I've been put in charge of the book club at my library. I want to throw one non fiction book into the upcoming 6 month lineup. The thing is, I don't read much non fiction unless it is travelogues of motorcycle journeys. I typically read literary fiction. My first thought was Say Nothing, but one of the novels I chose is Trespasses by Louise Kennedy (fantastic book) and if I do two titles about Northern Ireland I may look obsessed. (I can do Say Nothing in the next rotation.) My other idea was Into Thin Air, which I've been meaning to read. However, that book came out almost 30 years ago and I'm guessing many members will have already read it. It's a group of mostly retired folks in their 60s and beyond, with a few younger as well. Does anyone have a good nonfiction title that is engaging and can foster good group discussion? Ideally not true crime.
EDIT: Crime is totally fine, I just wanted to avoid serial killer stuff.
by blue98ranger
14 Comments
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel and Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson are two I really enjoyed and I think a book club might like.
devil in the white city by erik larson
You can’t go wrong with Erik Larson’s books, but chances are some of your group members have read his books already. Can you put out a poll? His most famous, *Devil in the White City*, is kind of half true crime, but his other books cover a range of topics.
David Grann recently put out *The Wager,* about a mutiny and shipwreck. He also wrote *Killers of the Flower Moon*, which is really good. It is true crime, but it’s not bloody or gory, it’s more about a racist conspiracy against the Osage in 1920s Oklahama.
John Green’s *Everything is Tuberculosis* is a recent publication, it’s great.
Devil in the White City!!!
Empire of the Summer Moon
Devil in the White City is fabulous, but is over 20 years old. Isaac’s Storm, also by Erik Larson, is excellent, as is his book Thunderstruck and In the Garden of Beasts. All are nonfiction and more recent than Devil in the White City, except for Isaac’s Storm, which is actually my favorite book by him.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Krakatoa by Simon Winchester
American Wolf by Nate Blakesee
A lot of it reads like a novel.
Sy Montgomery is a naturalist writer. Our book club read The Soul of an Octopus a few years ago but she has other titles.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer
Braiding Sweetgrass!!! Beautiful
If you’re open to memoirs, The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner, Educated by Tara Westover, and Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne would all be great for discussion and they’re very engaging.
Other ideas:
American Kingpin by Nick Bilton
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (this one is older but really fun)
Try “The Wager” by David Grann.
I would have never read it otherwise and was quite skeptical, but it was intriguing and welll written.