Best Non-Fiction (no biographies) (6267 books)

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Share your picks for the best non-fiction books you've read--DO NOT INCLUDE BIOGRAPHIES

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1	The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 768,736 ratings score: 85,869, and 872 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt 4.01 avg rating — 903,282 ratings score: 84,510, and 857 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 4.22 avg rating — 427,937 ratings score: 74,978, and 763 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 4.04 avg rating — 463,745 ratings score: 66,655, and 679 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell 4.19 avg rating — 876,749 ratings score: 53,651, and 551 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell 4.01 avg rating — 860,605 ratings score: 40,788, and 421 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 814,857 ratings score: 38,982, and 404 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Night by Elie Wiesel 4.38 avg rating — 1,381,204 ratings score: 38,826, and 403 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach 4.06 avg rating — 243,618 ratings score: 38,376, and 393 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (Goodreads Author) 4.19 avg rating — 211,201 ratings score: 38,165, and 390 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell 3.96 avg rating — 625,966 ratings score: 33,434, and 348 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt 3.92 avg rating — 298,979 ratings score: 32,628, and 336 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 4.33 avg rating — 1,288,965 ratings score: 31,779, and 326 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl 4.37 avg rating — 902,875 ratings score: 31,573, and 325 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser 3.75 avg rating — 206,727 ratings score: 31,259, and 321 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 285,341 ratings score: 31,142, and 321 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 227,955 ratings score: 28,888, and 300 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart by Tim Butcher (Goodreads Author) 3.98 avg rating — 12,195 ratings score: 28,204, and 285 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking 4.21 avg rating — 485,028 ratings score: 27,551, and 289 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 4.34 avg rating — 322,120 ratings score: 26,445, and 273 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich 3.66 avg rating — 196,111 ratings score: 25,579, and 269 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks 4.05 avg rating — 249,593 ratings score: 22,702, and 238 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	A People’s History of the United States: 1492 - Present by Howard Zinn 4.09 avg rating — 269,344 ratings score: 20,905, and 218 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain 4.19 avg rating — 387,188 ratings score: 19,920, and 207 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Columbine by Dave Cullen (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 103,849 ratings score: 19,044, and 199 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi 4.06 avg rating — 155,138 ratings score: 18,827, and 198 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 194,836 ratings score: 18,601, and 195 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall 4.30 avg rating — 236,590 ratings score: 18,053, and 188 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Cosmos by Carl Sagan 4.40 avg rating — 160,847 ratings score: 17,892, and 190 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing 4.46 avg rating — 171,708 ratings score: 16,836, and 179 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester 3.84 avg rating — 122,697 ratings score: 16,797, and 180 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin 4.01 avg rating — 123,086 ratings score: 16,621, and 177 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond 3.94 avg rating — 75,156 ratings score: 16,235, and 173 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis 4.37 avg rating — 464,172 ratings score: 15,886, and 166 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie 4.21 avg rating — 1,167,460 ratings score: 15,458, and 163 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss 3.87 avg rating — 106,662 ratings score: 15,192, and 163 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston 4.16 avg rating — 122,926 ratings score: 15,012, and 160 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 120,634 ratings score: 14,779, and 156 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver 4.05 avg rating — 113,625 ratings score: 14,730, and 154 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Silent Spring by Rachel Carson 4.06 avg rating — 55,842 ratings score: 14,669, and 160 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 4.20 avg rating — 4,247,818 ratings score: 14,561, and 158 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Walden or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau 3.77 avg rating — 206,047 ratings score: 13,469, and 145 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	1776 by David McCullough 4.10 avg rating — 251,145 ratings score: 13,316, and 143 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen 3.97 avg rating — 75,629 ratings score: 12,831, and 137 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 479,590 ratings score: 12,689, and 137 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 119,967 ratings score: 11,649, and 124 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely 4.12 avg rating — 132,036 ratings score: 11,604, and 122 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Trigger: Hunting the Assassin Who Brought the World to War by Tim Butcher (Goodreads Author) 3.81 avg rating — 4,114 ratings score: 11,418, and 118 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 62,802 ratings score: 11,402, and 122 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 119,731 ratings score: 11,387, and 125 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky 3.75 avg rating — 77,813 ratings score: 10,892, and 118 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein 4.30 avg rating — 54,932 ratings score: 10,532, and 111 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (Goodreads Author) 4.46 avg rating — 101,766 ratings score: 10,512, and 108 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer 4.23 avg rating — 150,109 ratings score: 10,223, and 111 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch 4.22 avg rating — 37,363 ratings score: 10,169, and 108 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 123,141 ratings score: 9,937, and 104 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman 4.20 avg rating — 89,954 ratings score: 9,907, and 104 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Chasing the Devil: The Search for Africa's Fighting Spirit by Tim Butcher (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 1,984 ratings score: 9,810, and 101 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee 4.34 avg rating — 116,037 ratings score: 9,580, and 102 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. 4.18 avg rating — 87,545 ratings score: 9,516, and 106 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson 4.07 avg rating — 123,472 ratings score: 9,489, and 108 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 73,666 ratings score: 9,442, and 106 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 4.05 avg rating — 96,442 ratings score: 9,416, and 103 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Moneyball by Michael Lewis 4.27 avg rating — 146,396 ratings score: 9,326, and 101 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown 4.26 avg rating — 103,885 ratings score: 9,267, and 102 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	All the President’s Men by Carl Bernstein 4.18 avg rating — 58,440 ratings score: 9,050, and 99 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts 4.39 avg rating — 29,558 ratings score: 9,033, and 97 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild 4.19 avg rating — 70,688 ratings score: 8,897, and 96 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	The World Without Us by Alan Weisman 3.81 avg rating — 43,600 ratings score: 8,798, and 95 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan 4.29 avg rating — 81,441 ratings score: 8,550, and 91 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 112,452 ratings score: 8,286, and 90 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 222,819 ratings score: 8,187, and 90 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 56,912 ratings score: 8,129, and 86 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey 4.16 avg rating — 831,024 ratings score: 8,117, and 89 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli 3.84 avg rating — 389,052 ratings score: 8,106, and 90 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi 3.66 avg rating — 141,828 ratings score: 7,853, and 87 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe 4.23 avg rating — 56,133 ratings score: 7,710, and 85 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx 3.69 avg rating — 202,999 ratings score: 7,675, and 83 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel 3.99 avg rating — 77,030 ratings score: 7,662, and 86 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach 3.85 avg rating — 60,702 ratings score: 7,389, and 80 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War (Vintage Departures) by Tony Horwitz 4.10 avg rating — 25,668 ratings score: 7,384, and 82 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin 4.28 avg rating — 202,083 ratings score: 7,338, and 82 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 59,899 ratings score: 7,337, and 79 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes And Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 134,730 ratings score: 7,276, and 79 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson 3.91 avg rating — 44,579 ratings score: 7,086, and 78 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.05 avg rating — 44,710 ratings score: 6,797, and 75 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.18 avg rating — 85,882 ratings score: 6,703, and 75 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman 4.17 avg rating — 599,905 ratings score: 6,652, and 72 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang 4.25 avg rating — 55,539 ratings score: 6,560, and 72 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter 4.29 avg rating — 53,077 ratings score: 6,518, and 69 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon 4.35 avg rating — 20,538 ratings score: 6,511, and 68 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 112,642 ratings score: 6,351, and 70 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis 4.30 avg rating — 172,693 ratings score: 6,181, and 67 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson (Goodreads Author) 4.37 avg rating — 37,077 ratings score: 6,075, and 65 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris 4.01 avg rating — 724,328 ratings score: 5,925, and 65 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes 4.40 avg rating — 24,764 ratings score: 5,753, and 62 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman 3.69 avg rating — 102,651 ratings score: 5,740, and 63 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch 4.26 avg rating — 365,847 ratings score: 5,639, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 46,583 ratings score: 5,606, and 63 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs (Goodreads Author) 3.76 avg rating — 29,840 ratings score: 5,510, and 59 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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6,267 books · 8,079 voters · list created June 28th, 2008 by Susan (votes) .

Tags: best, non-fiction

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message 1: by jeff (new)

Aug 17, 2008 07:57AM

Anyone else feel a little troubled by this list?

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message 2: by jeff (new)

Aug 17, 2008 08:03AM

From about #63 on maybe?

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message 3: by Chanel (new)

Aug 21, 2008 04:29PM

What happened to no biography?

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message 4: by Angel (new)

Aug 26, 2008 08:10PM

I am not sure why some folks seem to find this list troubling. Maybe I missed something? For me at least, there are a few titles I would not mind reading, like Salt. But I did wonder, I thought no biographies. What gives? Bourdain's book is (arguably at least) biographical as are a few others. Anyhow, this list this give me an idea or two to pursue later.

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message 5: by Rachel (new)

Dec 14, 2008 11:37PM

Schindler's List is a novel. Pet peeve.

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message 6: by brian (new)

Apr 14, 2009 05:54PM

Im very concerned by this list too.
George Lincoln Rockwell?
I'm all for freedom of expression, but it seems odd to find him on a list with a Jewish Cookbook.

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message 7: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Oct 10, 2009 09:08AM

Caddie Woodlawn? Novel.

The Joy Luck Club? Novel.

I have my doubts about the appropriateness of 84, Charing Cross Road for this list, as well.

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message 8: by Michelle (new)

Oct 27, 2009 02:03AM

Me too. I have read dozens of great non-fiction that do not appear on this list!

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message 9: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Oct 28, 2009 12:25PM

It's easy to add books at the right of the screen.

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message 10: by Jo (new)

Nov 20, 2009 11:38AM

There is some real drivel here...and some good stuff, too. I think we need to pay more attention in putting Marley and Me on the same list as Shockwave. Yes?

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message 11: by e. (new)

Jun 01, 2010 03:08PM

Seems like this list is ALL over the place!

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message 12: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Jun 02, 2010 10:19AM) (new)

Jun 02, 2010 10:18AM

I question the presence of The Odyssey and The Iliad on a non-fiction list.

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message 13: by Foxontherun (new)

Jun 04, 2010 08:52AM

God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS.

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message 14: by [deleted user] (new)

Jun 04, 2010 11:40AM

Foxontherun wrote: "God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS."

It was so entertaining. My friend Mary was able to read her book Stiff but I don't think I am up to that one. Have you read it?

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message 15: by Book (new)

Jun 20, 2010 07:00AM

American History Revised: 200 Startling Facts That Never Made It into the Textbooks
I can not find the listing of this book...

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message 16: by A. Steven (new)

Jun 20, 2010 07:47AM

jeff wrote: "From about #63 on maybe?"

Yeah your right ... #92 really doesn't fit at all.

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message 17: by Xenophon (last edited Jun 21, 2010 05:58PM) (new)

Jun 21, 2010 05:54PM

I've deleted The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley because the list clearly calls for non-biography, and I've deleted The Jungle because it is a novel.

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message 18: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Jun 22, 2010 10:56AM) (new)

Jun 22, 2010 10:53AM

What about The Diary of Anne Frank? Or, for that matter, The Iliad and The Odyssey?

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message 19: by Xenophon (new)

Jun 23, 2010 03:19AM

I've not read The Diary of Anne Frank, so I have no idea how much is biography and how much is observations of the current scene, etc. The librarians here are enjoined from removing items from lists unless the items are clearly wrong, so I'm not willing to stick my neck out.

Similarly, The Iliad and The Odyssey might be considered religious texts. The classical Greeks tended to think of them that way. I'm not about to open the can of worms of calling someone's religious text "fiction."

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message 20: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jun 23, 2010 11:29AM

The two categories that I could slot Anne Frank into are auto-biography and novelized diary.

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message 21: by Marla (new)

Jul 17, 2010 01:40PM

Alice wrote: "Foxontherun wrote: "God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS."

It was so entertaining. My friend Mary was able to read her book Stiff but I don't ..."

my dad gave me stiff for christmas one year--freakin' amazing. but gruesome. be warned. the one book i will not loan out.

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message 22: by Shad (new)

Nov 27, 2010 06:30PM

Marla wrote: "Alice wrote: "Foxontherun wrote: "God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS."

It was so entertaining. My friend Mary was able to read her book Stiff ..."

Sorry to butt in...I loved Stiff. I'm not usually one for such topics but I found it fascinating. Gruesome is a good word. At times I thought I'd have to put it down forever. It's not all that way, though. Now I want to read CandyFreak!

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message 23: by Hannah (new)

Dec 26, 2010 01:40PM

Vote "The Old Way: story of the first people" by elizabeth marshall thomas

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message 24: by [deleted user] (new)

Aug 04, 2011 05:09PM

Please remove Water for Elephants on the first page near the bottom.

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message 25: by [deleted user] (new)

Aug 04, 2011 05:13PM

Angel wrote: "I am not sure why some folks seem to find this list troubling. Maybe I missed something? For me at least, there are a few titles I would not mind reading, like Salt. But I did wonder, I thought no ..."

Salt is very good. I enjoyed it far more than I expected. Hope to vote for it when I find it.

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message 26: by Rc (new)

Aug 11, 2011 07:52AM

deleted user wrote: "Foxontherun wrote: "God I loved CandyFreak (I've met the author several times)...and Mary Roach is a GENIUS."

It was so entertaining. My friend Mary was able to read her book Stiff but I don't ..."

I'm reading Stiff right now. She treats cadavers with as much grace and respect and humor as any of her other subjects, so while there are gruesome moments, those moments aren't uncalled for. If you liked her other books, you'll like this one. I heartily recommend it - except during breakfast.

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message 27: by Amy (new)

Aug 21, 2011 03:09PM

The Kite Runner is fiction.

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message 28: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Aug 21, 2011 03:41PM

Amy wrote: "The Kite Runner is fiction."

Could you remember where it was when you saw it? Make it a lot easier for me to remove it.

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message 29: by Amy (new)

Aug 21, 2011 04:32PM

Susanna wrote: "Amy wrote: "The Kite Runner is fiction."

Could you remember where it was when you saw it? Make it a lot easier for me to remove it."

It's on the second page, #156. Also, The Help, number 266 on page 3 is fiction as well. Both are great books.

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message 30: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Aug 21, 2011 04:45PM

Thanks! I shall go remove them.

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message 31: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Aug 21, 2011 05:00PM

Removed for being fiction:

The Kite Runner
Anne of Green Gables
The Help
Cutting for Stone

Should I remove Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson? And Walter Isaacson's bio of Benjamin Franklin doesn't look kosher, either. King of the World is apparently a bio of Mohammed Ali.

Frankly, I don't know what to make of Mein Kampf being here.

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message 32: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Aug 21, 2011 05:06PM

Also removed Water for Elephants (fiction).

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message 33: by Angelica (new)

Oct 17, 2011 08:53AM

I would consider "A child called It" as a biography. At least the author claims that it is biographical.

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message 34: by whimsicalmeerkat (new)

Nov 12, 2011 09:56AM

277: The Little Prince
268: The Name of the Rose

both of the above are fiction

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message 35: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Nov 12, 2011 09:57AM

Thanks, Dena - I'll remove them.

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message 36: by Eileen (new)

Dec 17, 2011 09:19AM

330 Of mice and men
340 Catcher in the Rye
346 The Lincoln Lawyer
395 The Handmaidens Tale

All are fiction

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message 37: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Dec 17, 2011 10:43AM

Will remove them - thanks for listing the location!

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message 38: by [deleted user] (last edited Dec 17, 2011 11:30AM) (new)

Dec 17, 2011 11:24AM

137 A Room of One's Own ... listed as non-fiction?
178 The Innocents Abroad

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message 39: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Dec 17, 2011 11:36AM

I believe Innocents Abroad is non-fiction (I'm reading it currently, and in the author's note, I believe he explains how most of it was his account for the American papers at the time); haven't read the Woolf.

The note on the Woolf looks complicated; it seems to be half-and-half?

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message 40: by [deleted user] (last edited Dec 17, 2011 12:50PM) (new)

Dec 17, 2011 12:51PM

I couldn't remember about The Innocents (I read it long ago), if it was a fictionalized thing, or not. The Woolf looked complicated to me too. So I guess it's best to leave them, but there are a lot of biographies that should go.

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message 41: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Dec 17, 2011 01:03PM

Well, starting with biographies: what about The Diary of Anne Frank?

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message 42: by [deleted user] (new)

Dec 17, 2011 01:20PM

And Seabiscuit? And Feynman?

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message 43: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Dec 17, 2011 01:43PM) (new)

Dec 17, 2011 01:42PM

For that matter, A Child Called It?

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message 44: by Amara (last edited Feb 21, 2012 07:03PM) (new)

Feb 21, 2012 01:05PM

Fiction Removed:

Jack & Jill by James Patterson
Misery by Stephen King
Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

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message 45: by Taryn (new)

Mar 02, 2012 01:38PM

Some of the books I would question because they simply are not the best non-fiction - on the contrary, they are horrible. But to each her own I guess.

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message 46: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 02, 2012 02:04PM

I need at least 200 votes for this list. LOL

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message 47: by Cricket (new)

May 14, 2012 11:07PM

I know this much is true by Wally Lamb is fiction as well

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message 48: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

May 15, 2012 10:16AM

Where is it on the list?