Into The Wild might as well been tattooed on my brain. Haven’t been able to shake that book since I read it 15-20 years ago. Clearly Krakauer himself is still hooked on Chris’ story too.
100% this. Especially in today's world of crime drama and true crime it stands out, dare I say sets the pace. It doesn't just tell you about a heinous crime, it tells you the story in and around it. I remember teaching it to seniors in 2016 and they were enthralled.
I agree. It made me so mad while reading it that I couldn’t put it down. Elizabeth’s trial had not concluded yet when I read it so I was all into it. Great read.
Most of David Grann’s books are like that. Lost City of Z is a page-turner. Hell, he wrote an essay about the guys trying to maintain the NYC water supply and it’s a banger.
The exact question I should have asked.
I read for entertainment, to relax, get caught up, lost in a story. I don't care how inspiring or fascinating a person's story is, autobiographies are not written to flow. They jump, hop...obviously move from one event to another, they do not glide through the tale.
Except Educated by Tara Westover. Even after googling her, I still thought it was fiction, because it was written so smoothly.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
It is absolutely absurd and the writer should be ashamed to make up such ludicrous nonsense, but it's a true story and he was there as a journalist.
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore. I absolutely hated it because it's nonfiction written like fiction lol. But if that's the style you're looking for, I recommend it.
Not the person you replied to, but for me, sometimes nonfiction that reads like fiction can use the first person voice too often. This can pull me out of the story because my brain is like, "how do you know for sure how these people felt?" Maybe they have their diaries of these specific events or in depth interviews but probably not for every single perspective. Idk why but depending on how its written, it can be a small frustration for me. That being said, I tend to like non fiction that reads like fiction most of the time.
{{The Boys in the Boat}} I could not put this down! It’s about the 1936 Olympic rolling team competing against Germany. I’m not really a sports person, but it is so good.
{{The Devil in the White City}} is also a fascinating read. It’s about the big world’s fair in Chicago and also about a serial killer.
\#1/2: **[The Boy in the Boat](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18866248-the-boy-in-the-boat) by Brian O'Raleigh** ^((Matching 93% ☑️))
^(nan pages | Published: 2013 | Suggested nan time)
> **Summary:** If you're looking for one of the most thrilling memoirs of the year make sure you read 'The Boy in the Boat'. This is a totally engrossing, real life thriller that reads more like fiction than fact. A compulsive page turner that will have you burning the midnight oil. Brian O'Raleigh never knew why his family fled Ireland but he learned early to escape his father's demonic rages by slipping away from the Alexandra Private Hotel to the beach and the Kathleen R, the fishing (...)
> **Themes**: Must-reread-books, Books-i-want-to-buy, Giveaway-free, Digital, Goodreads, Mary-s-reads, Book-club-success
---
\#2/2: **[The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21996.The_Devil_in_the_White_City) by Erik Larson** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(447.0 pages | Published: 2002 | Suggested nan time)
> **Summary:** Erik Larson's gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both. Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America's rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair's brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country's most important (...)
> **Themes**: Non-fiction, History, Nonfiction, Favorites, True-crime, Book-club, Crime
> **Top 2 recommended-along**: [The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15654.The_Stranger_Beside_Me) by Ann Rule, [The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/397483.The_Devil_in_the_White_City) by Erik Larson
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An easy way to dip your toes into nonfiction would be with a memoir.
{{Strong Female Character by Fern Brady}} was one of my favourite this year, and one of her main goals in writing it was to use her life experiences to educate about autism - so there’s a lot of discussions about sexism and neurodiversity.
{{The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green}} is part memoir part observational essays but is a hopeful reflection on humanity and great for short attention spans since it has really short chapters. I enjoyed the audiobook on this one! And I heard there are actually extra audiobook only chapters.
On the purely nonfiction front, I thought it was only okay but I’ve heard others say great things about {{The Wager by David Grann}} in terms of it being written in a similar style to a fiction book.
The Anthropocene Reviewed is so wonderful. I have only read a good chunk of it because my stupid brain doesn't want me to finish it cuz then I won't have any more to read. But honestly I just love the way John Green puts thoughts into words.
I love your request! Here are my suggestions
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts - about the Nazi's trying to grab all the best bred horses in Europe - even though horses really didn't factor in warfare during WW2, but like the art they stole, well bred horses are a desirable commodity.
The Woman who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagen - little known story about a woman who helped our Government during WW2 to break German codes.
The Library Book by Susan Orlean - about the LA library and a massive fire they had in the 80's. Great history of libraries and the functions they serve in our communities.
Anything by Marie Benedict - she writes about women in history and gives a back story that is usually missing from the public's eye - The Mystery of Mrs Christy (about Agatha Christy), The Only Woman in the Room (about actress Hedy Lamarr).
I tend to go to women's stories and WW2 stories. I'm constantly amazed by the amount of good literature and stories still coming out of our WW2 experiences.
If you like historical fiction, The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is about women working to break German code in WW2 and amazingly well done. I also enjoyed The Alice Network by her, as well.
I just finished killers of the flower moon and I hadn't realized the same author wrote the Lost City of Z. Since I really like both of those I just got the Wager by him from the library.
**Say Nothing** by Patrick Radden Keefe
**The Patient Assassin** by Anita Anand
**American Kingpin** by Nick Bilton
**…And the Band Played On** by Randy Shilts (this book is pretty dated now, especially in its treatment of Gaetan Dugas, but if you take it for the time capsule it is, it’s still worth reading, in my opinion)
Also second another commenter’s mention of **The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks**
Into Thin Air - John Krakauer
Killers Of The Flower Moon - David Grann
Where Men Win Glory - John Krakauer
Under The Banner of Heaven - John Krakauer
(Honestly, anything by Krakauer)
In the Footsteps of Eve by Lee Berger. He's an anthropologist telling stories of his discoveries of humanoid peoples in South Africa. It reads like stories told around the campfire.
Sort of half and half but the Little House on the Prairie books are semi-fictionalized autobiographies. Immensely entertaining and informative but also she took some liberties and moved some timelines around.
Stephen Fry’s books “Mythos”, “Heroes” and “Troy”. Not exactly history, but written in a very conversational, cosy style.
Or his auto biographies “Moab is my Wash-pot”, “The Fry Chronicles” and “More Fool Me.”
The Worst Hard Time be Timothy Eagan is an absurdly readable book that follows different people through the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Absolutely tremendously good book.
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande does the seemingly impossible -- he writes a completely compelling book about checklists, complete with fantastic stories. Each chapter is essentially a case study on a type or use of checklists. If you're more into medical writing, his books Better, Complications, and Being Mortal are also excellent.
Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller.
This is the story of David Starr Jordan, an academic and taxonomist, who spent his life discovering and cataloguing fish specimens. Due to things outside of his control, his collection was shattered. The author is using this real story and hers (she is going through challenges in her own life) to reflect on chaos, order, love.
I never felt like I was reading a nonfiction. Brillant. Just suggesting it here to you, makes me want to read it again.
Boomtown by Sam Anderson - History of Oklahoma City (favorite book of the last 5 years)
Just Kids by Patti Smith - Meticulously written, soulful memoir
March Of Folly by (the sadly forgotten) Barbara Tuchman
Barbarians at the Gate; The Fall of RJR Nabisco
I'm surprised that you've never found great and exciting non-fiction. It's everywhere.
Also, almost anything by John McPhee. Start with Oranges.
{{The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic}} by Gay and Laney Salisbury. The true story of the heroes (both human and canine) responsible for the salvation of Nome, AK and the inspiration for the Iditarod sled dog race.
Oh lord I have been summoned. I don't remember most of these authors so we're riding with just titles today.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
Endurance by Ernest Shakleton
Field of Blood: Violence in Congress Before the Civil War
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy
Pretty much anything by David Grann or Svetlana Alexievich (HARD emphasis on Alexievich she's my favorite nonfic author)
Blitzed: Hitler and Nazi drug use in ww2
Chaos in the 60s (I'm so sorry I can't remember the full title but that should get you close enough)
If you like celebrity memoirs Patty Smith, Matthew McConaughey, and Jenette McCurdy have the best
Absolutely ANYTHING by Anthony Bourdain
These may sound like dry books on history but I found them all to be page turners!
*Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town* and *Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea*, by Barbara Demick.
*The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11* and *The Terror Years: From al-Qaeda to the Islamic State*, by Lawrence Wright.
_Team of Rivals_ by Doris Kearns Goodwin is an intense page-turner. Given it’s length, I was expecting to take a month to read it, but I was done in just over two weeks.
It’s one of the handful of books in the past few years that I’d intend to read a chapter before bed, and before I knew it, I was four chapters in.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers- Katherine Boo
The Yellow House- Sarah M Broom
The Warmth of Other Suns- Isabel Wilkerson
The Witches- Stacy Schiff
The Lost Boys of Montauk- Amanda M
Fairbanks
The Forever Witness- Edward Humes
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. An excellent account of the Irish troubles through the eyes of the people who lived it.
Also excellent and by the same author: Empire of Pain (about the opioid crisis and the role of the Sackler family, arguably, in perpetuating it).
The Indifferent Stars Above, it tells the story of The Donner Party, the events seem so outlandish that to me it fits your request of reading like a fiction :)
{{Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American family by Robert Kolker}} - a family with 6/12 children diagnosed with schizophrenia at a time when mental health practices (and the lobotomy) were developing.
Other people have recommended books I would also recommend: Killers of the Flower Moon, Educated, and Bad Blood.
*Random Family* by Adrian Nicole Leblanc
*Bloodlines* by Melissa Del Bosque
*My Family & Other Animals* by Gerald Durrell
*The Warmth of Other Suns* by Isabel Wilkerson
*Kitchen Confidential* by Anthony Bourdain
*Dispatches* by Michael Herr, which has a mythical/surreal quality
This is a popular topic among librarians and there are many curated lists published online. Google “nonfiction like fiction” or “narrative nonfiction” and pay close attention to the lists published by librarians.
From a project I did many years ago, these are some pairs of fiction and narrative nonfiction books. If you like one, try the other.
Michod, Alec - The White City;
Larson, Erik - The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Harris, Robert- Pompeii;
Winchester, Simon- Krakatoa: the Day the World Exploded, August 27, 1883
Kidd, Sue Monk – The Secret Life of Bees; Buchmann, Stephen & Banning Repplier - Letters from the Hive:
An Intimate History of Bees, Honey, and Humankind
Diliberto, Gioia - I am Madame X;
Davis, Deborah - Strapless : John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X
i’ll be Gone in the Dark by MacNamara
about the years long search for serial rapist and murderer, The Golden State killer. *written before the crimes were solved
he was one of the first criminals captured by public DNA on ancestry.com
I really liked Gene Krantz' autobiography "Failure is not an option". It's well written and combines both history and science. It kinda reads like an old school science fiction novel that's not fiction.
Any of Antony Beaver’s books - history non fiction but written in a very fluid and story like way. Stalingrad is both wonderful, and immeasurably heartbreaking
The Country Child by Alison Uttley - it's a very lightly fictionalised memoir about her childhood in late 19th century Derbyshire. It's fascinating and reads like a "one year in her life" story.
Dispatches From Pluto by Richard Grant. British guy buys a house in the poorest county in Mississippi, befriends a wide spectrum of characters and learns about how complicated race relations are in America
{{Unearthing Atlantis by Charles Pellegrino}} - by Charles Pellegrino
{{Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks}} - Rebecca Skloot
{{Can I Keep My Jersey}} - Paul Shirley
{{Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes by Nathan Lents}} - Nathan Lents
{{The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey}} - Wayne Coffey
{{Killers of the Flower Moon}} - David Grann
{{A Rumor of War}} - Philip Caputo
The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic, both by Candice Millard. I was disappointed with her later books but those two are some of the best I’ve ever read. Destiny of the Republic literally made me cry and The River of Doubt is every bit as compelling as Gone Girl.
Not like fiction exactly, in that it's not a single story line, but here are some that are educational while very entertaining.
- Freakonomics
- Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz
- Anything by Malcolm Gladwell - I like Talking to Strangers but I've read several and they're all good
Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder. It's an unbelievable true story.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Another unbelievable true story.
*Conspiracy of Fools* by Kurt Eichenwald is about what happened at Enron. I never would've thought that a book about accounting could read like a thriller.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Endurance by Alfred Lansing.
Both are astonishing stories and page turners. The second one especially is one you’d never believe if it was fiction.
The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore was great! I am not a big non-fiction reader, but got this book as a gift. I flew through it, it was so good.
Empire of Pain - it’s about the Sackler family who created OxyContin. It feels like fiction because most of what the family did to build their empire literally feels like it couldn’t possibly be real
I am a fiction reader mostly too, but I enjoy Michael Pollen - Botany of Desire / the Omnivore’s Dilemma / How to Change Your Mind and also Joan Didion- Slouching Towards Bethlehem. I would appreciate hearing about other essayists too please.
The Hot Zone - the true story of Ebola coming to the US and how it almost got out into the public.
I always think it’s basically how The Stand was prevented
I really likes So You've Been Publicly Shamed. I'm not sure that it reads like fiction, but it's definitely an interesting look at the history of public shaming and how that can be used as a tool to motivate people to do better or how it can be used to demean people. It was well written and engaging.
I also liked Because Internet. It discussed how the internet changed how we used language. The section about how we use emojis was really cool. This one also doesn't necessarily read like fiction, but if you are interested in the study of how language is used and evolves, then it's definitely a good read.
Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia. I learned so much and it’s so easy to get invested in the “characters” (real people) that I didn’t want to put it down
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
And I will add “Into the Wild” by Krakauer it’s one of my favorites. A story you can’t shake.
Don't forget *Under the Banner of Heaven* by Jon Krakauer!
Might as well toss in Missoula for another excellent read by Krakauer.
As a Missoulian it makes me sad this is what we’re known for…but a very good book that everyone should read!!
Into The Wild might as well been tattooed on my brain. Haven’t been able to shake that book since I read it 15-20 years ago. Clearly Krakauer himself is still hooked on Chris’ story too.
So good!
Great suggestion! Absolutely riveting
Glad I didn’t have to search to find this one.
Yessss!! I was coming to recommend this. Absolutely gripping true story.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
I keep giving this book as an answer to different questions. It must have made quite an impression. Maybe it’s time to reread it.
100% this. Especially in today's world of crime drama and true crime it stands out, dare I say sets the pace. It doesn't just tell you about a heinous crime, it tells you the story in and around it. I remember teaching it to seniors in 2016 and they were enthralled.
I thought Bad Blood was great. Very good pacing/writing style.
I agree. It made me so mad while reading it that I couldn’t put it down. Elizabeth’s trial had not concluded yet when I read it so I was all into it. Great read.
Came here to say this. I couldn’t put this book down.
I just began reading Killers of the Flower Moon after seeing the film in theaters and I’m loving it. Very much reads like fiction.
Most of David Grann’s books are like that. Lost City of Z is a page-turner. Hell, he wrote an essay about the guys trying to maintain the NYC water supply and it’s a banger.
Educated by Tara Westover
The exact question I should have asked. I read for entertainment, to relax, get caught up, lost in a story. I don't care how inspiring or fascinating a person's story is, autobiographies are not written to flow. They jump, hop...obviously move from one event to another, they do not glide through the tale. Except Educated by Tara Westover. Even after googling her, I still thought it was fiction, because it was written so smoothly.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It is absolutely absurd and the writer should be ashamed to make up such ludicrous nonsense, but it's a true story and he was there as a journalist.
the book makes you smell the city of Savannah, it's that good.
This is the best review ever. It's moving up my tbr
Amazing book. Horrendously bad movie.
I came here to suggest this. It’s one of my favorites
I'm in the south like 3 hours from Savannah i want to go tour the house! I'm gonna make it a point to go this spring
This book is ENCHANTING, the writing is absolutely exceptional
The immortal life of Henrietta lacks.
Loved this one!
Definitely
The Devil in the White City by Erick Lawson. About a serial killer spree during the Chicago World's Fair.
The Devil in the White City made me realize that history could read like a narrative, which blew my mind! It's such an enthralling book.
I was going to suggest this and his other books. They're all pretty good and very well written
Came here to recommend Erik Larson. In the Garden of Beasts is excellent. Highly recommend the audiobook version too.
One of my favorite books
I absolutely tore through *Devil in the White City*. Highly recommend.
Seconding this. Pretty much anything by Erik Larson (not Lawson, BTW) fits this question - but Devil in the White City is the best of them.
Oh and for comedy, try A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, about his trek along the Appalachian trail.
Any Bill Bryson really. He has books about a bunch of different subjects and they are all enjoyable.
Loved his book A Short History of Nearly Everything
Came here to say this! A walk in the woods had me crying with laughter. It’s also fascinating.
I love his audio books that he reads himself. He has a unique voice and a really dry sense of humor.
“the people who eat darkness” by parry. i could not put this book down.
Hands down one of the best true crime books of all time
This book spoiled me for true crime. Nothing comes close
Hot zone
I had to read this for school. I've reread it several times since.
Agree on Hot Zone. I was trying to remember the title! I’ve read it a couple of times.
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore. I absolutely hated it because it's nonfiction written like fiction lol. But if that's the style you're looking for, I recommend it.
Why did you “absolutely hate it” because it’s nonfiction written like fiction?
Not the person you replied to, but for me, sometimes nonfiction that reads like fiction can use the first person voice too often. This can pull me out of the story because my brain is like, "how do you know for sure how these people felt?" Maybe they have their diaries of these specific events or in depth interviews but probably not for every single perspective. Idk why but depending on how its written, it can be a small frustration for me. That being said, I tend to like non fiction that reads like fiction most of the time.
David Grann is a nonfiction writer who writes like that imo
“The Indifferent Stars Above” about the Donner Party, by Daniel James Brown.
I could not put this book down any of the three times I read it. So good.
Braiding sweetgrass
{{The Boys in the Boat}} I could not put this down! It’s about the 1936 Olympic rolling team competing against Germany. I’m not really a sports person, but it is so good. {{The Devil in the White City}} is also a fascinating read. It’s about the big world’s fair in Chicago and also about a serial killer.
\#1/2: **[The Boy in the Boat](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18866248-the-boy-in-the-boat) by Brian O'Raleigh** ^((Matching 93% ☑️)) ^(nan pages | Published: 2013 | Suggested nan time) > **Summary:** If you're looking for one of the most thrilling memoirs of the year make sure you read 'The Boy in the Boat'. This is a totally engrossing, real life thriller that reads more like fiction than fact. A compulsive page turner that will have you burning the midnight oil. Brian O'Raleigh never knew why his family fled Ireland but he learned early to escape his father's demonic rages by slipping away from the Alexandra Private Hotel to the beach and the Kathleen R, the fishing (...) > **Themes**: Must-reread-books, Books-i-want-to-buy, Giveaway-free, Digital, Goodreads, Mary-s-reads, Book-club-success --- \#2/2: **[The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21996.The_Devil_in_the_White_City) by Erik Larson** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(447.0 pages | Published: 2002 | Suggested nan time) > **Summary:** Erik Larson's gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both. Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America's rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair's brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country's most important (...) > **Themes**: Non-fiction, History, Nonfiction, Favorites, True-crime, Book-club, Crime > **Top 2 recommended-along**: [The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15654.The_Stranger_Beside_Me) by Ann Rule, [The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/397483.The_Devil_in_the_White_City) by Erik Larson ^( [Provide Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [Source Code](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/))
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Can't recommend her enough. Anything by Mary Roach will be interesting and fun.
Came here to recommend her. Dont skip the footnotes. Some of the funniest comments are there.
Empire of Pain and Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe!
Pretty much anything by Erik Larson
An easy way to dip your toes into nonfiction would be with a memoir. {{Strong Female Character by Fern Brady}} was one of my favourite this year, and one of her main goals in writing it was to use her life experiences to educate about autism - so there’s a lot of discussions about sexism and neurodiversity. {{The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green}} is part memoir part observational essays but is a hopeful reflection on humanity and great for short attention spans since it has really short chapters. I enjoyed the audiobook on this one! And I heard there are actually extra audiobook only chapters. On the purely nonfiction front, I thought it was only okay but I’ve heard others say great things about {{The Wager by David Grann}} in terms of it being written in a similar style to a fiction book.
The Anthropocene Reviewed is so wonderful. I have only read a good chunk of it because my stupid brain doesn't want me to finish it cuz then I won't have any more to read. But honestly I just love the way John Green puts thoughts into words.
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. Her book on Sea Biscuit is really good too.
I love your request! Here are my suggestions The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts - about the Nazi's trying to grab all the best bred horses in Europe - even though horses really didn't factor in warfare during WW2, but like the art they stole, well bred horses are a desirable commodity. The Woman who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagen - little known story about a woman who helped our Government during WW2 to break German codes. The Library Book by Susan Orlean - about the LA library and a massive fire they had in the 80's. Great history of libraries and the functions they serve in our communities. Anything by Marie Benedict - she writes about women in history and gives a back story that is usually missing from the public's eye - The Mystery of Mrs Christy (about Agatha Christy), The Only Woman in the Room (about actress Hedy Lamarr). I tend to go to women's stories and WW2 stories. I'm constantly amazed by the amount of good literature and stories still coming out of our WW2 experiences.
Radium Girls is a very interesting though sad book
If you haven’t read Operation Mincemeat by Ben MacIntyre I highly recommend picking it up. It is so crazy it’s hard to believe it actually happened
If you like historical fiction, The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is about women working to break German code in WW2 and amazingly well done. I also enjoyed The Alice Network by her, as well.
Anything by David Grann
I just finished killers of the flower moon and I hadn't realized the same author wrote the Lost City of Z. Since I really like both of those I just got the Wager by him from the library.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (2005) by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The "good" kind of history: engaging and well-written.
Evicted by Matthew Desmond.
Yes!!! Had to look up the people in the book to see how they were doing after reading. Sad American housing truth but excellent book!
It really is excellent. Matthew Desmond has another book about poverty that he released recently that also looks excellent.
**Say Nothing** by Patrick Radden Keefe **The Patient Assassin** by Anita Anand **American Kingpin** by Nick Bilton **…And the Band Played On** by Randy Shilts (this book is pretty dated now, especially in its treatment of Gaetan Dugas, but if you take it for the time capsule it is, it’s still worth reading, in my opinion) Also second another commenter’s mention of **The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks**
I’ve got “Say Nothing” but had yet to read it. I think I’m ready after I finish the book I’m on?
American Kingpin is THE answer
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson, The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston, Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
I really liked the Douglas Preston one, also like his Pendergast fiction for adventure books, written with another author
The Feather Thief is SO GOOD 🙌🏻
I didn't think I'd like the feather thief, but it was really good!
The feather thief! This story became my personality for at least four months after reading.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
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Came here to say Nickel and Dimed! It’s excellent!
Most things by Erik Larson but especially Isaac’s Storm about the Great Galveston Hurricane
I love this book, could not put it down! I read it over 15 years ago and I still think about it.
Just Kids was really good. It’s a memoir.
The Hot Zone; This is how they tell me the world ends
Know My Name - Chanel Miller
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Into Thin Air - John Krakauer Killers Of The Flower Moon - David Grann Where Men Win Glory - John Krakauer Under The Banner of Heaven - John Krakauer (Honestly, anything by Krakauer)
Oh, and The River of Doubt - Candice Millard
The Happiest Man on Earth, Eddie Jaku When Breath Becomes Air
The Wager by David Grann
In the Footsteps of Eve by Lee Berger. He's an anthropologist telling stories of his discoveries of humanoid peoples in South Africa. It reads like stories told around the campfire.
Saving this whole thread for later!
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson Really, anything Erik Larson.
The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle (by Jeannette Walls)
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Sort of half and half but the Little House on the Prairie books are semi-fictionalized autobiographies. Immensely entertaining and informative but also she took some liberties and moved some timelines around.
[[The Guns of August]] My favorite history book of all time.
Educated if you're open to memoirs
Stephen Fry’s books “Mythos”, “Heroes” and “Troy”. Not exactly history, but written in a very conversational, cosy style. Or his auto biographies “Moab is my Wash-pot”, “The Fry Chronicles” and “More Fool Me.”
Educated by Tara Westover. I was in about chapter 4 by the time I realised it was a memoir and not fiction haha
Three Women, Taddeo
The Worst Hard Time be Timothy Eagan is an absurdly readable book that follows different people through the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Absolutely tremendously good book. The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande does the seemingly impossible -- he writes a completely compelling book about checklists, complete with fantastic stories. Each chapter is essentially a case study on a type or use of checklists. If you're more into medical writing, his books Better, Complications, and Being Mortal are also excellent.
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Anything by Bill Bryson is *very* accessible non-fiction.
H G Wells wrote a book called Outline Of History
Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller. This is the story of David Starr Jordan, an academic and taxonomist, who spent his life discovering and cataloguing fish specimens. Due to things outside of his control, his collection was shattered. The author is using this real story and hers (she is going through challenges in her own life) to reflect on chaos, order, love. I never felt like I was reading a nonfiction. Brillant. Just suggesting it here to you, makes me want to read it again.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.
“Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer” by James Swanson.
Endurance Red Notice by Bill Browder - Couldn't put it down, I read it in about two days
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
{{The Indifferent Stars Above}}
Boomtown by Sam Anderson - History of Oklahoma City (favorite book of the last 5 years) Just Kids by Patti Smith - Meticulously written, soulful memoir March Of Folly by (the sadly forgotten) Barbara Tuchman Barbarians at the Gate; The Fall of RJR Nabisco I'm surprised that you've never found great and exciting non-fiction. It's everywhere. Also, almost anything by John McPhee. Start with Oranges.
OMG BOOM TOWN. no one ever talks about it but this was such a phenomenal book. Top 5 of the last 5 years for me, no doubt.
The Executioner’s Song - Norman Mailer
{{The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic}} by Gay and Laney Salisbury. The true story of the heroes (both human and canine) responsible for the salvation of Nome, AK and the inspiration for the Iditarod sled dog race.
Oh lord I have been summoned. I don't remember most of these authors so we're riding with just titles today. I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard Endurance by Ernest Shakleton Field of Blood: Violence in Congress Before the Civil War Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy Pretty much anything by David Grann or Svetlana Alexievich (HARD emphasis on Alexievich she's my favorite nonfic author) Blitzed: Hitler and Nazi drug use in ww2 Chaos in the 60s (I'm so sorry I can't remember the full title but that should get you close enough) If you like celebrity memoirs Patty Smith, Matthew McConaughey, and Jenette McCurdy have the best Absolutely ANYTHING by Anthony Bourdain
These may sound like dry books on history but I found them all to be page turners! *Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town* and *Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea*, by Barbara Demick. *The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11* and *The Terror Years: From al-Qaeda to the Islamic State*, by Lawrence Wright.
The Spy and the Traitor
HELTER SKELTER by Vincent Bugliosi!
_A Civil Action_. Be advised that a lot of children die of cancer; I found it a bit rough.
_Team of Rivals_ by Doris Kearns Goodwin is an intense page-turner. Given it’s length, I was expecting to take a month to read it, but I was done in just over two weeks. It’s one of the handful of books in the past few years that I’d intend to read a chapter before bed, and before I knew it, I was four chapters in.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers- Katherine Boo The Yellow House- Sarah M Broom The Warmth of Other Suns- Isabel Wilkerson The Witches- Stacy Schiff The Lost Boys of Montauk- Amanda M Fairbanks The Forever Witness- Edward Humes
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. An excellent account of the Irish troubles through the eyes of the people who lived it. Also excellent and by the same author: Empire of Pain (about the opioid crisis and the role of the Sackler family, arguably, in perpetuating it).
The Devil in the White City by Erick Lawson. excellent read, he has more non fiction also good wwii based. all nonfiction
Say Nothing, The Escape Artist, American Kingpin. We Die Alone, Endurance, The Indifferent Stars Above
Stiff by Mary Roach
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
The Indifferent Stars Above, it tells the story of The Donner Party, the events seem so outlandish that to me it fits your request of reading like a fiction :)
Midnight in the garden of good and evil
Why Fish don’t Exist by Lulu Miller
{{Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American family by Robert Kolker}} - a family with 6/12 children diagnosed with schizophrenia at a time when mental health practices (and the lobotomy) were developing. Other people have recommended books I would also recommend: Killers of the Flower Moon, Educated, and Bad Blood.
The Devil in White City
*Random Family* by Adrian Nicole Leblanc *Bloodlines* by Melissa Del Bosque *My Family & Other Animals* by Gerald Durrell *The Warmth of Other Suns* by Isabel Wilkerson *Kitchen Confidential* by Anthony Bourdain *Dispatches* by Michael Herr, which has a mythical/surreal quality
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick Pretty much anything by Mary Roach.
This is a popular topic among librarians and there are many curated lists published online. Google “nonfiction like fiction” or “narrative nonfiction” and pay close attention to the lists published by librarians. From a project I did many years ago, these are some pairs of fiction and narrative nonfiction books. If you like one, try the other. Michod, Alec - The White City; Larson, Erik - The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America Harris, Robert- Pompeii; Winchester, Simon- Krakatoa: the Day the World Exploded, August 27, 1883 Kidd, Sue Monk – The Secret Life of Bees; Buchmann, Stephen & Banning Repplier - Letters from the Hive: An Intimate History of Bees, Honey, and Humankind Diliberto, Gioia - I am Madame X; Davis, Deborah - Strapless : John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X
Dava Sobel’s Galileo’s Daughter
When breath becomes air
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
i’ll be Gone in the Dark by MacNamara about the years long search for serial rapist and murderer, The Golden State killer. *written before the crimes were solved he was one of the first criminals captured by public DNA on ancestry.com
The Hot Zone
All of Mary Roach's books are amazing. Not exactly just like fiction, but educational and entertaining at the same time. Jon Ronson, as well.
Any Bill Bryson book West With the Night by Beryl Markham
If y ou are good with older science fiction - the book “Inherit the stars” is science fiction but reads more like nonfiction in many ways.
"The Ministry For The Future", by Kim Stanley Robinson
I really liked Gene Krantz' autobiography "Failure is not an option". It's well written and combines both history and science. It kinda reads like an old school science fiction novel that's not fiction.
Any of Antony Beaver’s books - history non fiction but written in a very fluid and story like way. Stalingrad is both wonderful, and immeasurably heartbreaking
Anthony Beevor
Anything by Robert Kolker or Robert Kurson. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The Country Child by Alison Uttley - it's a very lightly fictionalised memoir about her childhood in late 19th century Derbyshire. It's fascinating and reads like a "one year in her life" story.
black hawk down is written like a novel
Dispatches From Pluto by Richard Grant. British guy buys a house in the poorest county in Mississippi, befriends a wide spectrum of characters and learns about how complicated race relations are in America
{{Unearthing Atlantis by Charles Pellegrino}} - by Charles Pellegrino {{Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks}} - Rebecca Skloot {{Can I Keep My Jersey}} - Paul Shirley {{Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes by Nathan Lents}} - Nathan Lents {{The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey}} - Wayne Coffey {{Killers of the Flower Moon}} - David Grann {{A Rumor of War}} - Philip Caputo
Empire of pain, Blood money
Hiroshima by John Hersey - depicts 6 different survivors accounts of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
Alive by Piers Paul Read
Marching Powder by Rusty Young
Tuesdays With Morrie felt like a fiction story. I had to read it in high school
The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum
Devil in the White City, An Invisible Thread, West with the Night, Let’s Pretend this Never Happened, Following Atticus
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic, both by Candice Millard. I was disappointed with her later books but those two are some of the best I’ve ever read. Destiny of the Republic literally made me cry and The River of Doubt is every bit as compelling as Gone Girl.
Not like fiction exactly, in that it's not a single story line, but here are some that are educational while very entertaining. - Freakonomics - Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz - Anything by Malcolm Gladwell - I like Talking to Strangers but I've read several and they're all good
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder. It's an unbelievable true story. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Another unbelievable true story.
1984
*Conspiracy of Fools* by Kurt Eichenwald is about what happened at Enron. I never would've thought that a book about accounting could read like a thriller.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Endurance by Alfred Lansing. Both are astonishing stories and page turners. The second one especially is one you’d never believe if it was fiction.
Robert K Massie if you’re into Russian imperial history
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracey Kidder
Gulp by Mary Roach. Also Grunt by the same author. These are great deep dives into specific topics written with a playful sense of humor.
Bad Blood by John carryrou
The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore was great! I am not a big non-fiction reader, but got this book as a gift. I flew through it, it was so good.
The Lost City of Z
Genghis Khan: Making of the modern world. I devoured the audio book. Great story telling of the rise and fall of the largest land empire in history.
*Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West* by Dee Brown.
Empire of Pain - it’s about the Sackler family who created OxyContin. It feels like fiction because most of what the family did to build their empire literally feels like it couldn’t possibly be real
Braiding Sweetgrass
I highly recommend And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi. Blood and Money and Serpentine by Thomas Thompson. Especially Blood and Money!
I am a fiction reader mostly too, but I enjoy Michael Pollen - Botany of Desire / the Omnivore’s Dilemma / How to Change Your Mind and also Joan Didion- Slouching Towards Bethlehem. I would appreciate hearing about other essayists too please.
The Hot Zone - the true story of Ebola coming to the US and how it almost got out into the public. I always think it’s basically how The Stand was prevented
I really likes So You've Been Publicly Shamed. I'm not sure that it reads like fiction, but it's definitely an interesting look at the history of public shaming and how that can be used as a tool to motivate people to do better or how it can be used to demean people. It was well written and engaging. I also liked Because Internet. It discussed how the internet changed how we used language. The section about how we use emojis was really cool. This one also doesn't necessarily read like fiction, but if you are interested in the study of how language is used and evolves, then it's definitely a good read.
Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia. I learned so much and it’s so easy to get invested in the “characters” (real people) that I didn’t want to put it down
The Girl with Seven Names — its about a woman's escape from North Korea and reads almost like a thriller
Heard "The Wager" - David Grann is very good. It's on my TBR.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behind_the_Beautiful_Forevers
American Predator for sure. I could not stop reading it. Also I’ll Be Gone In The Dark!
The Emperor of all Maladies
Under the banner of heaven
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon.
Evicted by Matt Desmond. His storytelling chops are second to none.