Best Non-Fiction (non biography) (2107 books)

Best Non-Fiction (non biography)

Share your picks for the best non-fiction books you've read - not including biographies.

1	The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 166,089 ratings score: 50,074, and 506 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 275,454 ratings score: 42,826, and 436 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 235,136 ratings score: 37,791, and 385 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 83,728 ratings score: 30,065, and 306 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 95,851 ratings score: 29,474, and 301 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan 4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 avg rating — 86,151 ratings score: 25,016, and 254 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer 3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 avg rating — 315,275 ratings score: 22,771, and 234 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell 3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 227,188 ratings score: 22,107, and 229 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 146,786 ratings score: 21,966, and 228 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 147,822 ratings score: 21,440, and 220 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 185,137 ratings score: 20,870, and 218 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (Goodreads Author) 4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 57,822 ratings score: 20,447, and 209 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Green Illusions by Ozzie Zehner (Goodreads Author) 4.54 of 5 stars 4.54 avg rating — 326 ratings score: 20,205, and 214 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 110,377 ratings score: 19,987, and 208 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 90,377 ratings score: 19,772, and 204 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell 3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 avg rating — 146,809 ratings score: 18,462, and 193 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 69,564 ratings score: 16,195, and 167 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich 3.56 of 5 stars 3.56 avg rating — 126,535 ratings score: 15,349, and 160 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author) 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 74,374 ratings score: 14,804, and 152 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Night (The Night Trilogy, #1) by Elie Wiesel 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 332,117 ratings score: 13,672, and 140 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand 4.45 of 5 stars 4.45 avg rating — 136,796 ratings score: 13,561, and 140 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 318,718 ratings score: 13,471, and 140 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	On Writing by Stephen King 4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 avg rating — 67,216 ratings score: 13,226, and 135 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Goodreads Author) 4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 146,596 ratings score: 13,075, and 134 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 67,223 ratings score: 12,296, and 129 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present by Howard Zinn 4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 52,632 ratings score: 12,200, and 127 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 48,852 ratings score: 11,785, and 124 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand 4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 avg rating — 49,740 ratings score: 11,780, and 123 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl 4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 avg rating — 59,783 ratings score: 11,747, and 121 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 35,618 ratings score: 11,354, and 120 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 60,121 ratings score: 11,351, and 117 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman 4.32 of 5 stars 4.32 avg rating — 34,149 ratings score: 11,251, and 116 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 49,477 ratings score: 11,250, and 117 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks (Goodreads Author) 4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 44,445 ratings score: 11,206, and 117 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson (Goodreads Author) 3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 avg rating — 162,605 ratings score: 11,204, and 115 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 79,615 ratings score: 11,180, and 114 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 45,005 ratings score: 10,912, and 115 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick 4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 avg rating — 19,780 ratings score: 10,731, and 111 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 27,840 ratings score: 10,660, and 113 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Columbine by Dave Cullen (Goodreads Author) 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 21,070 ratings score: 10,542, and 112 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away by Bill Bryson 3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 27,030 ratings score: 10,467, and 109 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 25,153 ratings score: 10,272, and 107 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 27,800 ratings score: 10,220, and 108 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Silent Spring by Rachel Carson 3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 avg rating — 13,338 ratings score: 10,171, and 107 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Walden by Henry David Thoreau 3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 56,415 ratings score: 10,139, and 107 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Cosmos by Carl Sagan 4.35 of 5 stars 4.35 avg rating — 26,422 ratings score: 9,972, and 105 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing 4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 avg rating — 19,051 ratings score: 9,314, and 98 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 15,455 ratings score: 9,020, and 94 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky 3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 avg rating — 17,150 ratings score: 8,820, and 92 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 23,447 ratings score: 8,750, and 92 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The World Without Us by Alan Weisman 3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 15,858 ratings score: 8,623, and 89 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein 4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 avg rating — 12,910 ratings score: 8,548, and 88 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan 4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 178,560 ratings score: 8,386, and 87 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 22,684 ratings score: 8,144, and 85 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	1776 by David McCullough 4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 52,902 ratings score: 8,096, and 86 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall 4.3 of 5 stars 4.30 avg rating — 43,518 ratings score: 7,913, and 82 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts 4.38 of 5 stars 4.38 avg rating — 8,828 ratings score: 7,810, and 84 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis 4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 avg rating — 86,039 ratings score: 7,702, and 81 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch 4.34 of 5 stars 4.34 avg rating — 10,279 ratings score: 7,615, and 80 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author) 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 31,846 ratings score: 7,521, and 80 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger (Goodreads Author) 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 40,053 ratings score: 7,300, and 79 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	The Hot Zone by Richard Preston 4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 33,756 ratings score: 6,897, and 73 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb 3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 22,783 ratings score: 6,571, and 69 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs 3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 avg rating — 31,296 ratings score: 6,194, and 65 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 76,985 ratings score: 5,774, and 60 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 13,366 ratings score: 5,647, and 60 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	Sliding On The Snow Stone by Andy Szpuk (Goodreads Author) 4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 avg rating — 129 ratings score: 5,506, and 56 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson 3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 avg rating — 11,540 ratings score: 5,158, and 56 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz 4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 9,981 ratings score: 5,010, and 54 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx 3.43 of 5 stars 3.43 avg rating — 31,133 ratings score: 4,978, and 53 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 16,802 ratings score: 4,790, and 52 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 4.41 of 5 stars 4.41 avg rating — 14,408 ratings score: 4,737, and 49 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (Goodreads Author) 4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 avg rating — 29,570 ratings score: 4,636, and 49 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 9,862 ratings score: 4,620, and 51 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 14,565 ratings score: 4,557, and 49 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 16,024 ratings score: 4,528, and 48 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli 3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 avg rating — 77,211 ratings score: 4,173, and 46 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama 3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 avg rating — 54,895 ratings score: 4,143, and 44 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America by Alex Kotlowitz 4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 avg rating — 5,900 ratings score: 4,103, and 43 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 15,808 ratings score: 4,091, and 45 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon 4.36 of 5 stars 4.36 avg rating — 5,834 ratings score: 3,998, and 42 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach (Goodreads Author) 3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 avg rating — 20,367 ratings score: 3,947, and 42 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer 4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 avg rating — 24,407 ratings score: 3,934, and 43 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes 4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 avg rating — 5,830 ratings score: 3,890, and 42 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 23,132 ratings score: 3,817, and 42 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time by Dava Sobel 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 18,410 ratings score: 3,650, and 40 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 9,649 ratings score: 3,623, and 39 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (Goodreads Author) 3.5 of 5 stars 3.50 avg rating — 65,171 ratings score: 3,453, and 39 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language by Steven Pinker 4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 6,812 ratings score: 3,363, and 36 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 7,497 ratings score: 3,322, and 37 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 avg rating — 11,900 ratings score: 3,321, and 37 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt 3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 avg rating — 30,175 ratings score: 3,271, and 34 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman 3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 avg rating — 44,705 ratings score: 3,222, and 35 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 33,723 ratings score: 3,112, and 36 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach (Goodreads Author) 3.52 of 5 stars 3.52 avg rating — 13,713 ratings score: 3,094, and 33 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace 4.28 of 5 stars 4.28 avg rating — 13,332 ratings score: 2,990, and 31 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman 4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 avg rating — 4,967 ratings score: 2,956, and 31 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 12,943 ratings score: 2,834, and 31 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson 4.24 of 5 stars 4.24 avg rating — 8,009 ratings score: 2,783, and 29 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter 4.3 of 5 stars 4.30 avg rating — 16,137 ratings score: 2,775, and 30 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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2,107 books · 3,797 voters · list created June 27th, 2008 by Susan (votes) .

Tags: best, non-fiction

257 likes · like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 500 seconds.

People Who Voted On This List (3797)

Susan
1123 books
52 friends

Jessica
1812 books
91 friends

Jennifer
1208 books
43 friends

Cindi
2300 books
49 friends

Lisa (OhThatLisa)
499 books
32 friends

Ben
571 books
57 friends

Brooke
711 books
27 friends

Rebecca
235 books
47 friends

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Comments (showing 1-50 of 61) (61 new)

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newest »

message 1: by jeff (new)

Aug 17, 2008 07:57am

Anyone else feel a little troubled by this list?

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message 2: by jeff (new)

Aug 17, 2008 08:03am

From about #63 on maybe?

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message 3: by Chanel (new)

Aug 21, 2008 04:29pm

What happened to no biography?

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message 4: by Angel (new)

Aug 26, 2008 08:10pm

I am not sure why some folks seem to find this list troubling. Maybe I missed something? For me at least, there are a few titles I would not mind reading, like Salt. But I did wonder, I thought no biographies. What gives? Bourdain's book is (arguably at least) biographical as are a few others. Anyhow, this list this give me an idea or two to pursue later.

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message 5: by Rachel (new)

Dec 14, 2008 11:37pm

Schindler's List is a novel. Pet peeve.

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message 6: by brian (new)

Apr 14, 2009 05:54pm

Im very concerned by this list too.
George Lincoln Rockwell?
I'm all for freedom of expression, but it seems odd to find him on a list with a Jewish Cookbook.

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message 7: by Susanna (new)

Oct 10, 2009 09:08am

Caddie Woodlawn? Novel.

The Joy Luck Club? Novel.

I have my doubts about the appropriateness of 84, Charing Cross Road for this list, as well.

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message 8: by Michelle (new)

Oct 27, 2009 02:03am

Me too. I have read dozens of great non-fiction that do not appear on this list!

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message 9: by Susanna (new)

Oct 28, 2009 12:25pm

It's easy to add books at the right of the screen.

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message 10: by Jo (new)

Nov 20, 2009 11:38am

There is some real drivel here...and some good stuff, too. I think we need to pay more attention in putting Marley and Me on the same list as Shockwave. Yes?

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message 11: by e. (new)

Jun 01, 2010 03:08pm

Seems like this list is ALL over the place!

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message 12: by Susanna (last edited Jun 02, 2010 10:19am) (new)

Jun 02, 2010 10:18am

I question the presence of The Odyssey and The Iliad on a non-fiction list.

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message 13: by Foxontherun (new)

Jun 04, 2010 08:52am

God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS.

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message 14: by [deleted user] (new)

Jun 04, 2010 11:40am

Foxontherun wrote: "God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS."

It was so entertaining. My friend Mary was able to read her book Stiff but I don't think I am up to that one. Have you read it?

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message 15: by Book (new)

Jun 20, 2010 07:00am

American History Revised: 200 Startling Facts That Never Made It into the Textbooks
I can not find the listing of this book...

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message 16: by A. Steven (new)

Jun 20, 2010 07:47am

jeff wrote: "From about #63 on maybe?"

Yeah your right ... #92 really doesn't fit at all.

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message 17: by Xenophon (last edited Jun 21, 2010 05:58pm) (new)

Jun 21, 2010 05:54pm

I've deleted The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley because the list clearly calls for non-biography, and I've deleted The Jungle because it is a novel.

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message 18: by Susanna (last edited Jun 22, 2010 10:56am) (new)

Jun 22, 2010 10:53am

What about The Diary of Anne Frank? Or, for that matter, The Iliad and The Odyssey?

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message 19: by Xenophon (new)

Jun 23, 2010 03:19am

I've not read The Diary of Anne Frank, so I have no idea how much is biography and how much is observations of the current scene, etc. The librarians here are enjoined from removing items from lists unless the items are clearly wrong, so I'm not willing to stick my neck out.

Similarly, The Iliad and The Odyssey might be considered religious texts. The classical Greeks tended to think of them that way. I'm not about to open the can of worms of calling someone's religious text "fiction."

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message 20: by Susanna (new)

Jun 23, 2010 11:29am

The two categories that I could slot Anne Frank into are auto-biography and novelized diary.

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message 21: by Marla (new)

Jul 17, 2010 01:40pm

Alice wrote: "Foxontherun wrote: "God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS."

It was so entertaining. My friend Mary was able to read her book Stiff but I don't ..."

my dad gave me stiff for christmas one year--freakin' amazing. but gruesome. be warned. the one book i will not loan out.

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message 22: by Shad (new)

Nov 27, 2010 06:30pm

Marla wrote: "Alice wrote: "Foxontherun wrote: "God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS."

It was so entertaining. My friend Mary was able to read her book Stiff ..."

Sorry to butt in...I loved Stiff. I'm not usually one for such topics but I found it fascinating. Gruesome is a good word. At times I thought I'd have to put it down forever. It's not all that way, though. Now I want to read CandyFreak!

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message 23: by Hannah (new)

Dec 26, 2010 01:40pm

Vote "The Old Way: story of the first people" by elizabeth marshall thomas

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message 24: by ~☆ Alice☆~ (new)

Aug 04, 2011 05:09pm

Please remove Water for Elephants on the first page near the bottom.

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message 25: by ~☆ Alice☆~ (new)

Aug 04, 2011 05:13pm

Angel wrote: "I am not sure why some folks seem to find this list troubling. Maybe I missed something? For me at least, there are a few titles I would not mind reading, like Salt. But I did wonder, I thought no ..."

Salt is very good. I enjoyed it far more than I expected. Hope to vote for it when I find it.

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message 26: by Rc (new)

Aug 11, 2011 07:52am

deleted user wrote: "Foxontherun wrote: "God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS."

It was so entertaining. My friend Mary was able to read her book Stiff but I don't ..."

I'm reading Stiff right now. She treats cadavers with as much grace and respect and humor as any of her other subjects, so while there are gruesome moments, those moments aren't uncalled for. If you liked her other books, you'll like this one. I heartily recommend it - except during breakfast.

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message 27: by Amy (new)

Aug 21, 2011 03:09pm

The Kite Runner is fiction.

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message 28: by Susanna (new)

Aug 21, 2011 03:41pm

Amy wrote: "The Kite Runner is fiction."

Could you remember where it was when you saw it? Make it a lot easier for me to remove it.

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message 29: by Amy (new)

Aug 21, 2011 04:32pm

Susanna wrote: "Amy wrote: "The Kite Runner is fiction."

Could you remember where it was when you saw it? Make it a lot easier for me to remove it."

It's on the second page, #156. Also, The Help, number 266 on page 3 is fiction as well. Both are great books.

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message 30: by Susanna (new)

Aug 21, 2011 04:45pm

Thanks! I shall go remove them.

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message 31: by Susanna (new)

Aug 21, 2011 05:00pm

Removed for being fiction:

The Kite Runner
Anne of Green Gables
The Help
Cutting for Stone

Should I remove Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson? And Walter Isaacson's bio of Benjamin Franklin doesn't look kosher, either. King of the World is apparently a bio of Mohammed Ali.

Frankly, I don't know what to make of Mein Kampf being here.

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message 32: by Susanna (new)

Aug 21, 2011 05:06pm

Also removed Water for Elephants (fiction).

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message 33: by Angelica (new)

Oct 17, 2011 08:53am

I would consider "A child called It" as a biography. At least the author claims that it is biographical.

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message 34: by Denae (new)

Nov 12, 2011 09:56am

277: The Little Prince
268: The Name of the Rose

both of the above are fiction

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message 35: by Susanna (new)

Nov 12, 2011 09:57am

Thanks, Dena - I'll remove them.

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message 36: by Eileen (new)

Dec 17, 2011 09:19am

330 Of mice and men
340 Catcher in the Rye
346 The Lincoln Lawyer
395 The Handmaidens Tale

All are fiction

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message 37: by Susanna (new)

Dec 17, 2011 10:43am

Will remove them - thanks for listing the location!

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message 38: by Hayes (last edited Dec 17, 2011 11:30am) (new)

Dec 17, 2011 11:24am

137 A Room of One's Own ... listed as non-fiction?
178 The Innocents Abroad

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message 39: by Susanna (new)

Dec 17, 2011 11:36am

I believe Innocents Abroad is non-fiction (I'm reading it currently, and in the author's note, I believe he explains how most of it was his account for the American papers at the time); haven't read the Woolf.

The note on the Woolf looks complicated; it seems to be half-and-half?

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message 40: by Hayes (last edited Dec 17, 2011 12:50pm) (new)

Dec 17, 2011 12:51pm

I couldn't remember about The Innocents (I read it long ago), if it was a fictionalized thing, or not. The Woolf looked complicated to me too. So I guess it's best to leave them, but there are a lot of biographies that should go.

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message 41: by Susanna (new)

Dec 17, 2011 01:03pm

Well, starting with biographies: what about The Diary of Anne Frank?

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message 42: by Hayes (new)

Dec 17, 2011 01:20pm

And Seabiscuit? And Feynman?

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message 43: by Susanna (last edited Dec 17, 2011 01:43pm) (new)

Dec 17, 2011 01:42pm

For that matter, A Child Called It?

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message 44: by Amara (last edited Feb 21, 2012 07:03pm) (new)

Feb 21, 2012 01:05pm

Fiction Removed:

Jack & Jill by James Patterson
Misery by Stephen King
Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

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message 45: by Taryn (new)

Mar 02, 2012 01:38pm

Some of the books I would question because they simply are not the best non-fiction - on the contrary, they are horrible. But to each her own I guess.

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message 46: by Susanna (new)

Mar 02, 2012 02:04pm

I need at least 200 votes for this list. LOL

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message 47: by Cricket (new)

May 14, 2012 11:07pm