If you love nothing more than to tuck into a true story, devour a memoir, learn something new or better yourself with a thought-provoking non-fiction book, we’ve got just the list for you. From politics to pop culture, personal essays and memoirs, we’ve rounded up the best non-fiction reads of the year for you to add to your bedside table.
Thick: And Other Essays
by Tressie McMillan Cottom
For fans of Roxane Gay but with a fresh an unique perspective, Thick tackles race, beauty standards, finances and more, all while making you laugh. Tressie McMillan Cottom covers everything from pumpkin spice lattes to Obama, and everything in between.
Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women
by Dr Sarah Bargiela, Sophie Standing (Illustrator)
A graphic novel that offers a visual depiction of what it’s like to be a woman on the spectrum as they experience everyday life. An often overlooked group, Camouflage uses the real stories of women to take readers on a journey to better understanding the lives and minds of women with autism.
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do
by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
Jennifer L. Eberhardt is one of the world’s leading experts on unconscious racial bias, and her book Biased tackles all the ways we hold implicit racial biases — from visual perception, attention, memory and behaviour — and the effects that holding these biases can have. It’s not just about what people are doing wrong, though. Eberhardt also offers practical solutions and reminds readers of the role they can play in making the world a better place.
Parkland: Birth of a Movement
by Dave Cullen
An emotional and moving account of the 2018 school shooting and the students who took on America’s National Rifle Association and created the March For Our Lives Movement, which became the fourth-largest protest in American history. Dave Cullen has been covering America’s epidemic of school shootings for two decades, and wrote the best-selling book Columbine.
Burn It Down: Women Writing about Anger
Edited by Lilly Dancyger
Covering everything from personal rage to systematic oppression, a diverse group of 22 women explore anger, the expression of anger and how it’s received in the world. With a wide range of topics, from anger with one’s own body when it fails you, to feeling silenced by your culture, Burn It Down is for any woman who’s ever second-guessed the expression of her rage.
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion
by Jia Tolentino
Do yourself a favour and join Jia Tolentino as she travels down the path of self-delusion in the age of social media and scammers becoming heroes. Trick Mirror questions how we can see ourselves clearly when our culture revolves around projection, and idolises the betterment of ourselves in every possible way.
The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump
by Andrew G. McCabe
Fired by Trump from his position as deputy director of the FBI, a mere 26 hours before his retirement, no less, The Threat recounts McCabe’s decades-long career, and it’s as dramatic and candid as you’d hope. Aside from covering Trump’s 2016 election and McCabe’s firing, The Threat explains exactly what the FBI does, how it works, and why it will carry on in decades to come.
Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church
by Megan Phelps-Roper
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you’ve probably heard of the Westboro Baptist Church by now. This is Megan Phelps-Roper’s personal account of being raised inside the most hated family in America, and how engaging in conversations with people on Twitter eventually led to her leaving the picket line and publicly denouncing the church.
The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes
by Alya Mooro
If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t quite fit in, wheerever you were, join Alya Mooro as she makes peace with being an outsider. Born in Egypt and raised in London, this is a tale of falling between two cultures, and feeling the pull of both, with no role models in pop culture to look to for guidance.
Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention
by Donna Freitas
Donna Freitas offers up this unnerving page-turner about being stalked by her one-time mentor for more than two years. Unpacking the disturbing ordeal — the damage of which she is still dealing with — down to the smallest details, Donna uses her firsthand experience to examine the topic of consent in the Me Too era.
Pain and Prejudice: A call to arms for women and their bodies
by Gabrielle Jackson
If you’re a woman who’s ever had your pain dismissed by a doctor, you’re not alone. Unpacking the gender bias in medical industry is Gabrielle Jackson, Guardian journo and endometriosis sufferer. Part memoir and part social study, Pain and Prejudice examines why women are suffering in silence, being silenced by doctors, how we got here and how we get out.
The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays
by Esmé Weijun Wang
If you’ve ever been curious about what schizophrenia sufferers go through, how they manage day-to-day, and the challenges they face within the medical system, this is the book for you. Including essays on a broad range of issues — from fashion to psychosis — The Collected Schizophrenias will help readers understand the illness and its impact better.
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir
by Samra Habib
An Ahmadi Muslim woman who grew up in Pakistan, Samra Habib’s memoir asks the question: “How do you find yourself when the world tells you that you don’t exist?”
Taking us on a global journey as she searches for the safety to finally be herself, Habib explores faith, forgiveness, art, love and sexuality.
Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide
by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
If you’re one of the Murderinos who’s been devouring Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark’s hit podcast, My Favourite Murder, since its launch in 2016, you’ll already be across their best-selling book, which features never-before-heard stories from the pals. A joint memoir, the gals recount their struggles with mental health and addiction, as well as sharing their biggest fears and advocating for personal safety over all.
Sounds Like Titanic
by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
Okay, this one is wild. Aspiring violinist Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman lands a job with a professional ensemble in New York City, only to find out that when they perform, the microphones are never on. In fact, they mime playing, as the music blaring from the speakers is the soundtrack to Titanic. Yes, really.
Know My Name
by Chanel Miller
After Brock Turner was sentenced to just six months in a county jail for sexually assaulting Chantel Miller, her victim impact statement was published on BuzzFeed — instantly going viral and accumulating 11 million views over four days. Known at the time to the world as Emily Doe, Chantel Miller has now revealed her identity. This memoir is a reclamation of her identity and voice, as she tells her story of trauma, transcendence and speaking up.
I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution
by Emily Nussbaum
If you’re a TV junkie, this collection of essays will be right up your alley. Covering everything from the evolution of the strong female lead to cancel culture, Nussbaum also rejects the notion of ‘prestige television’, so if you’re a fan of reality TV, don’t worry!
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
by Cal Newport
Imagine a world where you have the self-restraint to log off and live. If your response to that is “lol, couldn’t be me!” then this is the book for you, and will help you to clear some space in your digital world for your life in the real world without having FOMO for all the posts and memes and stories you’re missing online.
Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era
by Saul Austerlitz
If you’re a Friends fanatic, this book — which features brand-new interviews and behind-the-scenes info galore — will be there for you when the rain starts to pour. Published for the show’s 25th anniversary, Saul Austerlitz explains how Friends became a phenomenon.
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