Jeanette Walls’s The Glass Castle is a tender, humorous account of the author’s nomadic childhood, which has been adapted into an acclaimed movie. David France has been one of the key chroniclers of the AIDS epidemic in the United States since its beginnings. The best books of the year 2020. Mary Beard’s SPQR is a sweeping and epic history of the Roman Empire, covering over 1000 years of the classical civilization’s story. Devil in the Grove looks at the toughest cases he confronted before he was on the Supreme Court: fighting for “The Groveland Boys,” black workers in Florida’s orange industry who were subjected to horrific violence and lynchings in the Jim Crow South. Shoshanna Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism takes as its subject our current technological state, where corporations have access to a lot of personal information. Bill Bryson has garnered acclaim for his entertaining travelogues. The way most history textbooks tell it, Europeans brought civilization to the Americas with the arrival of Columbus in 1492. You may not recognize the name Alexander von Humboldt. The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013). Kahneman’s conversational style makes even the most complex of psychological topics accessible to readers. This breathtaking tale about the Second World War is sobering, informative, and brilliantly told — an essential read for anyone interested in the War’s effect on individual lives. Literature and Books > The 100 Best English-Language Nonfiction Books of the 20th Century ; Cite. This riveting journey through time traverses the rich expanse of humankind’s past and future. 3. Walker delves into the scientific specifics of why sleep is so important, and reminds his readers that sleep deprivation, though common in modern society, is a worrying phenomenon.This book makes a convincing case for being generous with our down-time and getting some rest. Nonfiction is a VAST field. This astonishing memoir especially focuses on the author’s relationship with her bohemian-minded parents, whose flaws and eccentricities are described with deep affection, no matter how difficult they are to live with. You're currently reading page 1; Page 2; Page Next; Show. is a witty, informative ode to the practice of literary translation. I generally trust "best of all time" lists voted by authors and experts over user-generated lists. In Know My Name, a searing memoir of trauma and recovery, Chanel writes herself back into the narrative, claiming the right to tell her own story. Marshall analyzes the geopolitical complexities of each region, showing the many layers and dimensions of our political reality as captured by cartographers. He argues that our culture’s obsession with early achievement discourages older members of society from pursuing their passion and talents, pleading for the world to consider “a kinder clock for human development” instead. Today the bulk of her earnings presented with theme parks, theatrical productions, and new films. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful history ... 2. His book makes clear that real people are being harmed by corrosive capitalism. Brave and enlightening, this is a difficult but important read. Robinson argues for educational reform that will make helping students find their element a priority, as it is the key to unlocking creativity and innovation for the future. A Premature Attempt at the 21st Century Canon A panel of critics tells us what belongs on a list of the 100 most important books of the 2000s … so far. Read and vote for your favorites on the discover feed. Where possible, book titles have been linked to either the original New York Times review or a later article about the book. France draws from firsthand accounts and meticulous historical research to cement the legacy of all those who have battled the disease and fought the government and pharmaceutical companies for the rights to treatment. The definitive portrait of a founding father — and of the foundations of America’s history — Alexander Hamilton is a brilliant biography, as audacious and awe-inspiring as its subject. The Tipping Point explores phenomena ranging from the sharp decrease in street crime in 1990s New York to children’s television shows suddenly becoming all the rage among all age groups. Here's our pick of some of the best fiction and non-fiction books of the decade. Yet Macfarlane also goes on a deep-time exploration and digs into the intertwined history of humans and nature, scrutinizing the traces we leave behind for generations to come. Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court’s first black justice, is perhaps the most significant legal figure of the twentieth century, arguing landmark civil rights cases. Alexander Chee’s collection of essays, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, muses on the subjects of art and identity, as well as the craft of writing itself. These are some of the massive questions that historian Yuval Noah Harari attempts to unpack in Sapiens. From prescription painkillers to black tar heroin, these drugs have devastating consequences, as Quinones reminds us. Updated February 11, 2017 | Infoplease Staff. Intimate, honest, and approachable, this book is one every aspiring author should read. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. “European” doesn’t automatically mean “White.” Afropean, a captivating documentation of the history and experience of black Europeans, seeks to challenge this common assumption, turning the spotlight onto black communities in several European countries. list created July 10th, 2016 Unafraid to tackle controversial topics and contentious debates, Blurred Lines is a complex account of radical changes to contemporary culture. 21st Century Reading | … The 100 best non-fiction books of all time judged by a panel of historians, authors, publishers, and experts for the National Review Magazine. His provocative challenge to readers’ views is sure to prompt spiritual soul-searching for fellow atheists and religious readers alike. A Short History of Nearly Everything book. The entire future of the planet is now at stake. Grayson Perry’s cheerful, informative, and inspiring Playing to the Gallery is a crash-course in art appreciation. This massively successful book by Malcolm Gladwell investigates the process of things going viral, dissecting how and why certain ideas can take off. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great nonfiction books to read, you can also take our 1-minute quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized nonfiction book recommendation . In Late Bloomers, Rich Karlgaard dispels the assumption that all genius must emerge in days of youth. Finishing the Hat Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010). In the UK, a whopping 90 percent of books making the 100 All-Time Best Sellers list are fiction. The Warmth of Other Suns is one of the greatest tales of American history you’ve never heard. Maybe not — but it’s likely you’ve heard of the man who sexually assaulted her on Stanford University’s campus: Brock Turner. I could easily write a list of the 1,000 best nonfiction books, but that would be overwhelming for everybody! But don’t let the numbers fool you. David Crystal’s How Language Works is a detailed, all-encompassing book addressing the many questions that arise when you start to really think about the processes of using language. Add to library. Where did we humans come from? 2018 Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman Jr. Wish List Compare. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is an immersive graphic memoir based on the author’s childhood in the Iranian capital of Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. Cain argues that the worship of extroverts is putting the wrong people in power, while … Though the building of upscale hotels and growth of the Indian economy initially gave residents hope of upward mobility, personal and political tragedy quickly dismantled their dreams. Evicted is unafraid to say what is often left out of the conversation about poverty, as it forces readers to look at the dire state of American housing and homeownership. What unfolds is a profoundly sympathetic and richly rendered story of countless families, seeking acceptance and better lives in the nation they call home. In this cinematic account, Beard explores the growth of the empire and reflects on its multilayered legacy. A brutal and honest book, The God Delusion is an unapologetic defense of atheism by Richard Dawkins. By WIRED. The New Canon: The 21 Books from the 21st Century Every Man Should Read. It is a damning indictment of white violence, and the centuries of genocide and erasure of native history that have accompanied colonial expansion. The author is entirely unconvinced by religion, and explains his reasoning in this detailed and expansive work. Share on Twitter. Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala (Knopf, 2013). Presented in the form of a letter to the author’s teenage son, this book weaves the personal and the political together in a series of searing essays. 3. As she grows up during a tumultuous chapter of the country’s history, her story is both a coming-of-age tale and a historical chronicle. Have you heard of Chanel Miller? This collection of not-quite-essays bursts with wit and insight along its journey through the musings of a curious mind. Champion of creativity Ken Robinson urges artistic minds to follow their heart and identify their “element” in his inspirational book The Element. Your element, he explains, is where passion intersects with talent: that’s where you can harness your own power the most. Children's books about diversity are crucial: they introduce difficult but important topics to little ones in engaging and thoughtful ways. The climate is not the only thing that is changing — in This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein shows us that life as we know it is changing, too. For the people of Annawadi, an impoverished community not far from the Mumbai airport, lives of luxury and economic prosperity are constantly within sight — but always out of reach. : Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #3), An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #1), The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #2), The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, New African American Histories and Biographies to Read Now. The authors make the case for constantly asking questions, challenging accepted truths, and looking at facts and data in a novel way. Here we share some of the most revelatory nonfiction books of the century so far. The 100 Best English-Language Nonfiction Books of the 20th Century. It is a story of the United States that has never been told before...but should have been told long ago. Most importantly, it shows that when the game of life seems stacked against you, you don’t have to play along: you can reinvent the rules entirely. Perry Albrigo February 7, 2019 at 06:37 PM: Great list — Suzanna Clark’s Jonathon Strange & Mr. Notell should be on everyone’s list of great books I first heard of Clark im Neil Gaiman’s Virwnfrom the Cheap Seats. But it is also a story about thinking differently and taking risks. Journalist Rebecca Traister’s book All the Single Ladies underscores the collective power of single women, creating a vivid and diverse portrait of unmarried women in the United States. Discover our full range of books, gifts, toys, stationery and audiobooks at Waterstones.com. Last year we took you on a trip down memory lane with a look back at Every Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Winner of the 21st Century, and now it’s the turn of the General Nonfiction category. More urgent than ever, The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells draws attention to the pressing need to address the growing problem of climate change. This joyful and down-to-earth book is an excellent resource for anyone who’s interested in modern art but daunted by the sometimes-elitist institutions that represent it. David Bellos’s Is That a Fish in Your Ear? In The Invention of Nature, however, Andrea Wulf argues that he has undoubtedly shaped our understanding of the environment and our role in protecting it. Trust real people, not robots, to give you book recommendations. Like Monsters Inc. meets Salt Houses, this magical realist mediation on love, home, displacement, and survival will undoubtedly go down as the quintessential novel on the refugee crisis, and one of the best novels of the 21st century to boot. What success in dollars got The Hunger Games”, “A Song of Ice and Fire”, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and so on? Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014) This is the highest entry in our chart that did not feature anywhere in the Guardian 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. 1. Thank you Powell’s! This account of true crime and the fight for justice delves into Marshall’s origins as a fearless crusader — something not to be missed. For cartography fans and or anyone with even a casual interest in geography, Tim Marshall’s Prisoners of Geography is a brilliant interpretation of ten modern maps. Drawing from intense investigative reporting and heartbreaking personal stories of addiction, Dreamland reveals how and why the opiate industry has wrought destruction on communities in the United States and Mexico. Following that epistolary trail seventy-five years later, Gup uncovered the story of how his immigrant grandfather secretly helped fellow Cantonians, discovering more about his own grandfather as well as the history of America in the process. These must-reads will keep you informed, inspired, entertained, and exhilarated as you journey through the most contentious and compelling topics in history and the contemporary world. When the next major mass extinction hits the planet, as scientists foretell it soon might, humanity will be the victim — and the perpetrator. While perhaps “brief” in its coverage on a scale of universal time, Sapiens still spans thousands of years of human life — showing us who we are as a species, as well as what we might become. Best books of 2014: Top 10 books of the year, graphic novels and audio books View Photos Book World critics pick the best reads of 2014 in fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels and audio books. In this insightful book, Fukuyama asks important questions about corruption and its eradication — and what it might take to run a well-functioning state in the present day. Eager for more of the best contemporary reads? Zuboff investigates the power and peril of digital surveillance, arguing that we have now entered a new age of capitalism where information and personal data are tools in the hands of corporations. Wilkerson chronicles the years between 1915 and 1970, when millions of black Americans embarked northward or westward in search of opportunity, hoping to leave behind the racial prejudice and economic oppression of the South. The New Jim Crow is both a call to awareness and a call to action, making clear the deep harm embedded in systems ostensibly designed to protect us all. They show us who we are, where we came from, and where we might be going. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The stunningly vulnerable confessions that result are moving expressions of raw emotion. In this book, she defines the concept of introversion, traces its history, and proceeds with a mind-blowing analysis of our everyday lives and the biases inherent in the way people are assessed in a social atmosphere. J.K. Rowling made her first billion in 2004 and still is the highest-paid author of 2019. Simply written and honestly told, this memoir is a true accomplishment. And what does it even mean to be “human” in the first place? Taking some time off … After two years of careful consideration, Robert McCrum has concluded his selection of the 100 greatest nonfiction books of all time. You must have a goodreads account to vote. The 60 Best Nonfiction Books of the 21st Century. This is a sharp book that cannot fail to capture its readers with its masterfully recounted sociological and psychological case studies. Read 12 582 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Her eye-opening narrative reveals the dire situation of low-wage workers and the failures of employers and governments to provide anything near adequate support. According to Perry, no one is too ignorant to pursue an interest in art. Take a look at these enchanting books to see how. When Breath Becomes Air is his heart-wrenching memoir of coming to terms with his own mortality after a diagnosis of stage IV lung cancer. When was the last time that you can say you really, truly did nothing at all? As you’re probably already aware, here at Off the Shelf we’re a little obsessed with books. Vanessa Grigoriadis travels to universities across the United States to examine how the movement has prompted students to think differently about their sexuality, as well as the sexism or sexual violence they confront on campus. It’s a bold claim, but not one that it fails to live up to. Neuroscientist Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep achieved sensational status due to its hyperfocus on a universal experience: sleep. A disarming “biography” of disease, The Emperor of All Maladies chronicles thousands of years of people grappling with the terrifying specter of cancer. It fails to live up to New worlds heart-wrenching ) volume compiles multiple stories into book. America ’ s the Corporation draws an intriguing parallel between the East and West particular appears. '' lists voted by authors and experts over user-generated lists a thoroughly memorable reading experience, and geological.. 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