The powerful nonfiction books in this post are designed to draw the reader into the compelling nature of the stories. They are well-researched, so you can trust the authenticity of the information. The writing is written in a conversational manner, rather than scholarly, which makes them more enjoyable to read than drier nonfiction books. These fascinating stories are guaranteed to leave a lasting impression and spark conversation.

12 Fantastic Nonfiction Books

Journalistic and Compelling Reads

1. Ninth Street Women : Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art by Mary Gabriel Set amid the most turbulent social and political period of modern times, “Ninth Street Women” is the impassioned, wild, sometimes tragic, always exhilarating chronicle of five women who dared to enter the male-dominated world of twentieth-century abstract painting–not as muses but as artists. From their cold-water lofts, where they worked, drank, fought, and loved, these pioneers burst open the door to the art world for themselves and countless others to come. Descriptors: Life stories, nonconformists and sweeping storyline

2. Why Time Flies : A Mostly Scientific Investigation by Alan Burdick Explores how life is organized around time and its conflicting perceptions, drawing on the author’s international travels and research lab visits where he witnessed fascinating time-altering phenomena. Descriptors: Science writing, reflective tone and thoughtful writing style

3. Otis Redding : An Unfinished Life by Jonathan Gould Presents a comprehensive portrait of the singer’s background, his upbringing, and his professional career, while placing the narrative within the social history of the nineteen sixties. Descriptors: Life stories and stylistically complex writing style

4. Into the Raging Sea : Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro by Rachel Slade Recounts the sinking of El Faro, a container ship that was swallowed by Hurricane Joaquin in the Bermuda Triangle, examining America’s merchant marine fleet and revealing the truth about modern shipping. Descriptors: Adventure/nature writing, action-packed, atmospheric and suspenseful

5. Bloodlines : The True Story of a Drug Cartel, the FBI, and the Battle for a Horse-Racing Dynasty by Melissa Del Bosque Follows the dangerous attempts made by two FBI agents to bring down the fearsome leader of an infamous drug cartel, Miguel Treviäno, who was laundering money through American quarter horse racing. Descriptors: True crime, drug cartel, horse racing and organized crime

6. The Feather Thief : Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson On a cool June evening in 2009, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist grabbed hundreds of bird skins – some collected 150 years earlier – and escaped into the darkness. Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? This is the gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man’s relentless pursuit of justice. Descriptors: Life stories, true crime and dramatic tone

7. Teeth : The Story of Beauty, Inequality and the Struggle for Oral Health in America by Mary Otto A veteran health journalist looks inside America’s mouth, revealing unsettling truths about its unequal society by taking readers on a disturbing journey into America’s silent epidemic of oral disease, exposing the hidden connections between tooth decay and stunted job prospects, low educational achievement, social mobility and the troubling state of public health. Descriptors: Sobering tone, societal issues, poverty and inequality

8. The Far Away Brothers : Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life by Lauren Markham An urgent chronicle of contemporary immigration follows the harrowing journey of a pair of teenaged twins from El Salvador who were forced by gang violence to see safety and a better life in the United States, an endeavor marked by family estrangement, a mounting coyote debt and America’s complicated immigration policies. Descriptors: Life stories, sobering and thought-provoking tone

9. An Unexplained Death : The True Story of a Body at the Belvedere by Mikita Brottman The author of “The Maximum Security Book Club” presents an investigation into the suspicious death of Rey Rivera at the once-grand Belvedere hotel, sharing insights into the victim’s probable murder and the unsettling roles of fellow patrons. Descriptors: Life stories, true crime and thought-provoking tone

10. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates : The Forgotten War that Changed American History by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger Traces the events of a nearly-forgotten war between the United States and the pirates of North Africa’s Barbary coast, who routinely captured American merchant ships and held their crews for ransom. Descriptors: History writing, naval battles and dramatic tone

11. A Moonless, Starless Sky : Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa by Alexis Okeowo In the tradition of “Behind the Beautiful Forevers,” this is a masterful, humane work of literary journalism by New Yorker staff writer Alexis Okeowo — a vivid narrative of Africans who are courageously resisting their continent’s wave of fundamentalism. In “A Moonless, Starless Sky” Okeowo weaves together four narratives that form a powerful tapestry of modern Africa. This powerful book by one of America’s most acclaimed young journalists illuminates the inner lives of ordinary people doing the extraordinary–lives that are too often hidden, underreported, or ignored by the rest of the world. Descriptors: Global affairs, human rights and sobering tone

12. A Mind Unraveled : A Memoir by Kurt Eichenwald The New York Times best-selling author of “The Informant” traces the decades he spent fighting and hiding the symptoms of epilepsy, a battle involving severe depression, and medical mistakes before a dedicated neurologist helped him to survive and thrive. Descriptors: Life stories, candid, moving and thought-provoking tone

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If the selections featured in this blog post fail to hit the mark, try exploring the new lists on our website or our Give 3 Get 3 service which provides personalized reading, listening and viewing recommendations.

Featured Image Credit: Photo of a happy man, woman and pug dog from Pixabay.