Best nonfiction books on Reddit
298 reviews from r/suggestmeabook, r/booksuggestions, r/Kenya and 6 more subreddits
298 reviews from
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By Brand
/By Product
#1
Jon Krakauer
5.0
(20)
"Anything by Jon Kraukaer, he makes everything interesting"
"Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer."
"I recently finished Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Highly recommend."
"Missoula by Jon Krakauer: investigative nonfiction that looks at rape cases."
"Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer: kid travels alone into Alaskan interior."
"Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer."
"I love Jon Krakauer's books, *Into Thin Air, Into the Wild*, and especially *Under the Banner of Heaven*."
"Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer"
"Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer"
"Into Thin Air by Krakauer"
#2
Erik Larson
4.9
(18)
"I also love anything by Erik Larson (*Devil in the White City, Dead Wake, Isaac's Storm, the Splendid and the Vile*, etc)."
"Dead Wake by Erik Larson. Gripping from start to finish."
"Is an excellent telling of the sinking of the Lusitania."
"First, I’ll start by seconding those recommending Erik Larson, he is great."
"Anything written by Erik Larson. Dead Wake is good."
"The Devil In the White City is also very good."
"His narrative nonfiction is unsurpassed."
"*Dead Wake* by Erik Larson"
"Devil in the White City"
"Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson (or really anything by him)."
#3
Bill Bryson
5.0
(12)
"Anything by Bill Bryson (his info not travel ones especially) , Mary Roach or Ben McIntyre is worth a read."
"At home by bill Bryson is my favorite most quoted non fiction book of all time"
"Short history of nearly Everything by Bill Bryson."
"Anything by Bill Bryson. He’s so insightful and funny."
"I really enjoyed "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson."
"Both about hiking and way different in tone but both great."
"A short history of nearly everything- I am a therapist, I never thought that I would understand and enjoy pure sciences so thoroughly, this book is really really good!"
"At Home by Bill Bryson."
"A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson."
"A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson"
#4
Truman Capote
5.0
(8)
"In Cold Blood by Truman Capote."
"Considered the first “true crime” book."
"[In Cold Blood] by Truman Capote (It is nonfiction written in a novel style of a family murder)"
"[In Cold Blood](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5096865) by Truman Capote (It is nonfiction written in a novel style of a family murder)"
"In Cold Blood by Truman Capote."
"In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote."
"In Cold Blood by Truman Capote"
#5
Tara Westover
5.0
(8)
"Educated Tara Westover"
"Educated by Tara Westover."
"Educated"
"Educated by Tara Westover"
"Educated - by Tara Westover."
"Is a very enjoyable read."
#6
Patrick Radden Keefe
5.0
(8)
"Say Nothing - Patrick Radden Keefe"
"This reads like a story and if you enjoy audiobooks, it’s read by the author and is very easy and enjoyable to listen to!"
"About the Sackler family and their relentless pursuit of money via the marketing and sales of OxyContin."
"Great, empathetic writing."
"Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe."
"Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is a fascinating (and highly readable) history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland."
"Empire of Pain; Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe."
"**Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland** by Patrick Radden Keefe"
#7
Laura Hillenbrand
5.0
(7)
"Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand"
"Biography of WWII veteran & Olympic runner Louis Zamperini."
"But unless I missed it, I can’t believe no one mentioned Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand."
"Just finished this absolute fantastic book."
"WWII POW story in the Pacific, so much adversity to overcome in this one"
"Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand"
"Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand"
#8
Rebecca Skloot
5.0
(6)
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, was one of those books that was so fascinating I couldn’t put it down."
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - gripping read not a dry biography."
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot"
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot"
"From this past year:"
#9
Daniel James Brown
5.0
(6)
"*The Boys in the Boat* by Daniel James Brown"
"Really good in audiobook too."
"It’s about the Donner party and it is fascinating and tragic."
"The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics."
"The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown."
"The Indifferent Stars Above - Daniel brown (about the Donner party)"
#10
Viktor Frankl
5.0
(5)
"Man's search for meaning by Viktore Frankl"
"Man's search for meaning by Viktor Frankl"
"It’s about a man’s experience at a Holocaust concentration camp."
#11
Yuval Noah Harari
5.0
(5)
"You might enjoy Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari or The Body by Bill Bryson."
"Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is very interesting."
"Sapiens by Yovah Hahari."
#12
Dava Sobel
5.0
(5)
"**Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time** by Dave Sobel. Absolutely fascinating story of how the longitude problem was solved."
"Longitude - Dava Sobel"
"Longitude Dava Sobel."
"Longitude by Dava Sobel is good."
#13
David Grann
5.0
(5)
"If you like history, check out THE WAGER by David Grann."
"The Wager by David Grann."
"I'm currently reading The Wager and I am really enjoying it."
"The Wager by David Grann."
"The Wager by David Grann"
#14
Oliver Sacks
5.0
(5)
"Basically every book by Oliver Sacks."
"Anything by Oliver Sacks."
"Recounts the stories of patients lost in the bizarre."
"Will change your world view for the better."
"Anything by the neurologist Oliver Sacks, particularly The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat."
#15
Nando Parrado
4.8
(5)
"Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado! One of my favorites!"
"Miracle in the Andes."
"Is best of the best in the survival non-fiction genre."
"Miracle in the Andes, Nando Parrado; is best of the best in the survival non-fiction genre."
#16
Rachel Maddow
4.6
(5)
"Drift by Rachel Maddow."
"Drift by Rachel Maddow"
"Drift by Rachel Maddow"
"Drift by Rachel Maddow."
#17
Matthew Desmond
5.0
(4)
"Evicted by Matthew Desmond."
"Evicted by Matthew Desmond - Follows eight families, both Black and white, who were struggling with housing insecurity."
"Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond."
#18
Carl Sagan
5.0
(4)
"Cosmos by Carl sagan"
"Cosmos by Carl Sagan."
"Cosmos by Carl Sagan."
#19
John Carreyrou
5.0
(4)
"It’s a great investigative journalism read."
"Bad Blood by John Carreyrou."
"Bad Blood (about Theranos)"
"Bad Blood by John Carreyrou."
#20
Trevor Noah
5.0
(4)
"Born a Crime by Trevor Noah — the audiobook experience makes it even better."
"I was pleasantly surprised by Born A Crime by Trevor Noah."
"Born a crime by Trevor Noah. Funny, relatively short, interesting."
"Trevor Noah's Born a Crime."
#21
Jonathan Harr
5.0
(3)
"A Civil Action by Johnathan Harr it's a book about the first environmental civil action in North America."
"A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr"
#22
Steve Brusatte
5.0
(3)
"I'm currently enjoying "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs" by Steve Brusatte."
"The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte is a pretty awesome book."
#23
Cheryl Strayed
5.0
(3)
"Both about hiking and way different in tone but both great."
"I haven’t seen anyone mention it but Wild by Cheryl Strayed!! One of my top 3 favorite books ever!!"
"One of my top 3 favorite books ever!!"
#24
Jeannette Walls
5.0
(3)
"The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls."
#25
Jon Ronson
5.0
(3)
"The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson"
"The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson"
"From this past year:"
#26
Peter Wohlleben
5.0
(3)
"The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. Made me look at nature in new, unexpected ways."
"The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben."
"It’s so interesting and like nothing I have ever read before."
#27
Doug Stanton
5.0
(3)
"In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton (about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis)"
"For an prologue, see Jaws, Captain Quint."
"In Harm’s Way by Doug Stanton"
#28
Sonia Purnell
5.0
(3)
"A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win WWII by Sonia Purnell."
"Spies! Resistance!:"
#29
Anne Fadiman
5.0
(3)
"**The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down** by Anne Fadiman."
"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down"
"It's super well written and incredibly powerful."
#30
Christopher McDougall
5.0
(3)
"Born to Run (Christopher McDougall)."
"Born to Run: a Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen."
"I thought *Born to Run* by Christopher McDougall was in the same vein."
#31
Tom Wolfe
5.0
(3)
"The Right Stuff - Tom Wolfe, never has a tome contained more testosterone."
"Both are incredibly fun reads."
"The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe"
#32
Alfred Lansing
5.0
(3)
"Endurance by Alfred Lansing."
"About Shackleton's voyage to the South Pole that got stuck in the ice"
"One of the most incredible and inspiring survival stories I've read."
#33
Nathaniel Philbrick
5.0
(3)
"It is completely fascinating."
"In the Heart of the Sea - by Nathaniel Philbrick."
"In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. Fascinating book about the true situation Moby Dick was based on."
#34
Mark Kurlansky
5.0
(3)
"Salt by Mark Kurlansky. I read this book over 20 years ago and still think about it weekly."
"Another book I enjoyed is *Salt*, by Mark Kurlansky."
"Was delightful!"
#35
Michael Finkel
5.0
(3)
"The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, about the world's most prolific art thief."
"The Art Thief by Michael Finkel."
"The Art Thief by Michael Finkel."
#36
John Green
5.0
(3)
"I loved The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green."
"I love the way he provides research and thinks on the page."
"The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green."
#37
Ben Mezrich
5.0
(3)
"Lastly, Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich is intriguing."
"Sex on the moon Ben Mezrich."
#38
Ed Yong
5.0
(3)
"An Immense World, Ed Yong"
"Makes taking my dog for a walk a whole new adventure."
"An Immense World by Ed Yong. All about how animals perceive the world."
#39
Malcolm Gladwell
4.7
(3)
"Try Malcolm Gladwell’s books."
"Anything by Malcolm Gladwell."
"Is super easy to read."
#40
Marcus Aurelius
4.7
(3)
"That book is a must read for any MAN."
"Meditations by Marcus Aurelius."
#41
Christopher Hitchens
4.7
(3)
"God is not Great - Christopher Hitchens."
#42
Robert Caro
4.7
(3)
"Pulitzer prize winner The Power Broker by Robert Caro, a biography of Robert Moses that is really the story of 20th century American cities and politics."
"The Power Broker by Robert Caro."
"Sounds boring, is actually kindaboring, can't put it down."
#43
Matthew Walker
5.0
(2)
"Why We Sleep (Mathew Walker)."
#44
Educated
5.0
(2)
"Educated, Born a Crime, Maybe you should talk to Someone"
"I don’t particularly like non fiction either but I devoured this book."
#45
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
5.0
(2)
"Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skoots"
#46
Norman Mailer
5.0
(2)
"Don't be put off by the size."
"The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer. Don't be put off by the size - chapters are really short and it's a really fast read. And incredible."
#47
Amanda Montell
5.0
(2)
"Cultish by Amanda Montell"
"Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell"
#48
Anne Lamott
5.0
(2)
"[Bird by Bird] by Anne Lamott"
"Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott."
#49
Michael Lewis
5.0
(2)
"The Big Short , Michael Lewis."
"Is about shorting stocks."
#50
Kate Moore
5.0
(2)
"Radium Girls: America’s Dark Story of its Shining Women by Kate Moore."
"Just finished Radium Girls by Kate Moore - what an incredible story."
#51
Ann Rule
5.0
(2)
"The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule."
"The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule."
#52
Paul Kalanithi
5.0
(2)
"When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is a great one."
"When Breath Becomes Air."
#53
Randall Munroe
5.0
(2)
"What If by Randall Monroe (or xkcd fame) might be a good book for someone who isn’t really into nonfiction."
"What If? by Randall Munroe"
#54
Elie Wiesel
5.0
(2)
"Night by Elie Wiesel. Short book, very good."
"Night by Elie Wiesel"
#55
N/A
5.0
(2)
"Under the Banner of Heaven"
"Is fascinating."
#56
Kevin Fedarko
5.0
(2)
"The Emerald Mile and A Walk in the Park, both by Kevin Fedarko"
"Should be right up your alley if you liked Into Thin Air."
#57
Mari Okada
5.0
(2)
"*From Truant to Anime Screenwriter* by Mari Okada."
"The author’s memoir from how they became a truant in high school to becoming the screenwriter for hit anime."
#58
Eric Larson
5.0
(2)
"Anything by Eric Larson."
#59
Siddhartha Mukherjee
5.0
(2)
"Honestly one of the most phenomenal non-fiction books I have read and a very deserving winner of the Pulitzer."
"The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddharta Mukherjee. It's about the history of cancer, and how we treat it."
#60
Judy Batalion
5.0
(2)
"Spies! Resistance!:"
#61
Hallie Rubenhold
5.0
(2)
"The Five: The untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold."
"The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold."
#62
Neil deGrasse Tyson
5.0
(2)
#63
Richard Preston
5.0
(2)
"All three books were simply horrifying."
"The Hot Zone by Richard Preston"
#64
Betty Medsger
5.0
(2)
"Is about the break-in at the Media, PA FBI office."
#65
Barbara Demick
5.0
(2)
"Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick (about life in North Korea)"
"Nothing to envy: Ordinary lives in North Korea (Barbara Demick)."
#66
Richard Dawkins
5.0
(2)
#67
Hampton Sides
5.0
(2)
"Hellhound on his Trail by Hampton Sides (about MLK Jr. and the hunt for James Earl Ray)"
"Hellhound on his trail by Hampton sides is about stalking and assassination of MLK jr."
#68
Jung Chang
5.0
(2)
"Wild Swans by Jung Chang tells the story of three generations of women in her family."
"I’ve reread this book so many times."
#69
Naomi Klein
5.0
(2)
"Is very good."
"These are two books that so could not put down."
#70
Roald Dahl
5.0
(2)
"Going Solo by Roald Dahl."
"Roald Dahl's autobiography Going Solo is great."
#71
Suleika Jaouad
5.0
(2)
"Memoir about the authors journey through a cancer diagnosis and her struggles to rejoin the land of the living/healthy after she is cancer-free."
"Between Two Kingdoms - Suleika Jaouad."
#72
Maya Angelou
5.0
(2)
"Phenomenal piece of narrative nonfiction."
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou"
#73
Ghost Soldiers
5.0
(2)
"N/A"
"Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides"
#74
Phil Knight
5.0
(2)
"*Shoe Dog* by Phil Knight"
"Shoe dog: A memoir by the creator of Nike (Phil Knight)."
#75
Ben Macintyre
5.0
(2)
"The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre"
"The Spy and the traitor: The greatest espionage story of the cold war (Ben Macintyre)."
#76
Behrouz Boochani
5.0
(2)
"I always recommend No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani."
"No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani is a very interesting and moving novel."
#77
Midnight in Chernobyl
4.5
(2)
"Delved into the political mishandling of the disaster. Fascinating."
"It was quite good. A bit like reading a thriller."
#78
Dave Eggers
4.5
(2)
"It's an excellent book though and still worth reading."
"Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. There is some major controversy surrounding this because it turns out Zeitoun beat his wife and plotted her murder but is portrayed in a very good light in the book."
#79
Francis Parkman
4.5
(2)
"Has high praise, but I haven’t read it yet myself."
"I’ve seen where “The Oregon Trail” by Francis Parkman has high praise."
#80
Max Tegmark
4.5
(2)
"I suggest **Life 3.0** by Max Tegmark."
"I 'loved it' in the sense it brings out issues every thinking person should be aware of."
#81
Mecc
4.5
(2)
"Is one of the classics."
"[“The Oregon Trail”] by Mecc is one of the classics."
#82
Anna Kendrick
4.5
(2)
"Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick"
"Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick (light and funny)."
#83
Mary Roach
4.5
(2)
"Is great with interesting pop sci."
#84
Frank McCourt
4.5
(2)
"Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt."
"My mom read and loved."
#85
Evan Wright
4.5
(2)
"Generation Kill - Evan Wright."
#86
Vincent Bugliosi
4.5
(2)
"Helter Skelter is excellent non-fiction, although intense."
"Helter Skelter, about the Manson family murders, is pretty dark but very readable."
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