Nonfiction enthusiasts can range from appreciating a well-written memoir to continuing education in business or history books. This selection showcases some of the numerous categories that fall under the nonfiction umbrella, offering something for everyone. The following books captivate and enlighten, making perfect gifts that are sure to put a smile on the face of their new owner.
Business Nonfiction Recs
Nonfiction business books teach readers how to excel at their jobs, whether it’s offering advice for office work or adapting a new mindset. They can also cover more narrow subjects, such as marketing or finance.
The Curiosity Curve: A Leader’s Guide to Growth and Transformation Through Bold Questions by Debra Clary
In a fast-paced world, Dr. Debra Clary shows readers the importance of curiosity in the workplace. By driving agility, unleashing innovation, strengthening collaboration, and extending market leadership, The Curiosity Curve teaches its audience to nurture their curiosity and integrate those techniques into their day-to-day work. This guide offers leaders ideas for fostering a culture of curiosity in the office, ultimately providing those they lead with high job satisfaction and organizational growth.
A great choice for leaders and coworkers alike, this timely read will help you grow in the workplace as we face ever-mounting challenges. Through curiosity, we can harness innovation, adaptability, and resilience in the face of AI. Dr. Debra Clary’s warm narrative helps you feel at home within the pages as you re-learn how to be curious and how that serves as more than just a character trait.
Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, The Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit by Brené Brown
In a world with platitudes surrounding AI, Brown challenges readers to find their courage rather than their humanity. Strong Ground offers itself as a playbook for those just entering the workforce and those who have been in the trenches for decades. Practical advice, combined with essential insights, helps leaders navigate the corporate world amidst life’s uncertainties and political turmoil.
Brown’s research and collaboration with others lend to a strong voice that still feels relatable. Although geared towards management roles in the corporate world, I found that I could impart plenty of knowledge in both my personal and professional life. One of the aspects I love about her work is that she always narrates the audiobook, giving a personal touch to the prose.
Essays and Expository Nonfiction
Nonfiction essay writers and expository nonfiction can sometimes go hand in hand. Expository fiction is informational text at its core, similar to essays. The difference being that essays take that information and make it more personal and introspective.
Integrated: How American Schools Failed Black Children by Noliwe Rooks
Trigger Warning: The mention of racism and segregation may be triggering for some readers. Please take care prior to purchasing.
This recount of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case and its impacts thereafter will stick with you long after you close the book. Integrated sheds light on the shortcomings and their impacts on Black families. Noliwe Rooks is a fantastic narrator, weaving the data and history together with her own experiences to call attention to the discrimination that occurred after the ruling.
This exceptionally well-written book delves into a well-known subject and shines a new light on the history of integration. Instead of focusing solely on the dawn of a new day that Brown v. Board of Education brought to the United States, Rooks points to the twilight wedge and tells us what lies within it. Her ability to seamlessly discuss the court transcripts and return to her father’s experience as a teacher
Dead and Alive by Zadie Smith
Dead and Alive is another highly anticipated essay collection from Zadie Smith. In this latest novel, she explores a range of topics set into five thematic sections: eyeballing, considering, reconsidering, mourning, and confessing. Smith discusses art, movies, and the passing of authors as well as political changes on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
As an essay lover myself, I appreciate finding writers who write empathetically and concisely. Zadie Smith does just that. Not a single essay feels out of place alongside the others, ensuring a seamless reading experience. I love the rhythmic prose and sharp wit of her writing that takes readers on a journey.
The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide by Steven W. Thrasher
Trigger Warning: The mention of racism, classism, homophobia, and more may be triggering for some readers. Please take care before purchasing.
Unraveling the concept of class as it relates to viral infections and survivability, Dr. Thrasher examines the inequalities surrounding the coronavirus, AIDS, and other viruses. The Viral Underclass takes readers into the glaring fault line of society, showing them that an outbreak is more likely to affect people based on social structures. Utilizing personal stories grounded in facts and research, this call to action will touch the hearts of many.
Through Dr. Thrasher’s research on the AIDS epidemic, he found that inequality and disease collide for a grim outcome. I especially found the stories of friends, family, and loved ones drove home the point with the warmth with which he speaks of them. This is one of those books that I wish everyone would read, whether that’s in preparation for the next pandemic or not; the information these pages hold is profound.
Health, Wellness, and Self-Help Books
Health, wellness, and books written with the goal of improving our psychological well-being all aim to educate readers on new techniques and theories to enhance our time on Earth. This can range from mindfulness and meditation to exercise and nutrition.
How to Love Better: The Path to Deeper Connection Through Growth, Kindness, and Compassion by Yung Pueblo
Whether romantic or platonic, How to Love Better shows readers that living fully and loving softly are attainable goals. Through self-love and appreciation for others, we can meet others where they are with compassion and respect. With helpful anecdotes and friendly reminders, Yung Pueblo speaks truthfully and deeply about how lucky we are to love and be loved.
This is a great choice for audiobook rereads while you’re folding laundry or relaxing on your couch. Pueblo’s words feel like the best kind of mirror, showing you only the best parts of yourself to nurture. Even for those not in a romantic relationship, the compassion within is a wonderful addition to anyone’s ocean of wisdom.
The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids—and Come Back Stronger Than Ever by Neha Ruch
Spurred by her own experience as a stay-at-home mom, Neha Ruch offers a new perspective for women who don’t want to leave their ambition and career behind because they are also parents. She answers questions that all new moms face as they shift from work life to home life and back again. The Power Pause is a handbook for the caregivers of our time.
Neha Ruch put her heart and a great deal of work into crafting this book, and it shows. Her words are comforting in a time that can be very tumultuous for first-time caregivers. Interactive exercises set the anchor as you navigate rough, unfamiliar seas and decide what works best for you and your family.
Music as Medicine: How We Can Harness Its Therapeutic Power by Daniel Levitin
This deep dive, from the best-selling author of This Is Your Brain on Music, Daniel Levitin, explores the latest research on our human reaction to music and how it affects our mood, health, and the biology of the brain. Music and Medicine compiles scientific backing and a celebration of the human mind into prose that is as dazzling as it is educational.
This intriguing novel breaks down the science while engaging readers with the lasting improvements music has on our brain and body. I found the discussions on Alzheimer’s patients to be the most eye-opening. While expanding on some of the ideas discussed in the previous book, these ideas stand on their own with curiosity and passion; it’s a fantastic choice for music theorists and budding scientists alike.
Autobiographies and Memoirs
These are typically first-person accounts of a persons life, written by the person themself. While memoirs tend to explore the emotional impact of specific events, autobiographies — and biographies — recount a larger span of time.
Her Honor: My Life on the Bench…What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change It by LaDoris Hazzard Cordell
As the first Black woman to sit on the Superior Court of Northern California, Judge Cordell recounts her experience with the strengths and flaws of the justice system. Her Honor takes readers behind the scenes as she haggles with attorneys and makes difficult decisions from the bench, even amid outside pressures from lobbyists, the media, and the families of the accused.
This candid account of the judicial system recounts many arms of the legal system while providing an in-depth look into the workings of court proceedings. Reading about how outside pressures can weigh on the mind of a judge is equally heartwarming and unsettling. True crime junkies and crime buffs alike are sure to enjoy this memoir.
Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung
This fantastic memoir chronicles Connie Chung’s journalism career, marking her as the first Asian woman to anchor a news program in the U.S. As a woman in the 60s, sexism might as well have been part of the job description, but she remained steadfast in her reporting. Connie: A Memoir grants readers a behind-the-scenes tour into her battles with powerful men and stories from her landmark reports that defined her career.
Connie Chung made a lasting impact, and this memoir reinforces that notion. I love the way she calls out her rivals by name, as well as lifting up those who supported her at every step. The conclusion of Connie Wong’s research into the number of Asian children named Connie during the height of her career filled my heart with joy.
The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History by Manjula Martin
The Last Fire Season takes readers through the journey of Manjula Martin, who moved from the city to the woods of Northern California to be closer to what she loved – the great outdoors. Martin found comfort and healing in the gardens beneath the redwoods, despite the complexities of the land caused by climate change. When a lightning strike ignited a fire, causing Martin and thousands of others to evacuate their homes, it sparked a fire within her as well, prompting her to seek answers.
I love the blending of personal story with the larger story of society living with fire and drought. The echoes of nostalgia are relatable for every part of the world impacted by climate change, but wishing for the planet of our childhood won’t help. Martin’s love of nature shines in this memoir, making it a perfect read for your eco-conscious friend.
Historical Nonfiction and Political Titles
These fact-based novels delve into history with the goal of representing it as accurately as possible. The main difference is that historical books recount history, whereas political works primarily discuss politics and their societal implications.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
A novel that was born out of a tweet, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, chronicles the rift between BIPOC Americans and Western ideals. A call for social justice, Omar El Akkad utilizes his own immigration story alongside his journalism career to highlight how the West has become incapable of leading the world.
One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.
Omar El Akkad
Inspiring and powerful, El Akkad’s anchoring of the original tweet ties into the plentiful examples of governing bodies sacrificing human life to save themselves. It’s an eye-opening account of Western media and politics when morals are brought into question.
Born Equal: Remaking America’s Constitution, 1840–1920 by Akhil Reed Amar
Trigger Warning: The mention of slavery and sexism may be triggering for some readers. Please take care prior to purchasing.
Constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar discusses the constitutional debates that happened between 1840 and 1920, which confirmed the Constitution’s promise of birth equality. Born Equal celebrates the four Amendments that, although imperfect, has powerfully changed American history. The history begins in the Antebellum era, moves through the Civil War, and concludes with the ratification of the 19th Amendment, making for an even more powerful book than the first in this series, The Words That Made Us.
As we move into a future of uncertainty regarding the constitution, Professor Amar’s words feel even more imperative to study. Not only does he chronicle history in a way that feels accessible for all audiences, but he also addresses why it matters. It is insightful and filled with educational information that would better any home library.
Science Recs
Much like historical nonfiction, works in the field of science aim to be as factually accurate as possible. The twist is that scientific jargon can be difficult for most to grasp quickly, which is where artistic prose helps to enhance the narrative.
Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource by Sam Bloch
Science, history, urban design, and social justice converge in Shade to challenge the way we perceive the most common natural resource. This investigation takes readers from ancient Greek philosophers in shady agoras to contemporary Spain, whose citizens riot if the public shades aren’t extended before the summer heat, and asks why the United States is so different in these ways.
This was such an interesting read. The history lessons about shade and how we have removed it from our communities, highways, and third spaces are stupefying. In a rapidly warming world, it’s a valuable read to learn more about how we create spaces, use energy, and plan for the future. City planners, architects, and civil engineers need this book yesterday!
Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins by Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halper
Battle of the Big Bang takes readers on a journey through the history of the universe with cosmologist Niayesh Afshordi and science communicator Phil Halper. With Afshordi’s research and Halper’s interviews with notable scientists, the two placed the differing theories of what happened before the Big Bang side-by-side for comparison. This book is filled with physicists divulging what sparked their interest in working on these problems, the tension between scientists, and the alternative answers to the greatest question of all time.
Like every young child, I thought I would be an astronaut when I grew up, so this is a great book to pick up when the urge to jettison myself to space arises. I love the way the two authors compare Big Bang theories against one another while providing a more concise scientific recount at the same time. It’s always a gamble with how readable these kinds of books will be for the layman, but I think Afshordi and Halper found the balance.
Whether you’re approaching the holiday season, celebrating a loved one’s birthday, or simply want to express gratitude with a book, finding something for the lifelong learners in our social circles can be challenging. Nonfiction readers come in all shapes and sizes, after all. Hopefully, this compilation helps you narrow down the book that’s just right for them.
Explore our Non-Fiction Recommendations page for even more fantastic choices.
For more gift ideas, browse our Nonfiction Titles for the Enlightened Mind bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
