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Non Fiction That Reads Like Fiction
The Secret History ofWonder Womanby Jill LeporeA cultural history of the character of Wonder Woman, her creator, and feminism. | Isaac’s Storm by Erik LarsonIn 1900, Galveston, Texas was hit by a hurricane with tragic effects. Meteorologist Isaac Cline failed to anticipate the event and faced unforeseen struggles as a result. | ||
The Radium Girls by Kate MooreIn the 1900s, young women paint watch dials with glow-in-the-dark radium paint. They consider themselves lucky—until they start suffering from a mysterious illness. | The Warmth of Other Sunsby Isabel WilkersonWilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life from1915 to 1970. | ||
All the Frequent Troublesof Our Daysby Rebecca DonnerThe life story of Mildred Harnack, an American leader in the German WWII resistance. | Facing the Mountainby Daniel James BrownBrown narrates the experiences of the men who fought in the only Japanese-American combat unit and their families. | ||
Dead Wake by Erik LarsonThe story of the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, with a focus on people, suspense, and emotions. | The King’s Shadowby Edmund RichardsonExplorer and archaeologist Charles Masson discovered the city of Alexandria Beneath the Mountains in 1833. Written like a thriller, this book chronicles his time in Afghanistan and India. | ||
The Dressmakers of Auschwitzby Lucy Adlington25 women in Auschwitz-Birkenau worked in the Upper Tailoring Studio making clothing for the women of the Nazi elite. | Unbroken by Laura HillenbrandLouis Zamperini, once an Olympian and then lieutenant in the Air Force, crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 1943. His survival on a life raft depended on his own endurance and will. | ||
Faster by Neal BascombPulse-pounding story of how a Jewish race car driver and an American speed queen triumphed over Hitler's fearsome Silver Arrows on the eve of World War II. |
Just Mercy by Bryan StevensonStevenson, a lawyer and founder of the non-profit Georgia law firm Equal Justice Initiative, discusses EJI's story and its work to end mass incarceration. | Evicted by Matthew DesmondDesmond narrates the struggles of eight families living in poverty in Milwaukee. | ||
The Devil’s Highwayby Luis Alberto UrreaDescribes the attempt of twenty-six men to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona, a region known as the Devil's Highway, detailing their harrowing ordeal and battle for survival against impossible odds. | The Underground Girls of Kabulby Jenny NordbergNordberg explores a custom in Afghanistan where girls are temporarily presented as boys in order to work and have more freedom. | ||
Between Two Fires by Joshua YaffaYaffa follows eight Russians building their lives and identities under Putin's rule. | The Family Roe by Joshua PragerPrager spent years with Norma McCorvey ("Jane Roe"), discovered her personal papers, a previously unseen trove, and witnessed her final moments. With an explosive revelation at the core of the case, he tells her full story for the first time. | ||
Merle’s Door by Ted KerasoteKerasote met Merle, a Labrador mix, while on a camping trip. In this book, he explores the human-dog relationship, as well as animal consciousness and behavior. | The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbunktu by Joshua HammerMild-mannered archivist becomes an expert smuggler when she organizes a dangerous operation to sneak 350,000 precious manuscripts out of Timbuktu in the face of the 2012 al Qaeda takeover. | ||
Running with Shermanby Christopher McDougallIn order to help Sherman, a donkey, heal after being owned by an animal hoarder, McDougall decided to train him for burro racing. |
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootSkloot documents the story of how in the 1950s scientists took cells from Henrietta Lacks, a descendent of freed slaves, and created a human cell line that has been kept alive indefinitely for medical discovery and research. | Being Mortal by Atul GawandeGawande, a surgeon, argues against modern medical practices that extend life at the expense of quality of life while isolating the dying, outlining suggestions for freer, more fulfilling approaches to death that enable more dignified and comfortable choices. | ||
How to Survive a Plagueby David FranceFrance chronicles the lives and experiences of activists during the AIDS epidemic. | Hidden Valley Roadby Robert KolkerKolker focuses on the Galvin family in the mid-1950s as 6 out of 12 children are diagnosed as schizophrenic. | ||
The Ghost Map by Steven JohnsonThrilling account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London--and a brilliant exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease. | The Sun is a Compassby Caroline Van HemertDocuments the biologist adventurer's treks in the vast wilderness region spanning the Pacific rainforest through the Alaskan Arctic. | ||