The ALA Think Tank Community's List of Personal Favorites in Nonfiction

1.
The Devil in the White City
The Devil in the White City really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 739,725 ratings
2.
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly 4.18 avg rating — 359,800 ratings
3.
A People’s History of the United States: 1492 - Present
A People’s History of the United States: 1492 - Present 4.08 avg rating — 259,672 ratings
4.
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Me Talk Pretty One Day 4.01 avg rating — 714,078 ratings
5.
The Diary of a Young Girl
The Diary of a Young Girl 4.20 avg rating — 4,072,758 ratings
6.
Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America
Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9,140 ratings
7.
Bad Feminist
Bad Feminist 3.92 avg rating — 117,712 ratings
8.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 4.13 avg rating — 786,994 ratings
9.
In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood 4.09 avg rating — 710,310 ratings
10.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
by: Dee Brown
4.26 avg rating — 99,671 ratings
11.
The Wright Brothers
The Wright Brothers 4.17 avg rating — 96,939 ratings
12.
The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle 4.32 avg rating — 1,325,523 ratings
13.
The Complete Maus
The Complete Maus 4.58 avg rating — 245,646 ratings
14.
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic 4.39 avg rating — 28,864 ratings
15.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking 4.08 avg rating — 465,696 ratings
16.
The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents--6th Edition: Includes Material through 2005 (Complete Book of Us Presidents)
The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents--6th Edition: Includes Material through 2005 (Complete Book of Us Presidents) 4.04 avg rating — 121 ratings
17.
One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway
One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway 4.42 avg rating — 12,699 ratings
18.
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders 4.06 avg rating — 152,005 ratings
19.
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex 3.85 avg rating — 59,577 ratings
20.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life 4.05 avg rating — 112,350 ratings
21.
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster 4.26 avg rating — 550,917 ratings
22.
When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II
When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II 3.92 avg rating — 8,412 ratings
23.
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong 3.97 avg rating — 72,715 ratings
24.
Outliers: The Story of Success
Outliers: The Story of Success 4.19 avg rating — 845,711 ratings
25.
Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970
Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970 3.85 avg rating — 2,513 ratings
26.
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk 4.19 avg rating — 35,975 ratings
27.
Diet for a Small Planet: The Book That Started a Revolution in the Way Americans Eat
Diet for a Small Planet: The Book That Started a Revolution in the Way Americans Eat 3.97 avg rating — 6,178 ratings
28.
The Wives of Henry VIII
The Wives of Henry VIII 4.11 avg rating — 18,966 ratings
29.
The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England
The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England 4.09 avg rating — 5,667 ratings
29.
Fax from Sarajevo
Fax from Sarajevo 3.87 avg rating — 943 ratings
31.
Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter
Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter 4.48 avg rating — 2,589 ratings
31.
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest 4.44 avg rating — 136,004 ratings
33.
College Girls: Bluestockings, Sex Kittens, and Co-eds, Then and Now
College Girls: Bluestockings, Sex Kittens, and Co-eds, Then and Now 3.83 avg rating — 555 ratings
33.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 4.16 avg rating — 192,411 ratings
35.
American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America
American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America 4.19 avg rating — 14,285 ratings
36.
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary 3.84 avg rating — 120,599 ratings
37.
Last Chance to See
Last Chance to See 4.32 avg rating — 25,703 ratings
38.
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
by: Sam Kean
3.93 avg rating — 54,820 ratings
39.
The World Without Us
The World Without Us 3.81 avg rating — 42,952 ratings
40.
Desert Solitaire
Desert Solitaire 4.18 avg rating — 53,106 ratings
41.
Handbook of Denominations in the United States
Handbook of Denominations in the United States 3.93 avg rating — 230 ratings
42.
The African American Almanac
The African American Almanac it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
43.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version
The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version
by: Anonymous
4.35 avg rating — 3,935 ratings
44.
The Chronology of Water
The Chronology of Water 4.20 avg rating — 15,680 ratings
45.
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World 4.06 avg rating — 58,652 ratings
46.
Burghley: William Cecil at the Court of Elizabeth I
Burghley: William Cecil at the Court of Elizabeth I 4.35 avg rating — 51 ratings
47.
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia 4.16 avg rating — 13,132 ratings
48.
Why Not Women : A Biblical Study of Women in Missions, Ministry, and Leadership
Why Not Women : A Biblical Study of Women in Missions, Ministry, and Leadership 4.37 avg rating — 669 ratings
49.
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus 4.05 avg rating — 93,174 ratings
50.
Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government
Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government 4.01 avg rating — 3,852 ratings
51.
Pigs in the Parlor: A Practical Guide to Deliverance
Pigs in the Parlor: A Practical Guide to Deliverance 4.32 avg rating — 1,610 ratings
52.
What are the Seven Wonders of the World?: And 100 Other Great Cultural Lists—Fully Explicated
What are the Seven Wonders of the World?: And 100 Other Great Cultural Lists—Fully Explicated 3.71 avg rating — 280 ratings
53.
The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life
The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life 3.54 avg rating — 809 ratings
54.
Cosmos
Cosmos 4.40 avg rating — 155,618 ratings
55.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail 4.07 avg rating — 850,424 ratings
56.
The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell
The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell 3.74 avg rating — 876 ratings
57.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid 3.94 avg rating — 67,457 ratings
58.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End 4.49 avg rating — 210,875 ratings
59.
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family 4.02 avg rating — 6,800 ratings
60.
The Mystery of the Aleph: Mathematics, the Kabbalah, and the Search for Infinity
The Mystery of the Aleph: Mathematics, the Kabbalah, and the Search for Infinity 3.89 avg rating — 828 ratings
61.
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People 3.72 avg rating — 6,532 ratings
62.
Mama Makes Up Her Mind and Other Dangers of Southern Living
Mama Makes Up Her Mind and Other Dangers of Southern Living 3.96 avg rating — 5,054 ratings
63.
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade 4.09 avg rating — 13,176 ratings
64.
What the World Eats
What the World Eats 4.33 avg rating — 932 ratings
65.
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman 3.94 avg rating — 107,262 ratings
66.
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way 3.91 avg rating — 43,554 ratings
67.
Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined
Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined 3.89 avg rating — 823 ratings
68.
Anarchism and Other Essays
Anarchism and Other Essays 4.05 avg rating — 7,038 ratings
69.
Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring
Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring 3.82 avg rating — 6,004 ratings
70.
The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things
The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things 3.70 avg rating — 3,735 ratings
71.
The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing (Dover Books On Music: Instruments)
The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing (Dover Books On Music: Instruments) 4.16 avg rating — 81 ratings
72.
The Last Lecture
The Last Lecture 4.26 avg rating — 359,303 ratings
73.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 4.39 avg rating — 352,737 ratings
74.
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness 4.06 avg rating — 84,149 ratings
75.
New Orleans' Best Seafood Restaurants (Restaurant Cookbooks)
New Orleans' Best Seafood Restaurants (Restaurant Cookbooks) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating
76.
The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme
The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme 4.13 avg rating — 8,521 ratings
77.
Rising Tide: the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America
Rising Tide: the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America 4.22 avg rating — 5,752 ratings
78.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage 4.46 avg rating — 155,659 ratings
79.
I Married Adventure: The Lives of Martin and Osa Johnson
I Married Adventure: The Lives of Martin and Osa Johnson 4.13 avg rating — 879 ratings
80.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures 4.20 avg rating — 87,593 ratings
81.
The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood
The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood 4.04 avg rating — 16,837 ratings
82.
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free 3.92 avg rating — 11,838 ratings
83.
Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Travels with Charley: In Search of America 4.08 avg rating — 103,289 ratings
84.
Testament of Youth
Testament of Youth 4.11 avg rating — 12,163 ratings
85.
Reading Becomes a Necessity of Life: Material and Cultural Life in Rural New England, 1780-1835
Reading Becomes a Necessity of Life: Material and Cultural Life in Rural New England, 1780-1835 3.83 avg rating — 6 ratings
86.
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot 4.10 avg rating — 1,343 ratings
87.
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek 4.08 avg rating — 29,044 ratings
88.
They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History (Oxford Oral History Series)
They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History (Oxford Oral History Series) 4.20 avg rating — 154 ratings
89.
The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk about Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness
The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk about Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness 4.06 avg rating — 5,471 ratings
90.
Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History
Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History 3.88 avg rating — 3,003 ratings
91.
Introduction to Cataloging and Classification
Introduction to Cataloging and Classification 3.22 avg rating — 273 ratings
92.
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image 4.16 avg rating — 2,436 ratings
93.
Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do
Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do 4.24 avg rating — 5,741 ratings
94.
My Life in France
My Life in France 4.16 avg rating — 92,228 ratings
95.
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird 4.16 avg rating — 424 ratings
96.
Ill Fares the Land
Ill Fares the Land
by: Tony Judt
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4,245 ratings
97.
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President 4.22 avg rating — 81,268 ratings
98.
John Adams
John Adams 4.08 avg rating — 373,219 ratings
99.
Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Classic Autobiography of a Young Black Girl in the Rural South
Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Classic Autobiography of a Young Black Girl in the Rural South 4.13 avg rating — 11,515 ratings
100.
West with the Night
West with the Night 4.15 avg rating — 40,229 ratings
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