Nonfiction is an expansive and overwhelming description and can be intimidating for fiction readers. If you’re interested in jumping into the wide world of nonfiction, narrative nonfiction books are compulsively readable for readers of all backgrounds and interests. From the hilarious highs and lows of Hollywood to stunning tales of activists throughout time, these remarkable books read like novels and are all the more extraordinary because they’re true.
The Best Narrative Nonfiction Books for Non-Nonfiction Readers
Hillbilly Elegy
So much more than simply a memoir, HILLBILLY ELEGY is an evocative and thoughtful cultural exploration of white working-class Americans. From postwar struggles to the difficulty of upward mobility, this is a familiar and haunting tale of the American dream and a crucial look at the United States at this point in time.
Hillbilly Elegy
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In Cold Blood
The true crime classic that perfected and popularized the narrative nonfiction genre (and sparked debates about the importance of accuracy in nonfiction), Truman Capote wove a chilling and moving account of the shocking murders of the Clutter family. A spellbinding look at violence in the heart of America, IN COLD BLOOD has had a lasting influence since 1966.
In Cold Blood
Laconic and atmospheric, this intensively researched narrative of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, and the two men who brutally murdered them on the night of November 15, 1959, generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.
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The Disaster Artist
For movie buffs, there’s few films as infamously terrible as 2003’s The Room. In THE DISASTER ARTIST, the astonishing true story of how this film was made is revealed from one of the main players. Hilariously funny and surprisingly endearing, this book is a unique look at Hollywood and friendship.
The Disaster Artist
Hailed by The Huffington Post as “possibly the most important piece of literature ever printed,” The Disaster Artist is the hilarious, behind-the-scenes story of a deliciously awful cinematic phenomenon as well as the story of an odd and inspiring Hollywood friendship. Greg Sestero, Tommy’s costar, recounts the film’s bizarre journey to infamy, explaining how the movie’s many nonsensical scenes and bits of dialogue came to be and unraveling the mystery of Tommy Wiseau himself. But more than just a riotously funny story about cinematic hubris, “The Disaster Artist is one of the most honest books about friendship I’ve read in years” (Los Angeles Times).
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The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace
In this unforgettable, moving, and ultimately tragic story, Robert Peace escapes the ghettos of Newark to attend Yale University and move beyond the crime and struggles of his youth. But it isn’t easy to leave behind your past or reinvent yourself, even in a country that extols the importance of personal success. Written by a close friend of Peace’s, this is an empathetic and challenging read.
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace
Written by his friend and college roommate, this intimate portrait of Robert Peace’s life encompasses America’s most enduring conflicts: race, poverty, drugs, and education. The story of a brilliant young man who escaped the dangerous streets of Newark to graduate from Yale University, only to be the victim of a gang-related assassination at the age of thirty, this powerful and unforgettable account challenges the assumption that education is the great equalizer.
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On Trails
Life is a journey, and Robert Moor’s seminal and insightful book effortlessly illustrates the importance of the trails of this journey. From the prehistoric migrations of early animals to the superhighway of the internet, ON TRAILS helps us view and understand the world and ourselves in an entirely new way.
On Trails
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The Monster of Florence
From two journalists who inadvertently found themselves in the middle of Italy’s most infamous unsolved case, THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE is an edge-of-your-seat and astonishing true story that reads like a thriller. Featuring horrifying murders, baffling superstitions, and more twists and turns than you can count, this is an unputdownable true crime book.
The Monster of Florence
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Assassination Vacation
In this dark but incredibly fascinating (and charmingly witty) travelogue, Sarah Vowell visits the sites of some of the most infamous violent acts in American history. With her unique and illuminating voice, Vowell explores the first three presidential assassinations and how they relate to our modern, complex political landscape.
Assassination Vacation
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The Gay Revolution
The most comprehensive and expansive depiction of the struggle for LGBT rights in the United States, THE GAY REVOLUTION is so much more than just facts and figures. With fascinating insights and anecdotes from the people who lived through the lows and highs of the gay rights movement. Inspirational, heart-wrenching, and compulsively readable, this is a breathtaking work of research.
The Gay Revolution
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Thirteen Days
With sparse prose and remarkable insight, Robert F. Kennedy’s memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis is a tense, heart-pounding, and unforgettable read. An authoritative and behind-the-scenes look at just what was at stake at the height of the Cold War, THIRTEEN DAYS transports you to one of the most terrifying experiences in the twentieth-century White House.