A great memoir is "Born a crime" by Trevor Noah about his childhood and youth in South Africa. He writes in a humorous tone (great for beginner non fiction readers) but as a reader you learn a lot about the history and society of South Africa. Some of the stories he tells are funny, some are very emotional. Personal experience is mixed with information and his thoughts about certain issues. I've recommended this book a lot and the feedback has always been positive 😊
I was going to recommend the same book. It was such a great read and as a younger South African, it was interesting to see how things have changed since Trevor was a young boy
This book is not a full autobiography per se of Trevor Noah. It's more like a memoir. In this book, Trevor chose to tell his childhood stories growing up in South Africa rather than a full narrative of him - a boy's struggle from South Africa's shanty town into becoming a successful comedian. I believe this book covers the first 20 years of his life. So, for those expecting his journey on how he became a International comedian might be disappointed. Nonetheless, it's a well written, engaging, sometimes funny in some parts and poignant the others. When I bought this book, I was expecting his full journey but to my surprise, I really enjoy reading it. Trevor is wise for his age, and I learned a lot from this book. Highly recommended!
me adding twitter threads into my yearly reading count also I find non fic easier to be interested in reading / helps getting out of a slump (even if sometimes the language is alienatingly academic) bc it is so personal to your interests
The new hairstyle is GIVING, Leonie! I agree with the bell hooks recommendation wholeheartedly as well! I love attaching to specific nonfiction writers and reading everything they’ve got. It’s riskier to pick up a random nonfiction than a regular novel. EDIT: Recommendations - Yuval Noah Harari (Science/History), Rebecca Sonlit (Philosophy/Politics), David Graeber (Anthropology), Susan Sontag (Literary Criticism). Some random favorites of mine, may not be beginner friendly.
I love picking up a celebrity memoir when I hit a non-fiction reading slump! Especially in audiobook form, it feels like a long voice note from a friend where I'm being filled in on all the tea 😂
Also fun fact: I went to a book store to get All About Love after your recommendation. So I showed the name of your book to the bookstore guy and he took one look and said, "That's a really good book. Very good choice." So hey thanks to you I got a compliment on my book choices lol
Books : Trick mirror All about love - her fav Hope in the dark The Tao of Pooh Sarah bakes well at the existentialist cafè I'm glad my mom died - Jeanette McCurdy Cultish Letters to a young poet Come as you are More mentioned : Brading sweetgrass Penguin - great ideas And other non fic publications series Sapiens
If you are new to non-fiction, specifically history, make sure to do research to determine if a book is quality and reliable; university published works are the best in this case, I would completely avoid self-pub lol 13:15 I also had a similar experience with Gun, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond lol
I had the revelation from your intro recently. I love long form video essays and podcasts and realised I was basically listening to nonfiction audiobooks already. I started by picking up the books by my favourite podcast hosts or guests, who are usually there to promote their book in the first place, or the ones my video essayists recommended. I think picking audiobooks has also helped me to get into it when I never thought I would
About self-help books: If you’re like me and you absolutely HATE people preaching about how you should live your life without providing any provable source other than “trust me bro”, I highly recommend If Books Could Kill podcast! They criticize popular airport self-help books. I got to know them from a review on Goodreads and never look back. It’s cathartic listening to people more knowledgeable than me discussing why the things I’ve always hated are problematic.
And I’d highly recommend Oliver Burkeman’s books, either The Antidote or Four Thousand Weeks, if you want to find anti bullshit self help books, debunking other self-help books ! 4000 weeks has literally changed how I approach life and the concept of time. 😊
seeing "i'm glad my mom died" in the thumbnail of this video was the last straw for me; i checked it out at the library, sat down at 9:00am today to start reading, and didn't look up until 2:30pm when it was done. It was insane and so engrossing
My current favourite non fiction is The Wave in the Mind by Ursula K. Le Guin, it's got a great mix of essays on herself growing up, becoming a writer, her beliefs and values, and essays on reading, writing, the literary sphere, and some essays on social issues too! Very well-rounded and has something for every reader.
i come to recommend “braiding sweetgrass” and “gathering moss” by robin wall-kimmerer, she’s amazing. if you have access to audiobooks, she narrates hers and her voice is sooo calming (i found her because of the ologies interview and i got obsessed, i listen to it all of the time -it’s been three years since i first found it and i still do-)
Even if a book is providing scientific information, it should always be taken with a grain of sault. Presenting information in a certain way and omitting studies that don't fit your theory influence the overall message. Not to mention that new studies are published all the time and many theories that were believed in in the past have been proven incorrect now. There are also disputes among scientists, different experts can have different opinions so never treat anything as sacred text and always cross-reference ❤
Thank you for talking about Sapiens. I know it is a very accessible way to get into history/evolution but I have huge issues with how much the author presented his opinions and theories as if they were scientifically proven. There's a lot of questionable things in it, like nudging the idea that "life before settling and agriculture was much better" (it wasn't you died at 20 from a simple flu) or comparing slavery to how we breed animals to eat.
This is exactly what I wanted to say. I've read quite a few critiques of this book by scientists and this consistently comes up. The author has a habit of mixing facts with his own opinions or simply making connections that are not backed up by science. On top of it, some of his beliefs are pretty ethnic supremacist which makes him have visible double standards.
I stopped reading it because there was something that itched me on how much colonialism was brought into play: he made the example of white people bringing feminism around the colonies and that's not really the case 😅
The comparison between slavery and industrial animal breeding is kind of accurate, but yes, the claims about how much agricultural societies were worse off than hunter gatherers is strange.
@Firemast it isn't when it's put as an edgy argument as to why slavery didn't end actually, since we "ensalve cattle". It's a poor comparison that achieves nothing but diminishing centuries of pain against an entirely continent of human beings, specially when it's pretty much the only discussion about slavery in the entire book.
@ At the same time, it’s arguable that keeping beings capable of feeling emotions under as horrible conditions as dairy cows are often kept is indeed a form of slavery. It’s at least fair to ask how much we want to separate animal rights from human rights.
i think nonfiction is my favourite genre when it comes to literature. i think most fiction becomes accessible once you start getting into nf. it slowly integrates itself into your conscious thoughts & decision, bettering them (obv depending upon the nf works one reads. there's abundant senile conservative nf books that should be avoided). apart from that i think, if one takes writing as a medium seriously, they should familiarise themselves with more nf works. even the greatest fantasy authors (le guin, tolkien, grrm, etc) have read political and philosophical works that have influenced that writings, smt p evident in their works! as always, beautiful suggestions (and beautiful hair!).
My favorite nonfiction that I read this year is Flights of Fancy. It's under science and biology and explores how flight has evolved in different animals.
One of my favorite non-fiction books is "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. It basically describes how we are thinking and how that influences our descision making. The author (who has won a nobel price) manages to present topics that seem quite boring (statistics) in a very entertaining way. The whole book is full of examples which the reader can apply to their own life.
Yes, this is a great book! Though be forewarned it does contain math, some of it hard and alluring. Sometimes given a stupid math puzzle I find myself calculating it for the fun of it even tho it's obviously irrelevant to the solution.
The book is full of studies that have low replicablity, some dude with a phd made a website summarizing the % of each chapter & chapter 4 was so low that kahneman himself came forward & acknowledged his mistake lol
@@la8076 Nonetheless, the concept that deep analytical, or 'slow thinking' is more difficult or more stressful than intuitive, or 'fast thinking' was a new way for me to arrive at decisions. Thx
Sapiens is a book that casually plays around with the concept of scientific accuracy by including some scientific facts and the author randomly connecting them to his preferable opinions to reach desirous conclusions. The book has been criticized by several scientists and many of the ideological opinions and conclusive leaps the author has taken have been debunked.
really great video!! would definitely love to hear your more recent thoughts on how you critically read fiction novels, since your videos on dissecting specific stories/tropes are super interesting. sending love ✨️
So I read about 50/50 nonfiction vs fiction. These are some great tips, especially for fiction readers, but I thought I’d add some: 1. Nonfiction books can get really expensive, but your local library likely has a great selection. I would start there if you’re new to nonfiction. 2. Like fiction, there are a lot of specific imprints and indie publishers that only publish in particular categories. I read a lot of environmental/biology/sustainability books, so I’m a big fan of Milkweed Editions (most known for Braiding Sweetgrass) and Island Press. It’s a good way to find more books. 3. You mention checking sources of videos and podcasts, and I 100% agree. I also recommend looking at bibliographies, notes, and sources at the backs of books for more of the same topic. 4. There are non-specialists who can do a good job with certain topics given enough research (especially if they’re consulting with experts, which many people do). Sometimes non-experts can be better in some ways since they tend to be better writers lol (I say this as someone with a STEM degree). There are also people with good credentials who spread misinformation. Reading critiques of books from experts can be helpful regardless - even experts don’t always present contrary opinions fairly. Experts don’t agree about a LOT of things. Reading nonfiction is great though. Especially if you want to be the type of person to insert fun facts into every conversation! Some of my fun facts work better than others though…
07:10 I second this! MIT Press also has a series like that: "MIT Essential Knowledge" series. They focus more on sciencey/tech/poptech introductory topics (AI, computers, some philosophy, astronomy, etc.). I liked the computing one a lot. It's what started my "Computing History" section on my bookshelf!
The first non fiction book (in a looong time) that managed to keep me entertained is "Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution" by Cat Bohannon. The book feels like she is telling you this fascinating story, and you can maximise that feeling with the audiobook she narrates herself. I learned so many things about the female body, and this book sent me down some rabbit holes about the function of the female body. If you're interested about evolution and the inner working of your body, I can't recommend it enough.
OMG This is the earliest I have ever been!!! I love you soo much Leonie!!! Keep doing what you are doing and I wish you all the success in the world😃😄💖💕
I’m a nonfiction MFA student right now and I love my genre so much. There is so much more to nonfiction than the dry-ass textbooks of high school or the academic papers of college. The only difference is nonfiction is bound to “truth,” but, just like fiction, everything else is malleable.
I just started getting into non finction with your suggestions earlier this year! (All about love was such a good recommandation!) This is such a good video to beging exploring this genre! Thank you Leonie 🫶
Love your videos! Would you consider doing a video about how you tend to annotate and tab your books? I have tried to do this in the past but always end up hating how I do it. Maybe I’m too critical of my own thoughts lol
You posted this at the perfect time as I'm getting back into nonfiction this week after not reading it for a while. Thank you!!! Also, I like your new hairstyle. Very cute!
Freedom is a constant struggle! It's a collection of interviews, essays and speeches by Angela Davis on intersectional activism. Since the chapters are only thematically linked and don't directly build on each other, I think it's a great book to keep on your bedside table and read a chapter once in a while.
There are so many really good science non-fiction books styled like a conversation! So easy to digest and super interesting without being content heavy. Here are a few I've picked up: Swamplands by Ed Struzik Eye of the Shoal by Helen Scales Extraordinary Instects by Ann Sverdrup-Thygeson Elephants on Acid by Alex Boese By Hook or By Crook by David Crystal The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth
My fave nonfic recently is "Euclid's Window" by Leonard Mlodinow, about the history of geometry. I never really understood Einstein's field equations until he explained them.
I've never really been that interested in non-fiction but have always wondered why so many people read and love them... Now maybe I can love them too, so ya thank you so much Leonie 💖
come as you are is such a good book! It actually helped me with my self-esteem and feeling good and normal in my body. I think everyone should read it (men too)
Omg thank you, I really needed this! I recently read Cultish as my first non-fiction book and while it was good I had no idea how to rate it or how to feel about it since it was a first... so tysm for explaining how to actually tuink critically about these types of books❤
I think the first non-fiction book that I read after college was The Gun that Changed the World by Mikhail Kalashnikov (yes, that one). It's his memoir as he told it to Elena Joly, who then did the writing. He tells us about his life and how he escaped from exile in Siberia, ended up working as an arms designer, and the fame that came when one of his designs was put into service throughout the Red Army. If it were fiction, I'd describe it as a rags to riches story with a Soviet/communist spin. Beyond that, I've also read Generation Kill by Evan Wright, and One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick. If you're going to read one, I suggest reading both. Generation Kill was written by Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright, who embedded with the First Reconnaissance Battalion of the USMC during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He rode along with one of the lead elements, at times finding himself in the lead vehicle of the entire invasion force. He writes about the events he experienced, as well as the marines around him. One Bullet Away was written by Nate Fick, who was the platoon commander of the unit that Wright was riding with. While he writes about his own experiences in Iraq, he also goes over the rest of his military career, from joining all the way until he got out 4 years later. This includes officer candidate school, a deployment to Afghanistan in 2001, and his training to join the First Recon Battalion.
11:50 reminded me of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck haha, i actually don’t remember if they had sources or not, but it was a dnf for me either way
Dude I personally found that that book was only BS 😂 you can reduce it to: have an issue? Try not giving a f! Nothing subtle about it if u ask me 😅 the podcast "If books could kill" has a great episode about it ! Love that podcast highly recommend it!
I love non-fiction. Among the most memorable ones has to be The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells, which I picked up after seeing you read it. Thank you Leonie for the recommendation.
nonfiction is almost the only thing i read, i feel it just has so much more value than a story that was made up. don't get me wrong, i have some fiction on my shelf but that is mostly stuff i grew up with that is close to my heart and now I mostly stick to things i find more entertaining like learning about real events or dense knowledge
8:40 Pictury books: Head first series for computer stuff, like "Head first Design pattern" is really great if you like computers! Otherwise I recommend Dictator's handbook! One of the few books I have really read from first to last page.
I've found a lot of nonfiction that I've liked through podcasts! Like when a guest comes on to talk about a topic and then it turns out they have a book. I find the podcast episode can be a quick taste test. That's how I first found out about I'm Glad My Mom Died, and also also Doppelganger: Into the Mirror World, and a few others I really ended up enjoying Edit: the podcasts I've watched or listened to that I've found great recs through are Adam Connover's, Matt Bernstein's, and The Financial Diet.
I've never read nonfiction as i think they're boring but the beginning part of this video really opened my eyes! I absolutely love commentary videos/pop culture video essays and some podcasts. Which yes, true, they are indeed a form of non fiction! How did i never make that connection? So yes going to start reading the non fiction books i have, thanks for the push i needed 😭
My favorite non-fiction book is one that completely surprised me with how much I enjoyed it: The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. I was never super interested in biology, much less marine biology, but picked it up on a whim and loved it. I also love octopuses now 😁
Very specific, since I've read this in the context of an American Life Writing class, but I highly recommend Frederick Douglass' "Autobiography of an American Slave", if you're interest in getting to know the topic and understanding what happened. I think it's about 170 pages - so not a very long read. It's very heavy, so make sure you know what you're getting into! Another, shorter book I'd recommend is the essay collection "Dark Days" by James Baldwin! Again, make sure you check the topics discussed, before getting into it. And my most recent read was "Collaborating with the Enemy: How to work with people you don't agree with or like or trust" by Adam Kahane - also comparatively short (about 140 pages?) with interesting takes on how to make unfavorable group dynamics work!
University bookstores are a good place to find non-fiction books too. Some of them will be much more like textbooks, but others would be written for the general public and likely assigned for intro level courses in a variety of liberal arts departments.
My favorite non-fiction memoirs are Bruce Campbell's books. He puts in so much filmmaking information, fun stories, and life experiences that it keeps me very engaged. His audiobooks are awesome too. He always makes little asides during his readings that really add to his stories. He also does some rerecordings every so often to add even more context and fun stories. If you have any interest in filmmaking I highly recommend his books and audiobooks.
SCIENCE: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (Highly recommend the audiobook the author has an amazing voice) Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum Radium Girls by Kate Moore Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty (Audible membership, free) ENVIRONMENTALISM: Inconspicuous Consumption by Tatiana Schlossberg FOOD: A Bite-Sized History of France by Stephane Henaut (Audible membership, free) Rice, Noodle, Fish by Matt Goulding (Audible membership, free) Grape, Olive, Pig by Matt Goulding (Audible membership, free) Pasta, Pane, Vino by Matt Goulding (Audible membership, free) Cultured: A World History of Cheese by Janet Fletcher (Audible Great Courses Series, free) HISTORY: The House of Wisdom by Jim Al-Khalili (Audible membership, free) The History of Ancient Egypt by Bob Brier (Audible Great Courses Series, free) Ancient Mesopotamia by Professor Amanda H. Podany (Audible Great Courses Series, free)
really want to recommend rachel aviv’s ”strangers to ourselves” which is about mental illness and and how labels shape us. I’m reading it now and it’s amazing. it’s a mix of essay and reportage, really moving at thought provoking so far
I love non fiction. My favorites this year are very beginner friendly I think. "Waypoints" by Sam Heughan is a great pick if you like memoirs, Outlander, or the outdoors (or all 3). Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap is a great resource for anyone who feels they are two dumb or don't know anything about money or even if you're in a budgeting rut. This changed my life in so many ways. It is based in American financial structure but maybe the principles could be applied elsewhere.
I remember my introduction to non-fiction was Becoming by Michelle Obama, followed by I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing by Maya Angelou, and at first I was intimidated because I'm not sure what to expect. But I find easy to read memoirs or biographies like reading fiction novels. My brain just creates imagery about the stories shared by the writers. Most impacting non fiction for me is All About Love by Bell Hooks. I judged it at first because I thought "ah another book about love yeah" but boy was I wrong. I always describe reading that book as "you know a scab from your wound you took out because you thought it's dry and already healing underneath...? but then you pluck up the scab and there was fresh blood still...?" that's All About Love to me. I thought I already knew self love, self growth, and healing, but that book made me confront things I needed to acknowledge. Letters to A Young Poet is a great read too, such short novel but the visceral feeling I had with that book is still vivid. You mentioned that you're into feminist side of non fiction so I would really like to recommend A Brief History of Misogyny (written by a guy, the irony) but it was a gateway for me to really point out how patriarchy is deep rooted in us. A Room of One's Own is a favorite read of mine! Virginia Woolf let me give you a hug!! Ok. this is an essay now 😅
I didn't read "the existentialist cafe", but the way you tell about it, it reminds me of "Sofie's world ("de wereld van Sofie") which I really recommend. It's about a girl named Sofie and how she walks through the book meeting great philosophers and weird philosophic topics
I’m taking this video as an opportunity to recommend Thunder Song by Sasha LaPointe. It’s a beautiful and highly personal collection of essays on her experiences as an indigenous american (Coast Salish) woman, punk, and queer person that I read recently and can’t stop thinking about!!
I am only just starting to try to insert some non-fiction into my reading habits, and I can't recommend reading non-fiction about your interests enough. It's a great/perfect way to break in. There are books about everything. Some great stuff about video games out there, every iconic band or artist has at least one or two, books about books, and on, and on. You can watch as many youtube essays (and they are great) as you want but you can only get that kind of insane depth in a long form book.
The two I recommend to anyone interested in politics/power/leadership/savyness are The Art of War and The Prince, in that order, then Plato is highly recommendable as well.
I was reading a book about cults and it heavily referenced "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion". I decided to give it a try and that was by far one of the best non-fiction boos I've ever read. I think the universal appeal of this book is due to the fact that everyone has fallen pray to the techniques described in the book at least once in their life Another interesting albeit less known book is "Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve" which analyses fiction literature from standpoint of statistics and what kind of unexpected results it can have
The first two books my friends and I buddy-read were nonfiction. We loved it so much, after we read a fiction book, we decided to go back to a nonfiction book again 😂❤❤ I’m also lending my friend a non-fiction book to my friend with a bunch of sticky notes with my thoughts in them and told her to leave her own notes when she finishes 😂🎉
I love a good non-fiction book, but I rarely see these discussed on BookTube. Great video! Especially the tips for how to engage with & critically think about the non-fiction you are reading.
Three favorite non-fiction books are: "The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World" by Steven Johnson (published pre-Covid); "Macbeth: A True Story" by Fiona Watson; and "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.
A few of my favorite non-fiction books are: The Book of Joy by the 14th Dali Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu - basically about how to find joy in suffering via narratives Soul Boom by Rainn Wilson (yes, dwight from the office lol) - discussing different religions and what they have in common and other historical aspects - very easy and fun to read The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter - about how humans are too comfortable and need to push and challenge themselves to grow and find fulfillment- research backed with narrative storytelling
I know when it comes to me, history (well more prehistory study than anything) is always an interesting subject to read for me. I blame reading the Horrible History books as a kid. And rereading some of them as an adult… and still wanting to read more of them as an adult.
Can't believe TH-cam kept this from me for 2 minutes
9 hours 😔
3 days😭
5 days :(
2 weeks 😂
3 weeks for me
A great memoir is "Born a crime" by Trevor Noah about his childhood and youth in South Africa. He writes in a humorous tone (great for beginner non fiction readers) but as a reader you learn a lot about the history and society of South Africa. Some of the stories he tells are funny, some are very emotional. Personal experience is mixed with information and his thoughts about certain issues.
I've recommended this book a lot and the feedback has always been positive 😊
I was going to recommend the same book. It was such a great read and as a younger South African, it was interesting to see how things have changed since Trevor was a young boy
I read it! It was so good❤
The audiobook is so good!
My mom read that and was constantly telling me things about it
This book is not a full autobiography per se of Trevor Noah. It's more like a memoir. In this book, Trevor chose to tell his childhood stories growing up in South Africa rather than a full narrative of him - a boy's struggle from South Africa's shanty town into becoming a successful comedian. I believe this book covers the first 20 years of his life. So, for those expecting his journey on how he became a International comedian might be disappointed. Nonetheless, it's a well written, engaging, sometimes funny in some parts and poignant the others. When I bought this book, I was expecting his full journey but to my surprise, I really enjoy reading it. Trevor is wise for his age, and I learned a lot from this book. Highly recommended!
me adding twitter threads into my yearly reading count
also I find non fic easier to be interested in reading / helps getting out of a slump (even if sometimes the language is alienatingly academic) bc it is so personal to your interests
The new hairstyle is GIVING, Leonie!
I agree with the bell hooks recommendation wholeheartedly as well! I love attaching to specific nonfiction writers and reading everything they’ve got. It’s riskier to pick up a random nonfiction than a regular novel.
EDIT: Recommendations - Yuval Noah Harari (Science/History), Rebecca Sonlit (Philosophy/Politics), David Graeber (Anthropology), Susan Sontag (Literary Criticism). Some random favorites of mine, may not be beginner friendly.
I love picking up a celebrity memoir when I hit a non-fiction reading slump! Especially in audiobook form, it feels like a long voice note from a friend where I'm being filled in on all the tea 😂
Also fun fact: I went to a book store to get All About Love after your recommendation. So I showed the name of your book to the bookstore guy and he took one look and said, "That's a really good book. Very good choice." So hey thanks to you I got a compliment on my book choices lol
Omg, I definitely wasn't ready to see Cari and Lexi in Leonie's videos anytime❤
"I'm Glad My Mom Died" is my favorite memoir I've read!
Books :
Trick mirror
All about love - her fav
Hope in the dark
The Tao of Pooh
Sarah bakes well at the existentialist cafè
I'm glad my mom died - Jeanette McCurdy
Cultish
Letters to a young poet
Come as you are
More mentioned :
Brading sweetgrass
Penguin - great ideas
And other non fic publications series
Sapiens
If you are new to non-fiction, specifically history, make sure to do research to determine if a book is quality and reliable; university published works are the best in this case, I would completely avoid self-pub lol
13:15 I also had a similar experience with Gun, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond lol
I love that you featured Lexi. She's hilarious, kind, and educated in her thoughts.
I had the revelation from your intro recently. I love long form video essays and podcasts and realised I was basically listening to nonfiction audiobooks already. I started by picking up the books by my favourite podcast hosts or guests, who are usually there to promote their book in the first place, or the ones my video essayists recommended. I think picking audiobooks has also helped me to get into it when I never thought I would
About self-help books: If you’re like me and you absolutely HATE people preaching about how you should live your life without providing any provable source other than “trust me bro”, I highly recommend If Books Could Kill podcast! They criticize popular airport self-help books.
I got to know them from a review on Goodreads and never look back. It’s cathartic listening to people more knowledgeable than me discussing why the things I’ve always hated are problematic.
And I’d highly recommend Oliver Burkeman’s books, either The Antidote or Four Thousand Weeks, if you want to find anti bullshit self help books, debunking other self-help books ! 4000 weeks has literally changed how I approach life and the concept of time. 😊
That podcast is good, but I sometimes feel like they overdo the nitpicking. But they are correct in most of their criticisms.
seeing "i'm glad my mom died" in the thumbnail of this video was the last straw for me; i checked it out at the library, sat down at 9:00am today to start reading, and didn't look up until 2:30pm when it was done. It was insane and so engrossing
It is soo good!
My current favourite non fiction is The Wave in the Mind by Ursula K. Le Guin, it's got a great mix of essays on herself growing up, becoming a writer, her beliefs and values, and essays on reading, writing, the literary sphere, and some essays on social issues too! Very well-rounded and has something for every reader.
ahh interesting. i am currently reading the left hand of darkness by her. enjoying it so far.
@sophieismyname I loved that book, she's one of my favourite authors! I like how big she can think and how well she articulates herself 😊
i come to recommend “braiding sweetgrass” and “gathering moss” by robin wall-kimmerer, she’s amazing. if you have access to audiobooks, she narrates hers and her voice is sooo calming (i found her because of the ologies interview and i got obsessed, i listen to it all of the time -it’s been three years since i first found it and i still do-)
Even if a book is providing scientific information, it should always be taken with a grain of sault. Presenting information in a certain way and omitting studies that don't fit your theory influence the overall message. Not to mention that new studies are published all the time and many theories that were believed in in the past have been proven incorrect now. There are also disputes among scientists, different experts can have different opinions so never treat anything as sacred text and always cross-reference ❤
This video is so useful, I'd love to get into more non-fiction!
Thank you for talking about Sapiens. I know it is a very accessible way to get into history/evolution but I have huge issues with how much the author presented his opinions and theories as if they were scientifically proven. There's a lot of questionable things in it, like nudging the idea that "life before settling and agriculture was much better" (it wasn't you died at 20 from a simple flu) or comparing slavery to how we breed animals to eat.
This is exactly what I wanted to say. I've read quite a few critiques of this book by scientists and this consistently comes up. The author has a habit of mixing facts with his own opinions or simply making connections that are not backed up by science. On top of it, some of his beliefs are pretty ethnic supremacist which makes him have visible double standards.
I stopped reading it because there was something that itched me on how much colonialism was brought into play: he made the example of white people bringing feminism around the colonies and that's not really the case 😅
The comparison between slavery and industrial animal breeding is kind of accurate, but yes, the claims about how much agricultural societies were worse off than hunter gatherers is strange.
@Firemast it isn't when it's put as an edgy argument as to why slavery didn't end actually, since we "ensalve cattle". It's a poor comparison that achieves nothing but diminishing centuries of pain against an entirely continent of human beings, specially when it's pretty much the only discussion about slavery in the entire book.
@ At the same time, it’s arguable that keeping beings capable of feeling emotions under as horrible conditions as dairy cows are often kept is indeed a form of slavery. It’s at least fair to ask how much we want to separate animal rights from human rights.
Loved the crossover event with all my fav creators right at the start haha
Joan Didion will be forever the best non-fiction pick for me. Absolutely adore her!!!
i think nonfiction is my favourite genre when it comes to literature. i think most fiction becomes accessible once you start getting into nf. it slowly integrates itself into your conscious thoughts & decision, bettering them (obv depending upon the nf works one reads. there's abundant senile conservative nf books that should be avoided). apart from that i think, if one takes writing as a medium seriously, they should familiarise themselves with more nf works. even the greatest fantasy authors (le guin, tolkien, grrm, etc) have read political and philosophical works that have influenced that writings, smt p evident in their works!
as always, beautiful suggestions (and beautiful hair!).
My favorite nonfiction that I read this year is Flights of Fancy. It's under science and biology and explores how flight has evolved in different animals.
Exactly the literary guide I needed to push me into reading more nonfiction, ur videos are always so interesting! TYSM ❤❤❤
One of my favorite non-fiction books is "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. It basically describes how we are thinking and how that influences our descision making. The author (who has won a nobel price) manages to present topics that seem quite boring (statistics) in a very entertaining way. The whole book is full of examples which the reader can apply to their own life.
Yes, this is a great book! Though be forewarned it does contain math, some of it hard and alluring. Sometimes given a stupid math puzzle I find myself calculating it for the fun of it even tho it's obviously irrelevant to the solution.
The book is full of studies that have low replicablity, some dude with a phd made a website summarizing the % of each chapter & chapter 4 was so low that kahneman himself came forward & acknowledged his mistake lol
@@la8076 Nonetheless, the concept that deep analytical, or 'slow thinking' is more difficult or more stressful than intuitive, or 'fast thinking' was a new way for me to arrive at decisions. Thx
Sapiens is a book that casually plays around with the concept of scientific accuracy by including some scientific facts and the author randomly connecting them to his preferable opinions to reach desirous conclusions. The book has been criticized by several scientists and many of the ideological opinions and conclusive leaps the author has taken have been debunked.
really great video!! would definitely love to hear your more recent thoughts on how you critically read fiction novels, since your videos on dissecting specific stories/tropes are super interesting. sending love ✨️
I've read so many self help books over the last 20 years it's unreal 😂 your guide seems really sound, thank you for sharing!
I love medical non fiction books like The Emperor of all Maladies, The Gene, The Butchering Art, etc. Awesome video.
So I read about 50/50 nonfiction vs fiction. These are some great tips, especially for fiction readers, but I thought I’d add some:
1. Nonfiction books can get really expensive, but your local library likely has a great selection. I would start there if you’re new to nonfiction.
2. Like fiction, there are a lot of specific imprints and indie publishers that only publish in particular categories. I read a lot of environmental/biology/sustainability books, so I’m a big fan of Milkweed Editions (most known for Braiding Sweetgrass) and Island Press. It’s a good way to find more books.
3. You mention checking sources of videos and podcasts, and I 100% agree. I also recommend looking at bibliographies, notes, and sources at the backs of books for more of the same topic.
4. There are non-specialists who can do a good job with certain topics given enough research (especially if they’re consulting with experts, which many people do). Sometimes non-experts can be better in some ways since they tend to be better writers lol (I say this as someone with a STEM degree). There are also people with good credentials who spread misinformation. Reading critiques of books from experts can be helpful regardless - even experts don’t always present contrary opinions fairly. Experts don’t agree about a LOT of things.
Reading nonfiction is great though. Especially if you want to be the type of person to insert fun facts into every conversation! Some of my fun facts work better than others though…
Love the lighting of this video! And also that you are talking about a topic that isn't mentioned typically on booktube
07:10 I second this! MIT Press also has a series like that: "MIT Essential Knowledge" series. They focus more on sciencey/tech/poptech introductory topics (AI, computers, some philosophy, astronomy, etc.). I liked the computing one a lot. It's what started my "Computing History" section on my bookshelf!
The first non fiction book (in a looong time) that managed to keep me entertained is "Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution" by Cat Bohannon. The book feels like she is telling you this fascinating story, and you can maximise that feeling with the audiobook she narrates herself.
I learned so many things about the female body, and this book sent me down some rabbit holes about the function of the female body. If you're interested about evolution and the inner working of your body, I can't recommend it enough.
OMG This is the earliest I have ever been!!! I love you soo much Leonie!!! Keep doing what you are doing and I wish you all the success in the world😃😄💖💕
I just love your content and ideas. Your videos are unlike anyone else on this platform. Grateful for you!!
As a Social Studies teacher, I am a hardcore nonfiction reader! Love it! Always good to see/hear you, Leonie! Hope you are well!
I’m a nonfiction MFA student right now and I love my genre so much. There is so much more to nonfiction than the dry-ass textbooks of high school or the academic papers of college. The only difference is nonfiction is bound to “truth,” but, just like fiction, everything else is malleable.
I just started getting into non finction with your suggestions earlier this year! (All about love was such a good recommandation!) This is such a good video to beging exploring this genre! Thank you Leonie 🫶
One of my favorites is Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch. So fascinating and fun to read!
Can you do a beginner's guide to fiction books for people who only read non-fictional books
i love jumping in between fiction and non fiction books, i hope you will share more in the future!
It’s like you’ve been reading my mind! I really want to read many non fiction books in 2025!
All my fav TH-camrs are posting today ❤❤ Love your vidsss
Love your videos! Would you consider doing a video about how you tend to annotate and tab your books? I have tried to do this in the past but always end up hating how I do it. Maybe I’m too critical of my own thoughts lol
You posted this at the perfect time as I'm getting back into nonfiction this week after not reading it for a while. Thank you!!! Also, I like your new hairstyle. Very cute!
Freedom is a constant struggle! It's a collection of interviews, essays and speeches by Angela Davis on intersectional activism. Since the chapters are only thematically linked and don't directly build on each other, I think it's a great book to keep on your bedside table and read a chapter once in a while.
just a week or so ago i was thinking about how i wanted to start reading more nonfiction. great timing!
There are so many really good science non-fiction books styled like a conversation! So easy to digest and super interesting without being content heavy.
Here are a few I've picked up:
Swamplands by Ed Struzik
Eye of the Shoal by Helen Scales
Extraordinary Instects by Ann Sverdrup-Thygeson
Elephants on Acid by Alex Boese
By Hook or By Crook by David Crystal
The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth
My fave nonfic recently is "Euclid's Window" by Leonard Mlodinow, about the history of geometry. I never really understood Einstein's field equations until he explained them.
I can't believe TH-cam hid this amazing content from me! I'm a new follower of your channel and the content is more than amazing
It's so nice to discover that Leonie watches the same youtubers 😊
Your videos are like therapy leonie ❤
Omg lexi and cari I love them
I've never really been that interested in non-fiction but have always wondered why so many people read and love them... Now maybe I can love them too, so ya thank you so much Leonie 💖
Yes, I agree: Part of my satisfaction with BookTube is that which you describe as non-fiction. I like intelligent input, so Thx!
It's so good to see that we like the same books! I've read/ have been wanting to read almost all the books you recommended!
gotta say that eye liner is so gorgeous 🌟
just as i was thinking to start reading non-fiction, u posted this! love u leonie!
Braiding sweetgrass is so SO beautiful!!!
come as you are is such a good book! It actually helped me with my self-esteem and feeling good and normal in my body. I think everyone should read it (men too)
constantly impressed with your recommendation
Leonieeeee I love love LOVE your videos!! I hope you are proud of yourself!! ❤❤❤❤
I love braiding sweetgrass! Great pick :)
Omg thank you, I really needed this! I recently read Cultish as my first non-fiction book and while it was good I had no idea how to rate it or how to feel about it since it was a first... so tysm for explaining how to actually tuink critically about these types of books❤
I think the first non-fiction book that I read after college was The Gun that Changed the World by Mikhail Kalashnikov (yes, that one). It's his memoir as he told it to Elena Joly, who then did the writing. He tells us about his life and how he escaped from exile in Siberia, ended up working as an arms designer, and the fame that came when one of his designs was put into service throughout the Red Army. If it were fiction, I'd describe it as a rags to riches story with a Soviet/communist spin.
Beyond that, I've also read Generation Kill by Evan Wright, and One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick. If you're going to read one, I suggest reading both.
Generation Kill was written by Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright, who embedded with the First Reconnaissance Battalion of the USMC during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He rode along with one of the lead elements, at times finding himself in the lead vehicle of the entire invasion force. He writes about the events he experienced, as well as the marines around him.
One Bullet Away was written by Nate Fick, who was the platoon commander of the unit that Wright was riding with. While he writes about his own experiences in Iraq, he also goes over the rest of his military career, from joining all the way until he got out 4 years later. This includes officer candidate school, a deployment to Afghanistan in 2001, and his training to join the First Recon Battalion.
11:50 reminded me of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck haha, i actually don’t remember if they had sources or not, but it was a dnf for me either way
Dude I personally found that that book was only BS 😂 you can reduce it to: have an issue? Try not giving a f! Nothing subtle about it if u ask me 😅 the podcast "If books could kill" has a great episode about it ! Love that podcast highly recommend it!
I never read non-fiction, but you boosted me to do it when you said how we already consume non-fiction! Thank you for that and for the tips!
I love non-fiction. Among the most memorable ones has to be The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells, which I picked up after seeing you read it. Thank you Leonie for the recommendation.
Your hair is so gorgeous!
nonfiction is almost the only thing i read, i feel it just has so much more value than a story that was made up. don't get me wrong, i have some fiction on my shelf but that is mostly stuff i grew up with that is close to my heart and now I mostly stick to things i find more entertaining like learning about real events or dense knowledge
8:40 Pictury books: Head first series for computer stuff, like "Head first Design pattern" is really great if you like computers! Otherwise I recommend Dictator's handbook! One of the few books I have really read from first to last page.
Watching this while having a latte and some tiramisu is immaculate vibes.
I've found a lot of nonfiction that I've liked through podcasts! Like when a guest comes on to talk about a topic and then it turns out they have a book. I find the podcast episode can be a quick taste test. That's how I first found out about I'm Glad My Mom Died, and also also Doppelganger: Into the Mirror World, and a few others I really ended up enjoying
Edit: the podcasts I've watched or listened to that I've found great recs through are Adam Connover's, Matt Bernstein's, and The Financial Diet.
I've never read nonfiction as i think they're boring but the beginning part of this video really opened my eyes! I absolutely love commentary videos/pop culture video essays and some podcasts. Which yes, true, they are indeed a form of non fiction! How did i never make that connection?
So yes going to start reading the non fiction books i have, thanks for the push i needed 😭
My favorite non-fiction book is one that completely surprised me with how much I enjoyed it: The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. I was never super interested in biology, much less marine biology, but picked it up on a whim and loved it. I also love octopuses now 😁
Thank you for that wonderful video ! I really love when you talk about non fiction books :)
Very specific, since I've read this in the context of an American Life Writing class, but I highly recommend Frederick Douglass' "Autobiography of an American Slave", if you're interest in getting to know the topic and understanding what happened. I think it's about 170 pages - so not a very long read. It's very heavy, so make sure you know what you're getting into!
Another, shorter book I'd recommend is the essay collection "Dark Days" by James Baldwin! Again, make sure you check the topics discussed, before getting into it.
And my most recent read was "Collaborating with the Enemy: How to work with people you don't agree with or like or trust" by Adam Kahane - also comparatively short (about 140 pages?) with interesting takes on how to make unfavorable group dynamics work!
SO glad you mentioned come as you are, my favourite book of 2023
I love picking up a biography from time to time, I absolutely loved "I'm glad my mom died" as well as for example "Beyond the wand"
Yes, I've heard only good things about the McCurdy memoir.
My two favorite nonfiction books are Just Mercy and Invisible Women. Both phenomenal and life changing.
University bookstores are a good place to find non-fiction books too. Some of them will be much more like textbooks, but others would be written for the general public and likely assigned for intro level courses in a variety of liberal arts departments.
My favorite non-fiction memoirs are Bruce Campbell's books. He puts in so much filmmaking information, fun stories, and life experiences that it keeps me very engaged. His audiobooks are awesome too. He always makes little asides during his readings that really add to his stories. He also does some rerecordings every so often to add even more context and fun stories. If you have any interest in filmmaking I highly recommend his books and audiobooks.
SCIENCE:
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (Highly recommend the audiobook the author has an amazing voice)
Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum
Radium Girls by Kate Moore
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty (Audible membership, free)
ENVIRONMENTALISM:
Inconspicuous Consumption by Tatiana Schlossberg
FOOD:
A Bite-Sized History of France by Stephane Henaut (Audible membership, free)
Rice, Noodle, Fish by Matt Goulding (Audible membership, free)
Grape, Olive, Pig by Matt Goulding (Audible membership, free)
Pasta, Pane, Vino by Matt Goulding (Audible membership, free)
Cultured: A World History of Cheese by Janet Fletcher (Audible Great Courses Series, free)
HISTORY:
The House of Wisdom by Jim Al-Khalili (Audible membership, free)
The History of Ancient Egypt by Bob Brier (Audible Great Courses Series, free)
Ancient Mesopotamia by Professor Amanda H. Podany (Audible Great Courses Series, free)
would love to see one for classics as welll!!
thank you for this
really want to recommend rachel aviv’s ”strangers to ourselves” which is about mental illness and and how labels shape us. I’m reading it now and it’s amazing. it’s a mix of essay and reportage, really moving at thought provoking so far
I love non fiction. My favorites this year are very beginner friendly I think. "Waypoints" by Sam Heughan is a great pick if you like memoirs, Outlander, or the outdoors (or all 3). Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap is a great resource for anyone who feels they are two dumb or don't know anything about money or even if you're in a budgeting rut. This changed my life in so many ways. It is based in American financial structure but maybe the principles could be applied elsewhere.
I remember my introduction to non-fiction was Becoming by Michelle Obama, followed by I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing by Maya Angelou, and at first I was intimidated because I'm not sure what to expect. But I find easy to read memoirs or biographies like reading fiction novels. My brain just creates imagery about the stories shared by the writers.
Most impacting non fiction for me is All About Love by Bell Hooks. I judged it at first because I thought "ah another book about love yeah" but boy was I wrong. I always describe reading that book as "you know a scab from your wound you took out because you thought it's dry and already healing underneath...? but then you pluck up the scab and there was fresh blood still...?" that's All About Love to me. I thought I already knew self love, self growth, and healing, but that book made me confront things I needed to acknowledge.
Letters to A Young Poet is a great read too, such short novel but the visceral feeling I had with that book is still vivid.
You mentioned that you're into feminist side of non fiction so I would really like to recommend A Brief History of Misogyny (written by a guy, the irony) but it was a gateway for me to really point out how patriarchy is deep rooted in us. A Room of One's Own is a favorite read of mine! Virginia Woolf let me give you a hug!!
Ok. this is an essay now 😅
additional: I'm currently reading The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, another great non fiction book!
If you like Simone De Beauvoir and Amia Srinivasan i really recommend Manon Garcia's work!
I didn't read "the existentialist cafe", but the way you tell about it, it reminds me of "Sofie's world ("de wereld van Sofie") which I really recommend. It's about a girl named Sofie and how she walks through the book meeting great philosophers and weird philosophic topics
I’m taking this video as an opportunity to recommend Thunder Song by Sasha LaPointe. It’s a beautiful and highly personal collection of essays on her experiences as an indigenous american (Coast Salish) woman, punk, and queer person that I read recently and can’t stop thinking about!!
I am only just starting to try to insert some non-fiction into my reading habits, and I can't recommend reading non-fiction about your interests enough. It's a great/perfect way to break in. There are books about everything. Some great stuff about video games out there, every iconic band or artist has at least one or two, books about books, and on, and on. You can watch as many youtube essays (and they are great) as you want but you can only get that kind of insane depth in a long form book.
That haircut looks so so so cute on you, Leonie 🥰🥰 I actually want to start reading non-fiction in 2025 so this is the perfect video!
The two I recommend to anyone interested in politics/power/leadership/savyness are The Art of War and The Prince, in that order, then Plato is highly recommendable as well.
I was reading a book about cults and it heavily referenced "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion". I decided to give it a try and that was by far one of the best non-fiction boos I've ever read. I think the universal appeal of this book is due to the fact that everyone has fallen pray to the techniques described in the book at least once in their life
Another interesting albeit less known book is "Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve" which analyses fiction literature from standpoint of statistics and what kind of unexpected results it can have
The first two books my friends and I buddy-read were nonfiction. We loved it so much, after we read a fiction book, we decided to go back to a nonfiction book again 😂❤❤
I’m also lending my friend a non-fiction book to my friend with a bunch of sticky notes with my thoughts in them and told her to leave her own notes when she finishes 😂🎉
I love a good non-fiction book, but I rarely see these discussed on BookTube. Great video! Especially the tips for how to engage with & critically think about the non-fiction you are reading.
Three favorite non-fiction books are: "The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World" by Steven Johnson (published pre-Covid); "Macbeth: A True Story" by Fiona Watson; and "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.
A few of my favorite non-fiction books are:
The Book of Joy by the 14th Dali Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu - basically about how to find joy in suffering via narratives
Soul Boom by Rainn Wilson (yes, dwight from the office lol) - discussing different religions and what they have in common and other historical aspects - very easy and fun to read
The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter - about how humans are too comfortable and need to push and challenge themselves to grow and find fulfillment- research backed with narrative storytelling
I know when it comes to me, history (well more prehistory study than anything) is always an interesting subject to read for me.
I blame reading the Horrible History books as a kid. And rereading some of them as an adult… and still wanting to read more of them as an adult.
Keep on this, i can say it's my favorite video I liked the topic