    Editors’ Picks: The Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2018 - What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky by Kelsey Oseid

    3

    What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky
    by Kelsey Oseid

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    Editors’ Picks: The Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2018 - Ocean by Emmanuelle Grundmann & Hélène Druvert

    4

    Ocean
    by Emmanuelle Grundmann & Hélène Druvert

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    Editors’ Picks: The Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2018 - A History of Pictures for Children by David Hockney & Martin Gayford

    5

    A History of Pictures for Children
    by David Hockney & Martin Gayford

Editors’ Picks: The Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2018, recommended by Zoe Greaves

Author and Five Books children’s editor Zoe Greaves selects the best nonfiction books for children published in 2018.

    Best Nonfiction Books of 2017, recommended by Peter Bazalgette

  • Read
    Best Nonfiction Books of 2017 - The Islamic Enlightenment: The Struggle Between Faith and Reason, 1798 to Modern Times by Christopher de Bellaigue

    1

    The Islamic Enlightenment: The Struggle Between Faith and Reason, 1798 to Modern Times
    by Christopher de Bellaigue

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    Best Nonfiction Books of 2017 - How to Survive a Plague: The Story of How Activists and Scientists Tamed Aids by David France

    2

    How to Survive a Plague: The Story of How Activists and Scientists Tamed Aids
    by David France

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    Best Nonfiction Books of 2017 - Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe by Kapka Kassabova

    3

    Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe
    by Kapka Kassabova

  • Read
    Best Nonfiction Books of 2017 - An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn

    4

    An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic
    by Daniel Mendelsohn

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    Best Nonfiction Books of 2017 - To Be a Machine: Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death by Mark O'Connell

    5

    To Be a Machine: Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death
    by Mark O'Connell

  • Read
    Best Nonfiction Books of 2017 - Belonging: The Story of the Jews 1492–1900 by Simon Schama

    6

    Belonging: The Story of the Jews 1492–1900
    by Simon Schama

Best Nonfiction Books of 2017, recommended by Peter Bazalgette

It’s hard to choose the very best nonfiction books of 2017, but the Baillie Gifford Prize aims to do just that. The chair of this year’s judging panel, Peter Bazalgette, talks us through the six fabulous books that made the shortlist.

    The best books on Immersive Nonfiction, recommended by Will Storr

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    The best books on Immersive Nonfiction - Bad Wisdom by Bill Drummond & Mark Manning

    1

    Bad Wisdom
    by Bill Drummond & Mark Manning

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    The best books on Immersive Nonfiction - The People of the Abyss by Jack London

    2

    The People of the Abyss
    by Jack London

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    The best books on Immersive Nonfiction - The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuściński

    3

    The Shadow of the Sun
    by Ryszard Kapuściński

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    The best books on Immersive Nonfiction - Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder

    4

    Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall
    by Anna Funder

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    The best books on Immersive Nonfiction - Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson

    5

    Them: Adventures with Extremists
    by Jon Ronson

The best books on Immersive Nonfiction, recommended by Will Storr

A good writer must always aim to write the truth – a more complex narrative than one of heroes and villains. But to find the truth, sometimes you've got to get up and go there yourself, says Will Storr, journalist and author of Selfie. Here he selects five books that have inspired his own immersive approach to nonfiction.

    Best Nonfiction Books of 2016, recommended by Stephanie Flanders

  • Read
    Best Nonfiction Books of 2016 - The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land In Between by Hisham Matar

    1

    The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land In Between
    by Hisham Matar

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    Best Nonfiction Books of 2016 - Negroland: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson

    2

    Negroland: A Memoir
    by Margo Jefferson

  • Read
    Best Nonfiction Books of 2016 - Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana Alexievich

    3

    Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets
    by Svetlana Alexievich

  • Read
    Best Nonfiction Books of 2016 - East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity by Philippe Sands

    4

    East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
    by Philippe Sands

  • Read
    Best Nonfiction Books of 2016 - The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War by Robert J. Gordon

    5

    The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War
    by Robert J. Gordon

Best Nonfiction Books of 2016, recommended by Stephanie Flanders

Stephanie Flanders, chair of this year’s Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, talks us through some of the best nonfiction books of 2016.

    The Best Nonfiction Books for Teens, recommended by Marc Favreau

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    The Best Nonfiction Books for Teens - Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose

    1

    Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
    by Philip Hoose

  • Read
    The Best Nonfiction Books for Teens - Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin

    2

    Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War
    by Steve Sheinkin

  • Read
    The Best Nonfiction Books for Teens - Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M T Anderson

    3

    Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad
    by M T Anderson

  • Read
    The Best Nonfiction Books for Teens - Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman

    4

    Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
    by Deborah Heiligman

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    The Best Nonfiction Books for Teens - Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge

    5

    Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam
    by Elizabeth Partridge

The Best Nonfiction Books for Teens, recommended by Marc Favreau

Whether you want your kids to know more about the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War or the life of Vincent van Gogh or Dmitri Shostakovich, we’re entering a golden era of nonfiction books for teens (also known as ‘Young Adult’ or YA nonfiction). Marc Favreau, author of the brilliant Spies, recommends some of the best.

    The Best Narrative Nonfiction, recommended by Peter Hessler

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - Coming Into the Country by John McPhee

    1

    Coming Into the Country
    by John McPhee

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder

    2

    Among Schoolchildren
    by Tracy Kidder

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

    3

    Slouching Towards Bethlehem
    by Joan Didion

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - A Capote Reader by Truman Capote

    4

    A Capote Reader
    by Truman Capote

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - Son of the Morning Star by Evan Connell

    5

    Son of the Morning Star
    by Evan Connell

The Best Narrative Nonfiction, recommended by Peter Hessler

Writer and journalist Peter Hessler selects five books, from Haight Ashbury to a fifth grade classroom, which show how nonfiction can bring true stories to life through literary techniques. He chooses the best of narrative nonfiction.

    The Best Narrative Nonfiction, recommended by Catherine Manegold

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder

    1

    Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea
    by Gary Kinder

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    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - A Chorus of Stones by Susan Griffin

    2

    A Chorus of Stones
    by Susan Griffin

  • Read
    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean

    3

    The Orchid Thief
    by Susan Orlean

  • Read
    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

    4

    Mayflower
    by Nathaniel Philbrick

  • Read
    The Best Narrative Nonfiction - A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr

    5

    A Civil Action
    by Jonathan Harr

The Best Narrative Nonfiction, recommended by Catherine Manegold

The author and former New York Times reporter says that some of the very best writing today is nonfiction — and that seductive narratives can yank readers into the most diverse range of subjects

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