If you’re looking for a book to read, it can be easy to opt for a work of fiction, seeking a world to get lost in to escape reality. However, reality is not something I feel should be escaped, and my go-to picks are always non-fiction.
Non-fiction books offer an insight into the past, things we’ve not encountered ourselves, or perhaps a way in which to improve ourselves. Factual books are for learning about the world around us, ourselves, and figuring out how not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
The Courage to be Disliked
Ichiro Kishimi (2013)
Ichiro Kishimi is a Japanese philosopher and psychologist focusing on Adlerian Psychology, which itself focuses on trying to overcome feelings of inferiority. As someone who has struggled with my own self-worth in the past, I believe that The Courage to be Disliked is an incredibly helpful tool on the road to becoming a better version of yourself.
Hiroshima
John Hersey (1946)
There are a lot of stories that have come out of the aftermath of the events of Hiroshima during World War 2, but none are more harrowing than the first-hand accounts that feature in John Hersey’s Hiroshima.
This book is undoubtedly hard to read, and you may have to put it down a few times before you can finish it, but it’s worth learning about the people who saw the bomb drop with their own eyes and lived to tell the tale.
Salem Possessed
Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum (1974)
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn’t know of the horrific events that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, and I’ve read a lot of books about them. Out of my entire shelf of Salem and other witch trials, this is the book I will always recommend to anyone trying to learn more about the events.
Salem Possessed takes a deep dive into the societal make-up of Salem at the time, what led the residents of the New England town to make such baseless accusations towards people they once called friends, and even how some of the accusers became entangled in their own web of lies.
The Radium Girls
Kate Moore (2016)
The Radium Girls were a group of women from three factories across the United States who, during the events of World War 1, worked with Radium paint to create glow-in-the-dark watches for the military. During this work, they were encouraged to lick the tips of their brushes in order to keep them sharp.
Unfortunately, Radium paint is known to be radioactive but as this information was withheld from the women doing the job, a huge number of them ended up with radiation poisoning, severe medical issues and even necrosis of the jaw. The Radium Girls is the story of what happened, and the historical importance of the events within should never be ignored.
The Five
Hallie Rubenhold (2019)
Jack the Ripper was a murderer who, in 1888, killed five women who were labeled as prostitutes and mostly forgotten to history while their killer went on to live in infamy. But these women were more than they were made out to be. They had lives, histories, and experiences that deserve to be remembered, and that’s the point of The Five.
Rubenhold won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction with The Five, and it should be read by anyone who has ever expressed an interest in the case. Perhaps the victims should be more remembered than the unknown person who took their lives.
Band of Brothers
Stephen E. Ambrose (1992)
You’ve likely seen, or at the very least heard of the docu-drama series with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks at the helm. If you’ve watched it, and even if you haven’t, I strongly urge you to read the original book, sharing the title of Band of Brothers, on which the series was based. Ambrose even featured in the series, during the first moments of each episode, when the real men of Easy Company told snippets of their story.
Nothing to Envy
Barbara Demick (2009)
It’s no secret that North Korea is an incredibly secluded part of the world. Everything that goes in is controlled, and very little ever comes out. However, Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy is filled with the first-hand stories of five people who escaped North Korea and told their stories. Rather than dramatizing events from their lives, their accounts are told factually and this is an incredibly eye-opening read that I would recommend to anybody.
Voices from Chernobyl
Svetlana Alexievich (1997)
I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I love books that deal with historical events and their aftermaths, and Voices from Chernobyl is definitely on that list. Chernobyl is a singularly terrifying event, and it’s one which has a direct effect on the world today, with Pripyat still being largely inaccessible to the public due to high levels of radiation. If you want to know how the disaster unfolded, or how the families in the surrounding area dealt with the fallout, I cannot suggest this book enough.
Sh*t for Brains
Harebrained Inc (2022)
I’m the first to admit that most of the books on this list have been incredibly heavy, but non-fiction doesn’t need to be hard to read.
If you’re looking for something a little more light-hearted, then books of facts can be incredibly illuminating. Sh*t for Brains is filled with facts about the world, and I guarantee that there will be something on every page that will have you saying “no way” or “I can’t believe that happened”. Some of the facts are funny, while others are admittedly kind of gross, but all of them will make you wonder what else you don’t know about the world.
Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook
David Borgenicht and Joshua Piven (2019)
Have you ever wondered what you’d do in an emergency situation, say you’re faced with a rampaging alligator, or how to handle your scuba tank running out of air? Admittedly these are pretty specific scenarios, but this book can talk you through them and many more. Whether you’re a full-on prepper, or you just want to feel a little more prepared, the Worst-Case Scenario Handbook should definitely be in your arsenal.
Published: Aug 29, 2024 02:10 pm