We have had a number of requests for great nonfiction titles for discussion, so we asked our readers to share their recommendations with us --- specifically, nonfiction books they read in the last year that sparked a good discussion. We received a number of wonderful suggestions, all of which you can see in our special blog post.
Alice: A couple of years ago, our group, “Bookends,” enjoyed THE BOYS IN THE BOAT: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, by Daniel James Brown. Coming off the Olympics, it might be a welcome suggestion for a group looking for a good nonfiction read.
Candace:
- EMPTY MANSIONS: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune, by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr.
- HILLBILLY ELEGY: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, by J. D. Vance
- THE WRIGHT BROTHERS by David McCullough
- HIDDEN FIGURES: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
- DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, by Erik Larson (an old favorite)
Joline:
- THE RIVER OF DOUBT: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, by Candice Millard
- THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin, by Masha Gessen
- THE BROTHERS: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War, by Stephen Kinzer
Sherrie: RADIUM GIRLS: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women, by Kate Moore. Our book club really thought it was stunning and thought-provoking.
Betty: The best nonfiction book I read last year was Nina Willner's FORTY AUTUMNS: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall. The writing was superb, and it read like a novel. My book group also loved it, and we learned a lot from it. Plus, one of the ladies in our group was living in Berlin when the wall came down, and she told us of her experiences that day.
Laura: I have a nonfiction recommendation: KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann. This book was a choice for my book club and was not selected, but I went ahead and read (well, listened to) it on my own. It was well narrated, and the content was great. It has great discussion potential just because I think most people have never heard about what happened to the Osage. I was stunned.
Marilyn: J. D. Vance’s HILLBILLY ELEGY: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. The book was very interesting and was Time magazine’s #1 nonfiction title of 2016.
Pat: We read the following nonfiction titles in our group from Lynbrook, NY over the past 25 years:
- WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR: A Memoir, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin, by Erik Larson
- DEAD WAKE: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, by Erik Larson
- THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot
- CONSIDER THE FORK: A History of How We Cook and Eat, by Bee Wilson
- BETTYVILLE: A Memoir, by George Hodgman
- THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, by Michael Finkel
- THE BOYS IN THE BOAT: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, by Daniel James Brown
- PINSTRIPES AND PENANCE: The Life Story Of John Malangone, by Michael Harrison
- BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, by Katherine Boo
- HIDDEN FIGURES: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
Later this year, we will be reading:
- EDUCATED: A Memoir, by Tara Westover
- DARK MONEY: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, by Jane Mayer
Gerry: Here are some nonfiction titles that sparked good discussion among the members of my book groups:
- RADIUM GIRLS: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women, by Kate Moore
- BUSTED: A Tale of Corruption and Betrayal in the City of Brotherly Love, by Wendy Ruderman and Barbara Laker
- GLASS HOUSE: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town, by Brian Alexander
- KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann
- HIDDEN FIGURES: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
- BLOOD AT THE ROOT: A Racial Cleansing in America, by Patrick Phillips
- I WILL ALWAYS WRITE BACK: How One Letter Changed Two Lives, by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, with Liz Welch
- GHETTOSIDE: A True Story of Murder in America, by Jill Leovy
