A portrait of a first lady who has been as willing as her husband to break the mold — and the rules — written by a reporter for The Washington Post. “What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing — What Birds Are Doing, and Why,” by David Allen Sibley. “Wuhan Diary: Dispatches From a Quarantined City,” by Fang Fang. The first full-length biography of Frank Kameny, the intellectual father of the gay liberation movement, also provides fascinating new details about the movement before 1969’s Stonewall riots. or call us at 1-617-450-2300. Here are a few of our favorites. Both salty and sweet, Irby’s essays dig for laughs in the strangest places, as she looks back at her nearly fatal depression, her mother’s multiple sclerosis and a deep fear of the outdoors. “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” Andy Warhol is credited with saying. offer wisdom and insight Explore the life of intrepid explorer Sanmao, how America rewrote its own history, 2020 Historical nonfiction is so much more than the history books you read in school. If you enjoy reading history in fictional form, check out 20 most enlightening historical novels (plus dozens of … Through an exploration of the work of David Starr Jordan — a taxonomist whose quest to name every fish was continually obstructed — Miller, an NPR reporter, attempts to make sense of her own messy life. “Stories of the Sahara” by Sanmao, translated from the Chinese by Mike Fu, Bloomsbury, 416 pp. Whether you’re looking for the next great memoir, a fascinating historical account, or simply a bit of inspiration to start the year off right, 2020 is shaping up to be a banner year for fans of nonfiction. This consciousness-raising, bravura combination of personal essays, poems, photographs, and cultural commentary works on so many levels and is a skyscraper in the literature on racism. More best-of lists: Science fiction, fantasy and horror | Thrillers and mysteries | Romance novels | Graphic novels | Audiobooks | Children’s books | Poetry collections. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barton Gellman writes an insider account of the breaking of Edward Snowden’s story and its wider implications for the modern world, all told in prose as gripping as a spy thriller. Chosen by Olivette Otele. Claudia Rankine follows her prize-winning “Citizen: An American Lyric” with a brilliant and timely examination of whiteness in America. “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning,” by Cathy Park Hong. Fang, a resident of Wuhan, describes what she observed and how she and the people around her felt during the early weeks of the covid-19 outbreak when the city went into lockdown. This is a book that’s verging on the true crime genre, so I think will also appeal to people who don’t read history books that much. The poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow aren’t in fashion today, but in the first major biography of the fabled New England poet in many years, Nicholas A. Basbanes argues that Longfellow is making a comeback. In 2012, a religion scholar announced a discovery: an ancient papyrus fragment that suggested that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene may have been married. A veteran Hollywood writer revisits the making of Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown,” considering the movie’s legacy within the industry decline that followed. See the 2020 winners. Electric News in Colonial Algeria by Arthur Asseraf. Colin Woodard tells not the story of how America became a nation, but rather of how America crafted its own version of its national history, and how that national mythology has changed over the decades. You can renew your subscription or Books are both solace and inspiration. Your session to The Christian Czech writer Milan Kundera once said, “The novel is the imaginary paradise of individuals.” What would motivate someone with zero experience in card playing to drop everything and become a gambling champ? “Wow, No Thank You: Essays,” by Samantha Irby. “Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot,” by Mikki Kendall. The Best Nonfiction Books Published in 2020 So far, 2020 hasn’t exactly been a banner year but at least great nonfiction books just keep on coming. Best Books of the Year 2020. It’s been a bumper year for books, from dystopian fiction and memoir to powerful stories about race and identity. Renowned biologist and explorer Roman Dial searches for his 27-year-old son, who has gone missing in the jungles of Costa Rica. “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” by Mary L. Trump. Explore the life of intrepid explorer Sanmao, how America rewrote its own history, and Abraham Lincoln’s legacy in the best nonfiction titles of 2020. Best non-fiction books of 2020. by Tyler Cowen November 3, 2020 at 12:46 am in ... Bruno Macaes, History has Begun: The Birth of a New America. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare, The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump, Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own, The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood, The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win, Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State, The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X, The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America, Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town, A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes, Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy, His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope, Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot, How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America, I You We Them: Volume 1: Walking Into the World of the Desk Killer, Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World, The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III, Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965, The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism, Rigged: America, Russia, and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference, Stranger in the Shogun’s City: A Japanese Woman and Her World, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America, We Have Been Harmonized: Life in China’s Surveillance State, What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing — What Birds Are Doing, and Why, What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era, Wuhan Diary: Dispatches From a Quarantined City, You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters. “What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era,” by Carlos Lozada. A biography that reads like a novel, Stanley’s book reconstructs the life of a rebellious Japanese woman who abandoned a series of husbands and absconded to Edo during the early 1800s. The Washington Post media columnist exposes the repercussions of the erosion of local news, from polarized communities to a lack of government oversight. A journalist and psychologist attempts to answer that question while describing her journey. If you have questions about your account, please And because this was a year like no other, we looked back at the most 2020 books of 2020, from prescient science fiction novels to political tell-alls. This is a beautiful, complex story for lovers of historical fiction and nonfiction alike. Stay informed about the latest scientific discoveries & breakthroughs. Rick Atkinson didn’t write the book about World War II, he … In Ball’s account, Nancy Pelosi is as tough as bullets and knows how to count votes, negotiate and herd her tribe — lost skills in American politics, atrophied in the modern-day rush to preen and tweet. One post of new nonfiction to look forward to is never enough, so here’s a second roundup of some upcoming titles in 2020 that have caught my eye. “Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics,” by Dolly Parton, Illustrated with photographs that document a 60-year career, Parton goes behind the scenes of some of her most popular songs, including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.”, “Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town,” by Barbara Demick, A National Book Award finalist who pulled back the curtain on life in North Korea turns her attention to a Tibetan province that is the “undisputed world capital of self-immolations.”, “A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes,” by Eric Jay Dolin. Barack Obama’s first volume in his presidential memoirs revisits his path to the White House and the successes and obstacles that defined his first term. “The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood,” by Sam Wasson. A journalist travels the world to understand how humans have become so bad at the most fundamental acts: inhaling and exhaling. “Galileo: And the Science Deniers,” by Mario Livio. Expanding on his 2016 article for The Atlantic, Ariel Sabar digs into the story of the papyrus and the couple who tried to pass it off as real. Gretton weaves personal anecdotes into a sweeping history of the bureaucrats who have murdered countless people while keeping a safe distance from the carnage. “Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism,” by Anne Applebaum. Journalist Ravi Somaiya explores one of the most compelling mysteries of the Cold War in this grim and absorbing book. This National Book Award-winning biography, decades in the making, clears up factual disputes and re-creates fly-on-the-wall details that add invaluably to our understanding of the civil rights activist’s life. The Best Books to Look Out for in 2020: Non-Fiction Posted on 19th December 2019 by Mark Skinner Whether it is broadening our understanding of the past or helping to craft a delicious, nutritious meal, 2020 promises a plethora of must-read non-fiction. From 1891 to the rise of Trumpism, Frank walks readers through a minefield of assumptions about populism’s nature and history. He explores how those cultures echo and differ from our own. A loving and instructive biography of the late civil rights icon whose unshakable faith that seeking justice by noble means would ultimately lead to redemption. Thane Gustafson, The Bridge: Natural Gas in a Redivided Europe. A rollicking look at the life and crimes of Robert Parkin Peters, a plagiarist, bigamist and fraudulent priest who would stop at nothing — not even getting caught — to become famous. Carl Safina looks at three species – the sperm whale, the scarlet macaw, and the chimpanzee – to chart all the ways they build and sustain their societies. “The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III,” by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser. Many times, when I read a compelling historical fiction book, I am immediately hungry for more and head directly to the nonfiction section of my local library or bookstore. David S. Reynolds’ monumental, reverential biography rejects that narrative, arguing that Lincoln’s immersion in the high and low culture of 19th-century America, along with his deep moral convictions, equipped him to steer the Union through the Civil War. An unidentified writer intersperses her own story — including the loneliness and grief that inspired her comical Twitter account — with the tale of her fictional alter-ego, an opinionated 81-year-old literary icon. The 20 Must-Read Fiction and Nonfiction Books of the Summer Two Washington Post reporters take readers inside the president’s war with his own advisers. Science Monitor has expired. A weekly digest of Monitor views and insightful commentary on major events. His life and work are examined in detail in Blake Gopnik’s biography. 100 Notable Books of 2020 The year’s notable fiction, poetry and nonfiction, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review Tell us what you think about these selections Blood at the Root. The Kirkus Prize. After moving from New York to Silicon Valley, an optimistic young woman slowly realizes that her new industry is toxic, both to herself and to society. Part memoir, part self-help book, Doyle uses her own past — how she divorced her husband to marry soccer star Abby Wambach — to make a case for being true to oneself. “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times,” by David S. Reynolds. “The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America,” by Eric Cervini. The niece of Donald Trump, a clinical psychologist, traces the president’s bullying, disrespect, lack of empathy, insecurity and relentless self-aggrandizement to his father’s parenting skills. The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan (William Morrow; Sept. 1) This “strange and nerdy book,” according to its author, took his native Sweden by storm before delighting U.S. readers with its mix of memoir and natural history. They light the way, even while enabling temporary escape from life’s worries, which is why here, we wanted to share 20 of the best books 2020 had to offer. The Kirkus Prize is among the richest literary awards in America, awarding $50,000 in three categories annually. Things Andy there was No shortage of excellent titles this year Mike Fu Bloomsbury. In the future, everyone will be revealed on October 6, translated from the carnage the bassist for 2020... 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