Nonfiction Recommendations reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 175 Reddit reviews across 14 subreddits and 32 posts to rank the best Nonfiction Recommendations brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/booksuggestions, r/suggestmeabook, r/graphicnovels, r/medicine, r/AskReddit. Top-rated brands include Mary Roach (4.9/5), Ben Macintyre (5.0/5), Patrick Radden Keefe (5.0/5).
Stats
Reviews175
Subreddits14
Posts32
Brands90
Products97
175 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Mary Roach
4.9
(16)
"If she's obsessed, so will you become. But I think Stiff is still my favorite...morbid but fascinating!"
"Especially if you’d like some humor thrown in."
"Mary Roach - Stiff on what happens to your body after you donate it to science."
"Stiff by Mary Roach."
"Anything by Mary Roach- fun, easy reads on different subjects."
"Mary Roach writes pop nonfiction on offbeat topics like death (Stiff), the digestive tract (Gulp), sex (Bonk), and what happens when astronauts go into space (Packing for Mars)."
"I haven’t read her new one yet; it’s called Fuzz and it’s about crimes committed by animals."
"I've never heard of Mary Roach and this is the 3rd time on this thread that she's been recommended."
"Stiff by Mary Roach."
"Everything by Mary Roach, most recent is Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law."
#2
Ben Macintyre
5.0
(8)
"Operation Mincemeat by Ben MacIntyre — interesting story of using a dead body to fool the Germans during WWII"
"The spy and the traitor is phenomenal!! Definitely my most recommended non fiction book."
"A Spy Among Friends - Ben McIntyre - the Kim Philby story"
"Oh there's a great one: the spy and the traitor by Ben Macintyre. It's very gripping, about espionage in the cold war."
"The Spy and the Traitor for a Soviet spy/traitor in the 70s and 80s."
"Best place to start imo is Ben Macintyre books. He’s done lots but these are my favourite: Operation Mincemeat for WW2"
"A Spy Among Friends about the British traitor Kim Philby in the 40s and 50s"
"The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre"
#3
Patrick Radden Keefe
5.0
(6)
"Empire of Pain explores the story of the SACKLER family."
"Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe."
"His other recent book Say Nothing, about the Troubles in N. Ireland."
"Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, about the Sackler family/opioid crisis."
"Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland."
"Two books that I read last year that blew my mind: Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe"
#4
Tara Westover
5.0
(5)
"Educated by Tara Westover."
"Educated by Tara Westover."
"***Educated*** by Tara Westover; her story is so surreal that the first half of the book reads like fiction."
"Educated by Tara Westover"
"Educated,"
#5
David Grann
5.0
(5)
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
"The Wager by David Grann"
"Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann."
"Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann."
"[**Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496076-killers-of-the-flower-moon) by David Grann."
#6
Michael Pollan
5.0
(4)
"The Omnivores Dilemma."
"I read his Omnivore's Dilemma back in 2017 and liked it very much."
"The Omnivores Dilemma is a great book about the meat industry."
"Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma or The Botany of Desire"
#7
Kate Beaton
5.0
(4)
"And Ducks by Kate Beaton."
"DUCKS is a mature read autobiographical book by Kate Beaton."
"*Ducks*, by Kate Beaton. One of the best books of any kind I've read in the last few years."
"Ducks by Kate Beaton."
#8
John Carreyrou
5.0
(4)
"Bad Blood"
"Bad Blood by John Carreyou."
"Bad Blood,"
"*Bad Blood* - John Carreyrou (Narrated by Will Damron)"
#9
David Graeber and David Wengrow
4.8
(4)
"About history, ancient history, democracy, enlightenment, indigenous critique."
"My last deep TOME into the latest understanding of the earliest societies around the world."
"The dawn of everything by Davids Graeber and Wengrow"
"The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by D. Graeber and D. Wengrow"
#10
Mark Kurlansky
4.3
(4)
"Salt, by Mark Kurlansky. It's an interesting look at the history of salt, from prehistoric times to th"
"Salt by Mark Kurlansky"
"Cod by Mark Kurlansky"
"Came here to recommend {Cod} by Mark Kurlansky."
#11
Yuval Noah Harari
5.0
(3)
"Sapiens are pretty good nonfictions that I've read."
"{{Sapiens}}"
"Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari"
#12
Robin Wall Kimmerer
5.0
(3)
"Kimmer’s Braiding Sweetgrass"
"Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants"
"{{Braiding Sweetgrass}}"
#13
Thi Bui
5.0
(3)
"Also echoing the love for The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui."
"The Best We Could Do. It’s about Vietnamese immigrants."
"I liked The Best We Could Do."
#14
Jon Krakauer
5.0
(3)
"Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer"
"I recently finished Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Highly recommend."
"A lot of people mentioning Jon Krakauer - I’d specifically say start with Into Thin Air."
#15
Bill Bryson
5.0
(3)
"Anything by Bill Bryson. He’s so insightful and funny."
"In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson"
"Bill Bryson.. Mary Roach - (she's got a new book too)"
#16
David Graeber
4.7
(3)
"Graeber's Debt is also great."
"{{Debt: The First 5000 Years}} by David Graeber"
"Debt. By David Graeber"
#17
Simon Winchester
5.0
(2)
"Any books by Simon Winchester."
"Check out Simon Winchester.. he reads his own stuff."
#18
Isabel Wilkerson
5.0
(2)
"The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson."
"The Warmth of Other Suns, narrative non-fiction at its very best!"
#19
Cynthia Barnett
5.0
(2)
"Literally just about rain. So calming and surprisingly poetic."
"I love rain and everything associated with it so it was nice to read about who everyone else looks at it."
#20
David Hoffman
5.0
(2)
"Billion Dollar Spy - David Hoffman - Great story on Cold War espionage"
"Billion Dollar Spy by David Hoffman"
#21
Erik Larson
5.0
(2)
"The Devil in the White City. Absolutely riveting prose, narrating two overlapping stories: the development and execution of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and an unscrupulous con man turned serial killer who uses the fair as cover for his activities."
"The Devil In the White City is also very good."
#22
Keiji Nakazawa
5.0
(2)
"Barefoot Gen (four or five volumes) about the bombing of Hiroshima (anti war)--Keiji Nakazawa."
"Barefoot Gen, Keiji Nakazawa."
#23
Lindsay C. Gibson
5.0
(2)
"Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents is a great one."
"Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson is a great one."
#24
Anthony Bourdain
5.0
(2)
"If you have ever worked in the service industry, waiting tables or in the kitchen, I highly recommend Kitchen Confidential."
"Kitchen Confidential,"
#25
Andre Agassi
5.0
(2)
"Amazing book — and I care nothing about tennis!"
"Open by Andre Agassi"
#26
Phil Knight
5.0
(2)
"Shoe Dog by Phil Knight"
"Shoe Dog,"
#27
Rebecca Skloot
5.0
(2)
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot"
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot"
#28
Merlin Sheldrake
5.0
(2)
"About fungi."
"Entangled Life: How fungi make our worlds, change our minds & shape our futures."
#29
Joe Sacco
5.0
(2)
"Joe Sacco's Palestine books!"
"Stuff from Joe Sacco! Especially Palestine."
#30
Trevor Noah
5.0
(2)
"Born a Crime, powerful and very, very funny"
"Born a Crime,
Shoe Dog,
Becoming,
Kitchen Confidential,
Bad Blood,
Educated,
Mindhunter."
#31
George Takei
5.0
(2)
"They Called Us Enemy by THE George Takei."
"They called us enemy by Takei."
#32
Rachel Maddow
5.0
(2)
"Blowout by Rachel Maddow"
"Drift by Rachel Maddow"
#33
Abraham Verghese
4.5
(2)
"My Own Country by Abraham Verghese is a very well-written account of an ID physician dealing with the crisis in rural East TN in the 80s."
"Abraham Varghese's My Own Country. About being an immigrant ID doc in the rural South during the beginning of AIDS."
#34
Jacques Pépin
4.5
(2)
"If you’re interested in the science of it, I highly recommend Jaques Pepin’s book “The Origins of AIDS”"
"The Origins of AIDS by Jacques Pepin."
#35
Atul Gawande
4.5
(2)
"At 6 hours 9 minutes, I recommend The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande."
"The Checklist Manifesto"
#36
Philip Dray
4.5
(2)
"There is Power in a Union by Philip Dray"
"Ive been reading "there is power in a union" by Philip Dray."
#37
Randy Shilts
4.5
(2)
"And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts would be the classic here."
"And the Band Played On is great but has several inaccuracies including the Gaetan Dugas “Patient Zero” theory."
#38
Michael Saag
4.0
(2)
"Positive by Michael Saag one of my ID attendings in residency."
"Positive by Michael Saag is decent and isn’t well-known"
#39
Erik Loomis
4.0
(2)
"A History of America in Ten Strikes- Erik Loomis."
"I also read "a history of america in ten strikes" by erik loomis and that was very good."
#40
Emma Southon
5.0
(1)
"Emma Southon writes wonderful books about Roman women in a lovely conversational tone. Her book about Agrippina (called Agrippina) is my favourite."
#41
George M. Johnson
5.0
(1)
"All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson. This memoir isn't a story about transitioning but Johnson is nonbinary and talks about not being able to preform masculinity properly growing up."
#42
Kate Dawson
5.0
(1)
"A biography of Oscar Heimlich, father of forensic science, that's written like a true crime novel."
#43
Nate Blakeslee
5.0
(1)
"So well done, I recommend this book a lot."
#44
Ed Yong
5.0
(1)
"About animal senses."
#45
Bill Fairclough
5.0
(1)
"Do read the epic fact based spy thriller, Bill Fairclough's Beyond Enkription, the first stand-alone novel of six in TheBurlingtonFiles series."
#46
Benjamin Wallace
5.0
(1)
"It's very well written, almost novelesque."
#47
Paul Monette
5.0
(1)
"Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir by Paul Monette. It's a deeply personal account of supporting his partner through his death in the AIDs epidemic."
#48
Truman Capote
5.0
(1)
"In Cold Blood by Truman Capote"
#49
Ben Goldfarb
5.0
(1)
"It’s about road ecology and it’s fascinating."
#50
Stephen Kinzer
5.0
(1)
"All the Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer"
#51
Sue Black
5.0
(1)
"Written in bone by sue black"
#52
Paul Kalanithi
5.0
(1)
"When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is a great one"
#53
Randall Munroe
5.0
(1)
"What if? by R"
#54
Beryl Markham
5.0
(1)
"West with the Night, by Beryl Markham"
#55
Wendy Dickenson
5.0
(1)
"Wedlock: How Georgian Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match by Wendy Dickenson. It's funny, sad, and fascinating."
#56
Robert Caro
5.0
(1)
"The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro"
#57
Kevin Dutton
5.0
(1)
"The Wisdom of psychopaths by Kevin Dutton"
#58
Ian Mortimer
5.0
(1)
"The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer. Written as a (very comp"
#59
J. Maarten Troost
5.0
(1)
"The Sex Lives Of Cannibals by J Maarten Troost"
#60
Steve Brusatte
5.0
(1)
"I'm currently enjoying The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte. I don't really know much about paleontology, but this book is an easy and enjoyable read. Definitely recommend!"
#61
Philippe Sands
5.0
(1)
"The Ratline by Philippe Sands. How top level Nazis escaped after the war."
#62
Sean Carroll
4.0
(1)
"The Big Picture by Sean Carroll"
#63
Eric Blehm
4.0
(1)
"The Last Season by Eric Blehm"
#64
Blair Braverman
4.0
(1)
"Welcome to the Goddam Ice Cube by Blair Braverman, about dogsledding and living near the arctic."
#65
Malorie Cooper
4.0
(1)
"I do remember liking a lot of "How Wearing Leggings Changed My Life" by Malorie Cooper."
#66
David Rees
4.0
(1)
"He essentially takes the format of an owners manual for some heavy equipment and applies it to pencil sharpening. It’s very entertaining."
#67
Colin Dickey
4.0
(1)
"Ghostland by Colin Dickey = for those that believe and don't believe in ghosts"
#68
Kim Kelly
4.0
(1)
"Fight Like Hell by Kim Kelly."
#69
Robbert Harris
4.0
(1)
"There's Enigma by Robbert Harris also. It's about deciphering code messages and well written."
#70
Lynn Olson
4.0
(1)
"Empress of the Nile"
#71
Mark Essig
4.0
(1)
"Macabre and interesting!"
#72
David Bullock
4.0
(1)
"'Coal Wars - Unions, Strikes, and Violence in Depression-Era Central Washington', by David Bullock."
#73
Louis Theroux
4.0
(1)
"Louis Theroux - Call of the Weird."
#74
Christopher McDougall
4.0
(1)
"Born to Run"
#75
David France
4.0
(1)
"How to Survive a Plague by David France is also good."
#76
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
4.0
(1)
"Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez"
#77
Robert Wright
4.0
(1)
"The Moral Animal by Robert Wright"
#78
Rebecca Sykes
4.0
(1)
"About Neanderthal."
#79
Sarah Schulman
4.0
(1)
"I’ve been slowly working my way through Sarah Schulman’s Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987–1993."
#80
Klaus Theweleit
4.0
(1)
"A two volume read but I highly recommend the first. It focuses on journals and memoirs written by men in the Freikorps."
#81
Ben Wilson
4.0
(1)
"Metropolis! By Ben Wilson the history of human kinds greatest invention the city"
#82
Terry Ryan
4.0
(1)
"The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan"
#83
Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson
4.0
(1)
"Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson"
#84
Harold McGee
4.0
(1)
"Nose Dive, by Harold McGee"
#85
Thomas Halliday
4.0
(1)
"About past ecosystems."
#86
Richard McKay
4.0
(1)
"Patient Zero and the Making of the AIDS Epidemic by Richard McKay (2017) clears up the myths around Dugas."
#87
Ty Seidule
4.0
(1)
"About Lee’s legacy in America."
#88
Dave Eggers
4.0
(1)
"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers"
#89
George Kelly
4.0
(1)
"I found it to be particularly practical and useful on how to regulate my 'erratic' immune system through an anti-inflammatory, ancestral-based diet."
#90
Dave Goulson
4.0
(1)
"About extinction of insects."
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