Here are the ten best nonfiction books I read last year.
10.
Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom
Kai Cheng Thom’s book is a lovely and meditative thing that surprised me with the amount of introspection it brought on. Her experiences as a transgender woman and former sex worker bring a perspective to her writing that’s novel, enlightening, and insightful.
9.
Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman
The amount of access that Bergman had to Israeli officials in reporting this book is incredible. He conducted something like 1,000 interviews for this, and the story paints an alarming picture of how Israel’s leadership assesses threats, collateral damage, and morality.
8.
Number Go Up by Zeke Faux
This is the crypto book that Michael Lewis wishes he’d written. Faux is a funny and ambitious writer, and his accounts of the people and events during the rise and crash of crypto make for a fast and fun read, even if you paid close attention when it was going on.
7.
The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath by Leslie Jamison
Part addiction memoir, part deeply researched nonfiction about literary and arts figures with addictions of their own. The Recovering is insightful, intimate and transformative.
6.
Meet Me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman
An oral history that reads like a novel, Goodman’s Meet Me in the Bathroom recounts a pivotal time in rock and roll, as influenced by music piracy, the death of radio, and September 11. Essential for indie music fans.
5.
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
This should be required reading for everyone around their 18th birthday. Orwell’s adventures in low-paying jobs are matched with his approachable writing, vivid settings and characters in a timeless story of work and poverty. I wish I’d read this many years ago.
4.
Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
Merchant goes deep on the Luddites and how technology and greed dominated the textile industry two hundred years ago, leading to worker exploitation and exacerbating inequality. He dispels myths about the conflict, and shows the parallels between the industrial revolution and today’s tech sector.
3.
Carson McCullers: A Life by Mary V. Dearborn
After reading The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, I became obsessed with Carson McCullers. This detailed and engaging biography shows McCullers as tragic misfit whose challenges with her sexuality and fame led to social and substance issues. It’s heartbreaking and eye-opening.
2.
Happening by Annie Ernaux
In the 1960s France, abortions were illegal. Annie Ernaux had an unexpected pregnancy and this is her memoir of looking for help. It’s shocking and horrifying, and sadly all to relevant today.
1.
Consent by Jill Ciment
This book caused me an existential crisis. I think about it every day. Ciment recounts her relationship with her husband, which started when she was 16 and he was her 46 year old teacher. She examines how changing social mores have affected her views on it, as well as the validity of memory, and our perception of truth.