ListChallenges Nonfiction That Reads Like Fiction

1.
Adnan's Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial
Adnan's Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial 4.12 avg rating — 10,806 ratings
1.
Granite
Granite 4.39 avg rating — 160 ratings
3.
All Creatures Great and Small (All Creatures Great and Small, #1-2)
All Creatures Great and Small (All Creatures Great and Small, #1-2) 4.35 avg rating — 155,373 ratings
3.
A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog
A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog 4.26 avg rating — 12,076 ratings
5.
American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road
American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road 4.41 avg rating — 50,885 ratings
5.
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo 4.20 avg rating — 2,242 ratings
7.
Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1)
Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1) 4.15 avg rating — 650,993 ratings
7.
War is Boring: Bored Stiff, Scared to Death in the World's Worst War Zones
War is Boring: Bored Stiff, Scared to Death in the World's Worst War Zones
by: David Axe
2.87 avg rating — 620 ratings
9.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup 4.41 avg rating — 276,387 ratings
10.
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 — 136,024 ratings
11.
Batavia's Graveyard: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny
Batavia's Graveyard: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny
by: Mike Dash
4.16 avg rating — 4,252 ratings
12.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity 3.98 avg rating — 114,827 ratings
13.
Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia
Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia 4.14 avg rating — 956 ratings
14.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End 4.49 avg rating — 210,927 ratings
15.
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine 4.30 avg rating — 168,112 ratings
16.
Bleaker House: Chasing My Novel to the End of the World
Bleaker House: Chasing My Novel to the End of the World 3.41 avg rating — 1,736 ratings
17.
The Blind Side
The Blind Side 4.17 avg rating — 99,775 ratings
18.
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
by: Tom Reiss
4.02 avg rating — 21,034 ratings
19.
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War 4.30 avg rating — 67,948 ratings
20.
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood 4.49 avg rating — 778,887 ratings
21.
Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family
Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family 3.62 avg rating — 21,382 ratings
22.
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 — 352,817 ratings
23.
Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley
Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6,875 ratings
24.
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators 4.40 avg rating — 101,066 ratings
25.
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman 3.94 avg rating — 107,271 ratings
26.
Columbine
Columbine 4.29 avg rating — 99,751 ratings
27.
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania 4.13 avg rating — 157,327 ratings
28.
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 — 81,282 ratings
29.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 739,884 ratings
30.
The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir
The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir 4.23 avg rating — 3,069 ratings
31.
Educated
Educated 4.47 avg rating — 1,773,322 ratings
32.
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer 4.34 avg rating — 111,155 ratings
33.
Everything's Trash, But It's Okay
Everything's Trash, But It's Okay 3.91 avg rating — 8,745 ratings
34.
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City 4.47 avg rating — 109,967 ratings
35.
The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir
The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir 3.80 avg rating — 21,841 ratings
36.
Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11
Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 4.67 avg rating — 7,260 ratings
37.
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital 3.93 avg rating — 39,334 ratings
38.
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 4.56 avg rating — 10,763 ratings
39.
Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights 4.14 avg rating — 65,047 ratings
40.
The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America
The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America 3.70 avg rating — 6,824 ratings
41.
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World 3.89 avg rating — 55,256 ratings
42.
Girl in the Dark
Girl in the Dark 3.52 avg rating — 3,267 ratings
43.
The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle 4.32 avg rating — 1,325,788 ratings
44.
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders 4.06 avg rating — 152,019 ratings
45.
Here for It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays
Here for It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays 4.02 avg rating — 13,315 ratings
46.
Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures 3.96 avg rating — 112,025 ratings
47.
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family 4.15 avg rating — 139,649 ratings
48.
Hiroshima
Hiroshima 4.04 avg rating — 86,448 ratings
49.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer 4.12 avg rating — 257,799 ratings
50.
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body 4.17 avg rating — 118,962 ratings
51.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 4.13 avg rating — 787,136 ratings
52.
In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood 4.09 avg rating — 710,434 ratings
53.
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette 4.29 avg rating — 24,762 ratings
54.
Into the Wild
Into the Wild 4.02 avg rating — 1,165,771 ratings
55.
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 — 551,050 ratings
56.
Just Mercy
Just Mercy 4.63 avg rating — 254,531 ratings
57.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI 4.14 avg rating — 426,085 ratings
58.
A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power
A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power 4.21 avg rating — 6,178 ratings
59.
Know My Name
Know My Name 4.69 avg rating — 243,538 ratings
60.
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick 3.96 avg rating — 6,507 ratings
61.
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York 3.84 avg rating — 10,125 ratings
62.
The Library Book
The Library Book 3.89 avg rating — 121,043 ratings
63.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid 3.94 avg rating — 67,459 ratings
64.
Lucky 666: The Impossible Mission
Lucky 666: The Impossible Mission
by: Bob Drury
4.24 avg rating — 1,436 ratings
65.
Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night
Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night 4.27 avg rating — 16,937 ratings
66.
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession 3.44 avg rating — 13,713 ratings
67.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed 4.37 avg rating — 385,810 ratings
68.
Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir
Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir 4.25 avg rating — 22,444 ratings
69.
Men We Reaped: A Memoir
Men We Reaped: A Memoir 4.30 avg rating — 27,672 ratings
70.
Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog
Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog 4.22 avg rating — 19,802 ratings
71.
Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster 4.37 avg rating — 61,021 ratings
72.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 3.92 avg rating — 289,245 ratings
73.
Murder by Milkshake: An Astonishing True Story of Adultery, Arsenic, and a Charismatic Killer
Murder by Milkshake: An Astonishing True Story of Adultery, Arsenic, and a Charismatic Killer 3.65 avg rating — 221 ratings
74.
My Flag Grew Stars: World War II Refugees' Journey to America
My Flag Grew Stars: World War II Refugees' Journey to America 3.89 avg rating — 19 ratings
75.
My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress
My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress 3.47 avg rating — 34,497 ratings
76.
Negroland
Negroland 3.62 avg rating — 7,833 ratings
77.
Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge
Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge 3.83 avg rating — 10,182 ratings
78.
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea 4.45 avg rating — 96,076 ratings
79.
One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter
One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter 3.73 avg rating — 13,464 ratings
80.
Open Book
Open Book 4.10 avg rating — 111,216 ratings
81.
The Orchid Thief
The Orchid Thief 3.67 avg rating — 21,223 ratings
82.
Ordinary Light
Ordinary Light 3.94 avg rating — 2,026 ratings
83.
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void 3.95 avg rating — 59,464 ratings
84.
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books 3.66 avg rating — 138,477 ratings
85.
The Right Stuff
The Right Stuff
by: Tom Wolfe
4.23 avg rating — 54,860 ratings
86.
The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra
The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra 3.88 avg rating — 24,078 ratings
87.
The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson
The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson 4.22 avg rating — 9,289 ratings
88.
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
Seabiscuit: An American Legend 4.23 avg rating — 167,148 ratings
89.
The Secret History of Wonder Woman
The Secret History of Wonder Woman 3.73 avg rating — 16,562 ratings
90.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike 4.46 avg rating — 350,899 ratings
91.
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Slouching Towards Bethlehem 4.19 avg rating — 78,765 ratings
92.
The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir 4.11 avg rating — 2,955 ratings
93.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory 4.22 avg rating — 104,641 ratings
94.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers 4.06 avg rating — 234,481 ratings
95.
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit 3.90 avg rating — 82,173 ratings
96.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln 4.28 avg rating — 196,301 ratings
97.
This Is Your Mind on Plants
This Is Your Mind on Plants 3.87 avg rating — 32,628 ratings
98.
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation 4.08 avg rating — 8,670 ratings
99.
The Trip: Andy Warhol's Plastic Fantastic Cross-Country Adventure
The Trip: Andy Warhol's Plastic Fantastic Cross-Country Adventure 3.64 avg rating — 241 ratings
100.
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology 4.07 avg rating — 74,937 ratings
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