50 Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time
November 18, 2024
Best-of-all-time lists are always subjective, but out of the 50 best nonfiction books below, there鈥檚 bound to be one or two that you like. (If you鈥檙e looking for a memoir, check out this list.)听
If these books happen to get your creative juices flowing, check out this list of some of the best creative writing prompts. If you鈥檙e already an established writer, here鈥檚 a list of writing competitions for high school students as well as the best colleges for creative writing.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time
1) , by Rachel Carson听
There aren鈥檛 many books that have single-handedly changed the course of the environmental movement 鈥� Silent Spring is one of them. Published in 1962, Carson鈥檚 book caused an outcry and resulted in the banning of DDT and the establishment of dozens of laws to protect the environment.听
2)听, by Simone de Beauvoir
De Beauvoir鈥檚 scathing critique of the ideological, societal, and cultural forces that keep women subservient is as relevant today as when it was published in 1949. Even more importantly, de Beauvoir鈥檚 book suggests a way toward liberation for both women and men.
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
3)听, by Virginia Woolf
Based on two lectures that Woolf gave in 1928, A Room of One鈥檚 Own is an extended essay on the forces that impinge upon women鈥檚 ability to write. According to Woolf, 鈥�a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.鈥�
4)听, by St. Augustine
Written in AD 401 by Augustine of Hippo, Confessions tells the story of Augustine鈥檚 journey from astrology and Manichaeism to Christianity. Of the many famous quotes, the one that stays with me is Augustine鈥檚 eminently relatable, 鈥渕ake me chaste and celibate, but not yet.鈥�
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
5)听, by Isak Dinesen听
Written by Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen was a pen name), this memoir tells the story of Blixen鈥檚 arrival in Africa in 1914 and her affection and attachment to the people and culture of Kenya. When the coffee farm she and her husband start fails, Karen has to return home to Denmark. (It was made into with Meryl Streep).听
6)听, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles
Known around the world, Marx and Engles鈥檚 text diagnoses the class conflict that defines history. Undoubtedly, the most famous lines of the text are the last three sentences, which read, 鈥淭he proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!鈥�
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
7)听, by Thomas Kuhn听
In the book that introduced the term 鈥減aradigm shift,鈥� Kuhn critiques the linear model of scientific discovery. Instead, he offers up a model of scientific progress as a series of incommensurable breakthroughs. (If you鈥檙e interested, provides a good introduction to Kuhn鈥檚 overarching ideas.)
8)听, by W.E.B. DuBois
Originally published in 1903, The Souls of Black Folk collects essays (and a story or two) that DuBois wrote during the previous 20 years. In these essays, DuBois offers up a scathing critique of the structural racism in the years after the Civil War.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
9) , by S酶ren Kierkegaard
Intended to be his final pseudonymous work, Concluding Unscientific Postscript examines the possibility of communicating the truth of Christianity within the dialectic of communication. (If you want to know more, has an insightful discussion of the narrator鈥檚 rhetorical strategy.)
10) , by Alain Badiou听
Let鈥檚 not mince words 鈥� Badiou鈥檚 Being and Event is well-nigh unreadable. If you were to struggle through the text, you might begin to understand Badiou鈥檚 attempt to use set theory to imagine the possibility of individual agency within the limitations of determinism.听
11) , by Antonio Gramsci
Best known for his theory of hegemony, Gramsci鈥檚 Prison Notebooks provides a comprehensive introduction to his ideas about civil society and the possibility of meaningful economic change.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
12)听, by Mary Wollstonecraft
In this seminal treatise, Wollstonecraft argues for women鈥檚 right to pursue the same education as men. Though at times ambiguous in its call for outright equality, Wollstonecraft鈥檚 text is a cornerstone of feminist thought.听
13) , by Rebecca Skloot
One of the most important tools in medicine, 鈥淗eLa鈥� cells have been used in medical research since the 1950s. What鈥檚 less known is that these cells were taken from Henrietta Lacks without her consent. Skloot follows the story back to its beginnings and gives a voice to a woman who had none.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
14)听, by Isabel Wilkerson
Wilkerson鈥檚 stunningly researched book tells the story of the Great Migration via the stories of three personal narratives. With a blend of narrative storytelling and historical analysis, Wilkerson examines the racial, economic, and cultural consequences of the Great Migration.听
15)听, by Toril Moi
Toril Moi has written what might be the definitive biographical treatment of Simone de Bauvoir. In this book, Moi examines de Beauvoir鈥檚 storied intellectual career and shows how she struggled to establish herself as an intellectual.听
16)听, by Judith Butler
One of the seminal works of feminist thought, Gender Trouble critiques the basis of gender. For Butler, gender is always performative. As such, Butler allows for the possibility of reinterpretation and genuine self-construction.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
17)听, by Peter Singer
Peter Singer鈥檚 book critiques the basis of speciesism 鈥� the belief that we can treat humans as more morally important than animals. As one of the most famous contemporary philosophers, Singer鈥檚 utilitarianism calls for a radical rethinking of our relationship with animals.听
18)听, by Hannah Arendt
First published in 1951, Arendt鈥檚 examination of the conditions and strategies of totalitarianism seems prescient today. In this book, Arendt analyzes the way both Nazism and Stalinism aimed to control every aspect of people鈥檚 lives.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
19)听, by Elie Wiesel听
Night offers the story of Elie Wiesel鈥檚 deportation and imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps during WWII. From ghetto, to prison, to freedom, Wiesel鈥檚 witness to history is profound and heartbreaking.听
20)听, by Barbara Ehrenreich
Ehrenreich goes undercover to reveal how America鈥檚 low-wage economy grinds people and families into poverty. She works as a waitress, a maid, and a cleaning woman and shows how having a job is no ticket to prosperity.听
21) , by James Baldwin
Originally published in 1955, Baldwin鈥檚 collection of essays provides an insightful portrait of Black culture in America. Through its trenchant aesthetic critique, Baldwin sheds light on the cultural basis of racism in the US.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
22)听, by David Foster Wallace
Wallace, the (in)famous author of the postmodern tome Infinite Jest, takes us on a tour of 鈥渟upposedly fun things.鈥� These include a seven-day Caribbean tour, a state fair in the Midwest, and the state of American cinema. It should come as no surprise that existential ennui abounds.听
23) , by Edward Said
Orientalism is Said鈥檚 tour-de-force examination of the way Europeans have constructed 鈥渢he Orient鈥� as Other. As Said argues, colonization necessitated the construction of colonial knowledge, a need that prevented 鈥渢he Orient鈥� from representing itself.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
24)听, by Susan Sontag听
In this career-defining collection of essays, Sontag moves between high and low culture, existentialism, psychoanalysis, film, and religion. It remains a touchstone of cultural criticism.听
25)听, by Charles Darwin
Though 鈥渘atural selection鈥� seems commonplace now, it鈥檚 impossible to express how impactful Darwin鈥檚 text was when it was published in 1859. In a single stroke, Darwin removed man from his privileged position as the terminus of a divine process.听
26) , by Sigmund Freud
Although Freud is known primarily for such (misunderstood) terms as 鈥減enis envy鈥� and the 鈥淥edipal complex,鈥� it is his The Interpretation of Dreams that presents his truly revolutionary understanding of the human mind.听听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
27)听, by Friedrich Nietzsche听
While Nietzsche is known for his declaration that 鈥淕od is Dead,鈥� far more interesting is this analysis of the way in which cultures hide the cruelty at the center of their morality.听
28) , by Henry David Thoreau
A classic of Transcendentalist literature, Walden details Thoreau鈥檚 two-year stay in a small cabin on Walden Pond.. By observing the natural patterns and rhythms around him, Thoreau finds beauty in self-reliance and simple living.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
29) , by Martin Jay听
Martin Jay does a deep dive into the philological, cultural, and historical trends that affected and have been affected by the Frankfurt School. Jay provides an accessible introduction to the aesthetic and philosophical contributions of Adorno, Marcuse, and Horkheimer.听
30) , by Howard Zinn
Zinn鈥檚 text takes American history as it鈥檚 taught in US schools and turns it on its head. While US history is generally taught from the view of the powerful, ZInn lets us hear the voice of the dispossessed 鈥� women, workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, and immigrants.听
31) , by Barbara Ehrenreich
Say what you will, but the US is a country of optimists 鈥� positive thinkers. Ehrenreich traces the pernicious effects of positive thinking through American churches, the medical industry, and business.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
32)听, by Shannon Lee Dawdy
The anthropologist Shannon Lee Dawdy illuminates the changing landscape of burial rites in America. She talks to funeral directors, priests, and cemetery owners to understand how Americans understand death and dying.听
33) , by Michelle Alexander
Alexander鈥檚 book challenges the supposed color-blindness of American society, pointing out that the majority of black men in urban areas are either in prison or have been in prison.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
34) , by Blaise Pascal听
In this collection of fragments, Blaise Pascal 鈥� philosopher, scientist, and theologian 鈥� takes on the enduring mysteries of the human condition. He tackles questions of the infinite, the finite, and man鈥檚 struggle for faith.听听
35)听, by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
No book did as much to end the cult of personality around Stalin more than Solzhenitsyn鈥檚 The Gulag Archipelago. In this book, Solzhenitsyn examines the ubiquity of the Soviet system of oppression and speaks to the enduring possibility of resistance.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
36)听, by Rom茅o Dallaire听
As the military leader of a small peacekeeping force in Rwanda in 1993, Lt. General Dallair witnessed firsthand the genocidal violence that engulfed that nation. This book is a testament to his experiences, regrets, and the trauma of violence.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
37) , by Albert Einstein
If you鈥檙e like me, there鈥檚 no way you鈥檒l ever be smart enough to understand the math behind Einstein鈥檚 theory of relativity. Given this, Relativity provides an accessible (mostly math-free) introduction to Einstein鈥檚 theories.听
38) , by Jeanette Walls
Raised by parents who can鈥檛 seem to get their lives together, Walls and her siblings finally escape to New York. Their parents eventually follow, but quickly end up homeless. Walls writes about the shame, guilt, and resilience of her family.听
39)听, by Norman Mailer
When Gary Gilmore was convicted of two murders in 1976, he surprised the whole nation by asking to be executed (no one had been executed in the US for ten years). Mailer鈥檚 depiction of Gary鈥檚 life and death wrestles with the morality of capital punishment.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
40)听, by Michel Foucault听听
Foucault鈥檚 seminal text explores how modern societies have shifted their conception of punishments from something enacted on the body to something enacted on the mind or soul of the individual.听
41) , by Che Guevara
Before he became the guy on the poster that every annoying poli-sci major has on his dorm room wall, Che Guevara was a 23-year-old adventurer riding through Latin America on a motorcycle.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
42) , by Alexis de Tocqueville
When Alexis de Tocqueville came to see America in 1831, he was impressed by the fledgling nation鈥檚 commitment to democracy, however imperfect.听
43)听, by Art Spiegelman
In Spiegelman鈥檚 Pulizter-prize winning graphic novel, we learn of his father鈥檚 imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp, his subsequent immigration to to the US, and his mother鈥檚 suicide.听听
44) , by Michael Lewis
In the lead-up to the housing crisis of 2008, a few perceptive people realized that subprime housing loans were starting to default. Lewis tells the story of these people and how they got rich.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
45)听, by George Orwell
Though George Orwell arrived in Spain in 1936 planning on being a correspondent for a socialist newspaper, he quickly joined the POUM militia. This book records the triumphs and the anguish of Orwell鈥檚 time in Spain.听
46) , by Sarah Vowell
Vowell explores the commodification of political violence (but with humor) in her amazing Assassination Vacation. All the hallmarks of Vowell鈥檚 historical approach are present 鈥� wit, insight, and a good dose of analytic rigor.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
47) , by William Strunk and E.B. White
From quotation marks to dangling modifiers, this classic has all the grammar, syntax, and structural guidance for you to write an amazing essay.听
48) , by Victor Frankl
Frankl鈥檚 belief in logotherapy 鈥� that one must create meaning from one鈥檚 own circumstances 鈥� is even more striking given his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp.听
49) , by Michel de Certeau
De Certeau鈥檚 text explores the possibility of asserting individual agency within structures that conspire to homogenize our experience of the world.听
Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time (Continued)
50) , by Cary Nelson
Nelson re-reads the cultural production of early 20th century Midwestern farmers and finds in it a now-abandoned commitment to revolutionary politics.听
Wrapping Up – 50 Best Nonfiction Books of All-Time
There鈥檚 no doubt that nonfiction opens the world to us 鈥� new events, new perspectives, new strategies for living. If you鈥檝e found this article interesting, I鈥檝e also written on 1984, Frankenstein, The Great Gatsby, Hamlet, The Crucible, Beloved, Brave New World, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Macbeth, Jane Eyre, and Of Mice and Men.听
