There are many amazing non fiction books to read. You can learn more about some of the greatest ones by clicking right here.
What better time than right now to brush up on your reading. With so many non fiction books to read, spanning from informative to all-out mind-blowing, it might be hard to decide where to start.
Read on for some must-read non-fiction titles we think should be at the top of your reading list.
Top 9 Non Fiction Books to Read Now
In no particular order, here’s our top nine. If you want more in-depth non fiction book summaries before deciding on where to start then do a little further research on these nine troves.
- A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawkin
From the big bang and black holes, all the way through to general relativity and quantum mechanics, A Brief History of Time was written for the non-scientific reader and is a must for anyone who wants to get their head around the universe.
- The Road to Wigan Pier – George Orwell
This powerhouse is split into two parts. The first is a travelogue that documents the bleak living conditions of the working class in northern England before World War 2. The second half is a self-lacerating essay on Orwell’s own middle-class upbringing in which he questions British attitudes towards socialism.
- The Denial of Death – Ernest Becker
Building on the work of Kierkegaard, Freud, Brown, and Otto Rank. Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death is an impassioned look into our relationship with mortality. Becker suggests that the construct of human civilization is largely an attempt to defend ourselves against the knowledge that we are mortal beings.
- A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson
A Short History of Nearly Everything follows the timeline of science from the big bang all the way to the rise of civilization and on to the discovery of quantum mechanics. Selling almost 2 million copies, Bryson’s attempt to make science interesting for everyone seems to have proved a success
- 12 Rules for Life – Jordan Peterson
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos is quite possibly the ultimate self-help book. Jordan Peterson, a Canadian clinical psychologist and psychology professor breaks down his all-important life advice into 12 rules.
With chapter titles like ‘Treat yourself like someone, you are responsible for helping’ and ‘Do not bother children when they are skateboarding’ 12 Rules for Life is the self-help book the world has been waiting for.
- The Lucifer Effect – Phillip Zimbardo
Containing Zimbardo’s detailed account of the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, The Lucifer Effect takes an in-depth look at why good people turn evil.
The book draws on over 30 years of research into the sociological and psychological factors that can lead otherwise moral individuals to commit immoral acts. It is a terrifying look into what we are all capable of.
- Walden – Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau moved to Walden Pond on July 4, 1845. He built a small cabin and stayed there for two years and two months. Walden is the result of this, and it offers what might well be a much-needed philosophy in such hectic times.
- Night – Elie Wiesel
Not for the faint-hearted, Night is a heartbreaking and often brutal memoir of Wiesel’s experience of Auschwitz. Wiesel was 15 when his entire family was sent to Auschwitz. The book deals with Wiesel’s increasing disgust for humanity, the relationship between him and his father, and how he came to question God.
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat – Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks takes us on a tale of what happens when the human brain goes ‘wrong.’ Drawing on case histories of some of his patients, Sacks recounts the stories of how people struggle to exist in the often bizarre world of neurological disorder.
Don’t Forget Your Reading Glasses
There you have it, our top 9 non fiction books to read. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our site for more suggestions from all genres.
