Image from Eastern Tennessee State U.
Fair Warning – If you click on any of the links/books in this post you will be headed to Amazon.com . If you buy anything there, I’ll be getting a percentage of the moo-la. So there.
Last week I was asked by the Wasilla Public Library to put together a reader’s advisory for Narrative Non-fiction books. I took to the task like a fish to water. I researched lists from a number of sources on the web and come up with about fifteen that kept showing up on lists. Some I’ve read, others I’ve heard of and are on my to-read list. Here’s ten of what I consider to be the best:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
“Not long after Jack the Ripper haunted the ill-lit streets of 1888 London, H.H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett) dispatched somewhere between 27 and 200 people, mostly single young women, in the churning new metropolis of Chicago; many of the murders occurred during (and exploited) the city’s finest moment, the World’s Fair of 1893. Larson’s breathtaking new history is a novelistic yet wholly factual account of the fair and the mass murderer who lurked within it”
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson
The Thunderbolt Kid was born in the 1950s when six-year-old Bryson found a mysterious, scratchy green sweater with a satiny thunderbolt across the chest. The jersey bestowed magic powers on the wearer–X-ray vision and the power to zap teachers and babysitters and deflect unwanted kisses from old people .
Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh
In the late 1980s and 1990s, rogue sociologist Venkatesh infiltrated the world of tenant and gang life in Chicago’s Robert Taylor Home projects. He found a complex system of compromises and subsistence that makes life (barely) manageable
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
A lyrical work of nonfiction. The book’s extremely graceful prose depictions of some of Savannah, Georgia’s most colorful eccentrics–remarkable characters who could have once prospered in a William Faulkner novel or Eudora Welty short story–were certainly a critical factor in its tremendous success.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Two two-time losers living in a lonely house in western Kansas are out to make the heist of their life, but when things don’t go as planned, the robbery turns ugly. From there, the book is a real-life look into murder, prison, and the criminal mind.
Rescue Ink by Denise Flaim
Using their combined 1700 pounds of muscle, Joe, Johnny O, Batso, Big Ant, G, Angel, Eric, Des, Bruce and Robert stop at nothing within the bounds of the law to save animals, be they furred, feathered, or scaled, from life-or-death situations throughout the New York City metropolitan area
A Child Called It by David Pelzer
This autobiographical account charts the abuse of a young boy as his alcoholic mother first isolates him from the rest of the family; then torments him; and finally nearly kills him through starvation, poisoning, and one dramatic stabbing
Cooking dirty : a story of life, sex, love and death in the kitchen by Jason Sheehan
As Sheehan puts it, I was being paid to play with knives and fire. The war stories are as profane and outrageous as you’d expect, and Sheehan finds just the right balance between bravado and humility
My Life in France by Julia Child
Famed chef Child, who died in 2004, recounts her life in France, beginning with her early days at the Cordon Bleu after WWII. Greenberg, an actress for radio and commercials, does a fine job capturing Child’s joie de vivre and unmatched skill as a culinary animateur
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Despite impoverishing his family because of his alcoholism, McCourt’s father passed on to his son a gift for superb storytelling. He told him about the great Irish heroes, the old days in Ireland, the people in their Limerick neighborhood, and the world beyond their shores.
All descriptions are from Amazon and/or Publishers Weekly
There you have it. What would you add? Any must-reads?
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Hi George,
Well, you’ve done it — this is my favorite genre by a landslide. Thanks for this list. I’ve read most of these, but have spied a couple that I need to get my eyes on.
Two of my favorites I’d like to add:
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession, by Allison Hoover Bartlett
Proust Was a Neuroscientist, by Jonah Lehrer
Thanks, George!
.-= Lori (JaneBeNimble)´s last blog ..Righting Time =-.
Cheers, Lori and thanks for the additions to the list.
For a long time, I thought “How can people read just non-fiction?” Now I see the light and in fact my most enjoyable reads the past few months fall straight into this category
Have a great day!
George
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Hello there,
found you thru Twitter. Love the list, especially John Berendt. Will add Julia Child’s to my list. Here’s one: Chester Himes’s My Life of Absurdity. While it ostensibly deals with Himes’s attempts to have his detective novel’s published in post-WWII Paris, it’s actually a gritty account of the rage he feels towards a country and an industry that refused to value his genius. You won’t be disappointed.
.-= Carolyn van Es´s last blog ..Time Out… =-.
Carolyn,
Hey, thanks for the recommendations, I’m always looking to add good things to my “to read” list.
Cheers!
George
Hi George,
You may want to do a little research on _A Child Called It_ before you put it on any “non-fiction” lists.
Narrative Non-Fiction is a wonderful genre and I thank you for taking the time to address it.
Hi Jack,
Thanks for coming by. I did read it and I ultimately found it on several non-fiction lists when I was researching the article. Hmmm. Interesting. I’ll check it out, thanks for coming by!
George
Who let those little bastards into the stacks at the University??? Looks like an elementary school library after the Kindergartners are loosed
Great list! I’ve even read some of those! Conan the Librarian
Chris! Warms the cockles of me heart to see you here!
I’ve read one or two and these are absolutely on my list of “must reads”.
Heh. Kindergarten + library stacks = mayhem – squared.
Have a wonderful day!
George
I’d suggest a few other titles: SEABISCUIT: AN AMERICAN LEGEND
It’s good that you are focusing on this genre. I see that some of these (Angela’s Ashes, etc.) are straight memoirs. Does narrative nonfiction include memoir? In other words, is it an umbrella term that covers any nonfiction book presented in a narrative or novelistic form?
Here are two I would put on my list. One is “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert Pirsig. While this book is typically considered philosophy, it is novelistic in form and an incredible read. My other choice is “A Civil Action” by Jonathan Harr. This book is about a legal case over corporate pollution in Massachusetts.
My question too. Where do you draw the line between memoir and narrative non-fiction? Is it in the style of the writing? And the difference between memoir and autobiography? Again, the style of writing?
Cathy,
I just researched a bit and from what I gather, an autobiography tends to focus on the writer’s complete past and a memoir is more focused on a particular aspect of their past. As well, a memoir usually looks at a specific time period.
Narrative non-fiction is all inclusive of the sub genres of autobiography or memoir.
Hope this helps. It was fun to research these!
George
Thanks for the boost to the genre! Would you mind a small self promotion: Pappy Poli-tics Localis; authorhouse.com by, well….me.
Pappy was an Iwo Jima vet, dble masters, most successful political campaign manager of his day, 22 wins no loses. He used politics as a medium to help me get through a difficult time. In the end I have a “Private Ryan” experience. I would be flattered!
Mike, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ll head over to authorhouse and have a peek!
George
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