Five Nonfiction Books to Introduce You to the Genre

I’m the first to admit that if you add the prefix “non” to the word “fiction,” I will get scared. I love reading a good, engaging story, and for some reason, I do not connote nonfiction with that. A book that sets out to be true and outside the realm of fiction is immediately met with feelings of trepidation. 

Nonfiction has the reputation of being dull and complicated, but that’s simply not the case. Just like fiction, nonfiction is its own diverse world with its own conventions. From self-help to histories, there’s a nonfiction book for every kind of reader. 

This past year, I found myself reading more and more memoirs and essays, and I realized that they’re just as entertaining and enlightening as the novels I enjoy. 

I also found that memoirs in particular made for great listening experiences since it’s more common for authors to narrate the audiobook version. Sometimes, a memoir on audio feels like listening to a podcast or chatting with your best friend.

If you’re new to nonfiction or are just looking for a great story, I’ve listed four memoirs below, along with a collection of essays, that will ease you right into the genre.

Educated — Tara Westover

Educated starts with Tara Westover as a child, homeschooled and living off the grid in the mountains. Living in a large survivalist family, Westover is raised to put family first and to not trust institutions. Yet, as she grows, she becomes more and more interested in the outside world, leading her to not just university but also to a PhD from Cambridge. 

The strange stories of Westover’s childhood coupled with the conflicting questions of individuality versus family engaged me on an entertainment level while forcing me to question my own relationships with family and my education.

This was the book that got me into nonfiction audiobooks, and it is a great introduction to both the genre and form.

Crying in H-Mart — Michelle Zauner

While you’re likely not familiar with her name, you might know Michelle Zauner’s indie-pop band Japanese Breakfast. However, Zauner’s skills as a storywriter exceed her lyrics and paint a beautifully heartwrenching tale in her memoir.

Born in Oregon to a Korean mother and White father, Zauner reflects on her biracial identity and being raised in a Korean household. Now in her twenties, Zauner is helping to care for her mother, who is undergoing chemo treatments. She attempts to reconnect with her through their love language: food. 

Filled with clear yet luscious prose, Crying in H-Mart was a beautiful read that I think about often, especially when reflecting on my own relationship with my family or culture. This memoir is on the shorter end, coming in at about 250 pages or roughly seven and a half hours on audio. 

Zauner has also published an essay of the same title, which provides a brief introduction to the memoir. 

Sociopath — Patric Gagne

Sociopath is not exactly comforting, yet if there is any comfort, then it stems from its blunt honesty. A self-described “sociopath,” Patric Gagne shares scenes from her childhood all the way up to working on her PhD, and these don’t always depict her in a flattering light. 

This memoir is a fascinating exploration of searching for an identity that fits a type of character that we don’t see often. Gagne offers insights on the term sociopath and how she identifies with the term in her life. 

Brothers and Keepers — John Edgar Wideman

In 1984, John Edgar Wideman was a blooming novelist. Then his younger brother Robert Wideman was sentenced to life in prison with no parole at the age of 24. 

Although Robert Wideman’s sentence was commuted in 2019, Brothers and Keepers was written in the midst of his incarceration. In it, he reflects on his life as an inmate and on his attempt to get an education as a way of encouraging other men in his position to do the same. 

Told from the perspectives of both brothers, Brothers and Keepers explores the Wideman brothers’ relationship with each other and their upbringing while examining how their race played a role in it. The dual perspective is a unique twist in the memoir genre and helped create a more impactful read.

These Precious Days — Ann Patchett

You might have heard of Ann Patchett through her novels, but her nonfiction is just as gorgeous. Despite this book being an essay collection, with each essay standing on its own, when placed all together they paint a whole story.

These Precious Days gathers various episodes or even small moments from Patchett’s life and career, from writing to opening a bookstore in Nashville. 

For fans of her novels, this collection provides a unique insider view of some of her work, but if you’re like me and have never read any of her fiction, it can also serve as a great introduction to Patchett’s style. 

How to Pick Your Read

Ultimately, nonfiction is the genre of exploration, and I found that one book leads to another. For instance, after I read Educated, I followed it with The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, a memoir about Walls’s unconventional upbringing. Brothers and Keepers might lead into Assata: An Autobiography, which is a political autobiography by Assata Shakur. 

Pick any one of the books above, decide if you like it, and see where it takes you. That’s the best part of reading — the adventure. 

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Need some more great reads this fall? Check out these reviews!

• Three-Eight Charlie – A Nonfiction Book Review
• Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom – Book Review
• Fight Write – Writing Resources Book Review
• The Black Swans of Harlem – Nonfiction Book Review