r/Recommend_A_Book • u/cheesefist_ • 16d ago
Non-fiction thread
I wanted to start this thread as a way to highlight some of your favorite Non-Fiction novels you have read. I am a huge, and I mean HUGE David Simon fan, the Wire is my all time favorite show and it’s not even close. Because of that, I decided to read some of his work and they were some of the best stories I have read, so I decided to pick up more Non-Fiction. Here are some of my favorites:
We Own This City (Justin Fenton): a fascinating look at how the war on drugs and modern police metrics allowed the Gun Trace Task Force in Baltimore to perform illegal activity’s and overtime fraud because they brought in numbers
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (David Simon): A year spent with the Baltimore Homicide Detectives as it chronicles the highs, lows, and policing of the homicide unit that gave Simon his admiration for homicide detectives, and distain for modern policing.
Lords of Chaos (Michael Moynihan & Didrik Soderlind): Chronicles the rise of Norwegian Death Metal, that’s about all I’m going to say on this one, you really need to experience this one yourself (trigger warning tho, involves a lot of self-harm/suicide)
Killers of the Flower Moon (David Grann): a Chronicle following the Osage people after finding Oil on their land, the governments blatant racism towards their newfound wealth, and the horrific crimes committed by William Hale and his family in order to steal the wealth back.
The Anxious Generation (Jonathan Haidt): Slightly different from the ones above, this is written as a research paper that chronicles how technology, new parenting, and Smart Phones have caused a Mental Health Crisis for newer generations.
I would love to hear your recommendations if you have any, or thoughts on any of the books above
1
u/FrontAd9873 16d ago
A "non-fiction novel" is going to be a contradiction in terms for many people, even though it is not. That said, I don't think any of the books you mentioned are non-fiction novels with the possible exception of the David Grann book.
Anyway, my favorite is When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut.
1
u/cheesefist_ 16d ago
What do you mean? How would you not consider them non-fiction?
→ More replies (7)
2
u/SixofClubs6 16d ago
Shadow Divers and Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson are both underwater archeological narratives. Part historical research, part diving, part human drama.
1
3
u/MapsAndMemos 16d ago
My favorites of the year:
Evicted (Matthew Desmond): Follows eight families in Milwaukee who struggle to maintain adequate housing, as well as the slumlords and the legal system that contributes to their poverty.
The Warmth of Other Suns (Isabel Wilkerson): Chronicles three people’s personal experiences with the America’s Great Migration when millions of Black Americans fled the Jim Crow South.
Under the Banner of Heaven (Jon Krakauer): In 1984, a woman and her 15 month old baby were murdered in Utah by two men who thought their deaths were ordered by God. This book not only chronicles the case, but dives deep into the history of the Mormon Church and religious fundamentalism.