Nonfiction Too Good to Miss
THE ACORN PEOPLE.
By Ron Jones
ALL BUT MY LIFE
By Gerda Weissmann Klein
ALMOST LOST; THE TRUE STORY OF AN ANONYMOUS TEENAGER’S LIFE ON THE STREETS
New York: Avon Flare 1996
BAD BOY; A MEMOIR
By Walter Dean Myers
BAGHDAD BURNING: GIRL BLOG FROM IRAQ
1st Feminist Press New York.
BAND OF SISERS; AMERICAN WOMEN AT WAR IN IRAQ
By Kirsten A. Holmstedt
BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING
By Malcolm Gladwell
THE BURN JOURNALS
By Brent Runyon
A CHILD CALLED “IT”: ONE CHILD’S COURAGE TO SURVIVE
By David J. Pelzer
CHINESE CHINDERELLA: THE TRU STORY OF AN UNWANTED DAUGHTER
By Adeline Yen Mah
CLOSE TO SHORE: A TRUE STORY OF TERROR IN AN AGE OF INNOCENCE
By Michael Capuzzo
DOVE
By Robin Lee Graham
DREAMS FROM MY FATHER: A STORY OF RACE AND INHERITANCE
By Barack Obama
ENRIQUE’S JOURNEY
By Sonia Nazario
FAREWELL TO MANZANAR: A TRUE STORY OF JAPANESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE DURING AND AFTER WORLD
WAR II INTERMENT
By Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
FIST, STICK, KNIFE, GUN: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF VIOLENCE IN AMERICA
By Geoffrey Canada
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
By James Bradley
FLYBOYS: A TRUE STORY OF COURAGE
By James Bradley
FREAKONOMICS: A ROUGE ECONOMIST EXPLORES THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING
By Steven D. Levitt
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: A TOWN, A TEAM, AND A DREAM
By H. G. Bissinger
GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY
By Benjamin S. Carson
GIRL, INTERRUPTED
By Susanna Kaysen
GUTS: THE TRUE STORIES BEHIND HATCHET AND THE BRAIN BOOKS
By Gary Paulsen
IN COLD BLOOD: A TRUE ACCOUNT OF A MULTIPLE MURDER AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
By Truman Capote
IN THESE GIRLS, HOPE IS A MUSCLE
By Madeleine Blais
INTO THIN AIR: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF THE MOUNT EVEREST DISASTER
By Jon Krakauer
IT HAPPENED TO NANCY
Avon ed. New York
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE: MY JOURNEY BACK TO LIFE
By Lance Armstrong
A LONG WAY GONE: MEMOIRS OF A BOY SOLDIER
By Ishmael Beah
THE LOST BOYS OF SUDAN: AN AMERICAN STORY OF THE REFUGEE EXPERIENCE
By Mark Bixler
LUCKY
By Alice Sebold
MY FORBIDDEN FACE: GROWING UP UNDER THE TALIBAN: A YOUNG WOMAN’S STORY
BY Latifa
OCTOBER SKY; A MEMOIR
BY Homer H. Hickam
THE PERFECT STORM: A TRUE STORY OF MEN AGAINST THE SEA
By Sebastian Junger
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
By Chris P. Gardner
SURVIVING TWICE: AMERASIAN CHILDREN OF THE VIETNAM WAR
By Trin Yarborough
THEY POURED FIRE ON US FROM THE SKY: THE TRUE STORY OF THREE LOST BOYS FROM SUDAN
By Benson Deng
THE TIPPING POINT: HOW LITTLE THINGS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
By Malcolm Gladwell
TO SEE YOU AGAIN: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE IN A TIME OF WAR
By Betty Schimmel
WAYNE: AN ABUSED CHILD’S STORY OF COURAGE, SURVIVAL, AND HOPE
By Wayne Theodore
WHEN I WAS A SOLDIER: A MEMOIR
By Valerie Zenatti
WITHOUT A TRACE: A FRESH INVESTIGATION OF EITH LOST SHIPS AND THEIR FATES
By John Harris
Best Nonfiction of 2012
THE HOLY OR THE BROKEN: LEONARD COHEN, JEFF BUCKLEY, AND THE UNLIKELY ASCENT OF "HALLELUJAH"
by Alan Light
38 NOOSES: LINCOLN, LITTLE CROW, AND THE BEGINNING OF THE FRONTIER'S END
by Scott W. Berg
IRON CURTAIN: THE CRUSHING OF EASTERN EUROPE, 1945-1956
by Anne Applebaum
FAR FROM THE TREE: PARENTS, CHILDREN AND THE SEARCH FOR IDENTITY
by Andrew Solomon
NATURE WARS: THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF HOW WILDLIFE COMEBACKS TURNED BACKYARDS INTO
BATTLEGROUNDS
by Jim Sterba
THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE ART OF POWER
by Jon Meacham
NATURE WARS: THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF HOW WILDLIFE COMEBACKS TURNED BACKYARDS INTO
BATTLEGROUNDS
by Jim Sterba
THE LAST LION: WINSTON SPENCER CHURCHILL: DEFENDER OF THE REALM, 1940-1965
by William Manchester, Paul Reid
MARBLES: MANIA, DEPRESSION, MICHELANGELO, AND ME: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR
by Ellen Forney, illustrated by Ellen Forney
KURT VONNEGUT: LETTERS
by Kurt Vonnegut, edited by Dan Wakefield
LEONARDO AND THE LAST SUPPER
by Ross King
RISE TO GREATNESS: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND AMERICA'S MOST PERILOUS YEAR
by David Von Drehle
THIS LIVING HAND: AND OTHER ESSAYS
by Edmund Morris
ON POLITICS: A HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT: FROM HERODOTUS TO THE PRESENT
by Alan Ryan
A FREE MAN: A TRUE STORY OF LIFE AND DEATH IN DELHI
by Aman Sethi
THE BIG SCREEN: THE STORY OF THE MOVIES
by David Thomson
WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS: ESSAYS FROM THE CLASSICS TO POP CULTURE
by Daniel Mendelsohn
THE OLD WAYS: A JOURNEY ON FOOT
by Robert Macfarlane
HELLO, GORGEOUS: BECOMING BARBRA STREISAND
by William J. Mann
MARVEL COMICS: THE UNTOLD STORY
by Sean Howe
CONSIDER THE FORK: A HISTORY OF HOW WE COOK AND EAT
by Bee Wilson
MAO: THE REAL STORY
by Alexander V. Pantsov, Steven I. Levine
SPILLOVER: ANIMAL INFECTIONS AND THE NEXT HUMAN PANDEMIC
by David Quammen
THE LAST VIKING: THE LIFE OF ROALD AMUNDSEN
by Stephen R. Bown
CITY OF PROMISES: A HISTORY OF THE JEWS IN NEW YORK
by Deborah Dash Moore, edited by Howard B. Rock, Annie Polland, Daniel Soyer, Jeffrey S. Gurock, Diana Linden
LIFE AFTER DEATH
by Damien Echols
JOSEPH ANTON: A MEMOIR
by Salman Rushdie
THE VOICE IS ALL: THE LONELY VICTORY OF JACK KEROUAC
by Joyce Johnson
HOW MUSIC WORKS
by David Byrne
I'M YOUR MAN: THE LIFE OF LEONARD COHEN
by Sylvie Simmons
SURVIVING SURVIVAL: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF RESILIENCE
by Laurence Gonzales
WHEN AMERICA FIRST MET CHINA: AN EXOTIC HISTORY OF TEA, DRUGS, AND MONEY IN THE AGE OF SAIL
by Eric Jay Dolin
EVERY LOVE STORY IS A GHOST STORY: A LIFE OF DAVID FOSTER WALLACE
by D.T. Max
MORTALITY
by Christopher Hitchens
LINCOLN'S CODE: THE LAWS OF WAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY
by John Fabian Witt
THE VOYEURS
by Gabrielle Bell, illustrated by Gabrielle Bell
FIRE IN THE ASHES: TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AMONG THE POOREST CHILDREN IN AMERICA
by Jonathan Kozol
DARKEST AMERICA: BLACK MINSTRELSY FROM SLAVERY TO HIP-HOP
by Yuval Taylor, Jake Austen
PORTRAIT OF A NOVEL: HENRY JAMES AND THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN MASTERPIECE
by Michael Gorra
WINTER JOURNAL
by Paul Auster
SUBVERSIVES: THE FBI'S WAR ON STUDENT RADICALS, AND REAGAN'S RISE TO POWER
by Seth Rosenfeld
STELLA ADLER ON AMERICA'S MASTER PLAYWRIGHTS
by Stella Adler, edited by Barry Paris
AFTERMATH: ON MARRIAGE AND SEPARATION
by Rachel Cusk
DESERT AMERICA: BOOM AND BUST IN THE NEW "NEW WEST"
by Rubén Martínez
HELLO GOODBYE HELLO: A CIRCLE OF 101 REMARKABLE MEETINGS
by Craig Brown
BAILOUT: AN INSIDE ACCOUNT OF HOW WASHINGTON ABANDONED MAIN STREET WHILE RESCUING WALL
STREET
by Neil Barofsky
THE TWILIGHT WAR: THE SECRET HISTORY OF AMERICA'S THIRTY-YEAR CONFLICT WITH IRAN
by David Crist
THE VIOLINIST'S THUMB: AND OTHER LOST TALES OF LOVE, WAR, AND GENIUS, AS WRITTEN BY OUR GENETIC
CODE
by Sam Kean
HOW TO BE A WOMAN
by Caitlin Moran
TWELVE PATIENTS: LIFE AND DEATH AT BELLEVUE HOSPITAL
by Eric Manheimer
SAVAGE CONTINENT: EUROPE IN THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR II
by Keith Lowe
WAIT: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF DELAY
by Frank Partnoy
DAYS OF DESTRUCTION, DAYS OF REVOLT
by Chris Hedges, illustrated by Joe Sacco
TWILIGHT OF THE ELITES: AMERICA AFTER MERITOCRACY
by Christopher L. Hayes
DARWIN'S GHOSTS: THE SECRET HISTORY OF EVOLUTION
by Rebecca Stott
THE MANSION OF HAPPINESS: A HISTORY OF LIFE AND DEATH
by Jill Lepore
LIVING, THINKING, LOOKING: ESSAYS
by Siri Hustvedt
VISIT SUNNY CHERNOBYL: AND OTHER ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD'S MOST POLLUTED PLACES
by Andrew Blackwell
FULL BODY BURDEN: GROWING UP IN THE NUCLEAR SHADOW OF ROCKY FLATS
by Kristen Iversen
AS TEXAS GOES...: HOW THE LONE STAR STATE HIJACKED THE AMERICAN AGENDA
by Gail Collins
CITY: A USER'S GUIDE TO THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF URBAN LIFE
by P.D. Smith
CRONKITE
by Douglas Brinkley
PREDATOR NATION: CORPORATE CRIMINALS, POLITICAL CORRUPTION, AND THE HIJACKING OF AMERICA
by Charles Ferguson
THE PRESIDENTS CLUB: INSIDE THE WORLD'S MOST EXCLUSIVE FRATERNITY
by Nancy Gibbs, Michael Duffy
SEASON OF THE WITCH: ENCHANTMENT, TERROR AND DELIVERANCE IN THE CITY OF LOVE
by David Talbot
THE STORY OF EARTH: THE FIRST 4.5 BILLION YEARS, FROM STARDUST TO LIVING PLANET
by Robert M. Hazen
ARE YOU MY MOTHER?: A COMIC DRAMA
by Alison Bechdel, illustrated by Alison Bechdel
ON THE EVE: THE JEWS OF EUROPE BEFORE THE SECOND WORLD WAR
by Bernard Wasserstein
THE PASSAGE OF POWER: THE YEARS OF LYNDON JOHNSON
by Robert A. Caro
PRIVATE EMPIRE: EXXONMOBIL AND AMERICAN POWER
by Steve Coll
GOD'S HOTEL: A DOCTOR, A HOSPITAL, AND A PILGRIMAGE TO THE HEART OF MEDICINE
by Victoria Sweet
WHAT MONEY CAN'T BUY: THE MORAL LIMITS OF MARKETS
by Michael J. Sandel
ERNIE K-DOE: THE R&B EMPEROR OF NEW ORLEANS
by Ben Sandmel
MAGIC HOURS: ESSAYS ON CREATORS AND CREATION
by Tom Bissell
THE SOCIAL CONQUEST OF EARTH
by Edward O. Wilson
DRIFT: THE UNMOORING OF AMERICAN MILITARY POWER
by Rachel Maddow
NIGHTCAP AT DAWN: AMERICAN SOLDIERS' COUNTERINSURGENCY IN IRAQ
by J.B. Walker
WHEN GOD TALKS BACK: UNDERSTANDING THE AMERICAN EVANGELICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
by T.M. Luhrmann
THE AGE OF INSIGHT: THE QUEST TO UNDERSTAND THE UNCONSCIOUS IN ART, MIND, AND BRAIN, FROM
VIENNA 1900 TO THE PRESENT
by Eric Kandel
MASTERS OF THE PLANET: THE SEARCH FOR OUR HUMAN ORIGINS
by Ian Tattersall
THE HUNT FOR KSM: INSIDE THE PURSUIT AND TAKEDOWN OF THE REAL 9/11 MASTERMIND, KHALID SHEIKH
MOHAMMED
by Terry McDermott, Josh Meyer
ON CELESTIAL MUSIC: AND OTHER ADVENTURES IN LISTENING
by Rick Moody
WILD: FROM LOST TO FOUND ON THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL
by Cheryl Strayed
THE FOREST UNSEEN: A YEAR'S WATCH IN NATURE
by David George Haskell
THE PATAGONIAN HARE: A MEMOIR
by Claude Lanzmann, translated by Frank Wynne
FREEDOM'S CAP: THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL AND THE COMING OF THE CIVIL WAR
by Guy Gugliotta
POWER, INC.: THE EPIC RIVALRY BETWEEN BIG BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT--AND THE RECKONING THAT LIES
AHEAD
by David Rothkopf
TURING'S CATHEDRAL: THE ORIGINS OF THE DIGITAL UNIVERSE
by George Dyson
BEAUTIFUL THING: INSIDE THE SECRET WORLD OF BOMBAY'S DANCE BARS
by Sonia Faleiro
HOUSE OF STONE: A MEMOIR OF HOME, FAMILY, AND A LOST MIDDLE EAST
by Anthony Shadid
SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, SHIELD OF FAITH: RELIGION IN AMERICAN WAR AND DIPLOMACY
by Andrew Preston
RED PLENTY
by Francis Spufford
THE NEW HATE: A HISTORY OF FEAR AND LOATHING ON THE POPULIST RIGHT
by Arthur Goldwag
BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS: LIFE, DEATH, AND HOPE IN A MUMBAI UNDERCITY
by Katherine Boo
QUIET: THE POWER OF INTROVERTS IN A WORLD THAT CAN'T STOP TALKING
by Susan Cain
THE TENDER HOUR OF TWILIGHT: PARIS IN THE '50S, NEW YORK IN THE '60S: A MEMOIR OF PUBLISHING'S
GOLDEN AGE
by Richard Seaver, edited by Jeannette Seaver
HAITI: THE AFTERSHOCKS OF HISTORY
by Laurent Dubois
THE PARTNERSHIP: FIVE COLD WARRIORS AND THEIR QUEST TO BAN THE BOMB
by Philip Taubman