Five Favorites- Nonfiction

I love nonfiction. Despite this, I don't really reach for it a lot, and my nonfiction favorites have pretty much stayed the same since I first started seriously reading the genre. In fact, I kinda wish I could add more than five to this list, because if I could books like Dave Cullen's Columbine or Elie Wiesel's Night or even Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain's Please Kill Me would make the list. But alas, it must only be five. 

So here are my five favorites in nonfiction, in no particular order.

1. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

   This is not only my favorite nonfiction novel, but also one of my favorite books of all time. I know this isn't the most factual book ever, and a lot is switched around or fabricated for the sake of the story, but I loved it regardless. The characters, the mystery, the fact that it takes place in one of my favorite cities ever all make this book a really, really great read. It's about a New York journalist who falls in love with the city of Savannah, Georgia, and ends up temporarily moving there, meeting all these unusual people and ends up getting involved with a crime taking place there. It's at times both sad and laugh out loud funny, and has such a diverse cast of characters, including The Grand Empress of Savannah, The Lady Chablis, who unfortunately died last September. 

2. The Diary of a Young Girl (definitive edition) by Anne Frank

   Of course the diary of Anne Frank would have to be on this list. I read this one when I was about 12 or 13, because my mom told me to. I didn't feel compelled to pick it up until my seventh grade class read her diary without actually reading it if you can believe that and my mother told me I should read the actual book. And I really, really loved it. It's not really a preachy or moralistic book about loving everyone, the way those selected quotes from it might make you think. In fact, reading her book kind of brings her back down to Earth. She isn't some legendary, visionary girl. Instead, she's a teenager, a girl who's sometimes moody, sometimes funny, sometimes insightful. I was surprised by how deeply I could relate to her diary, to the loneliness she felt and her longings for a best friend or a boyfriend. If anyone is curious at all into the inner workings of the mind of a teenage girl, they should read this novel. I specified the edition I own and love because it's the book that mirrors her own edits of the book as opposed to the ones done by her father, which heavily censored many aspects of the diary. If you haven't read this book yet, please do.

3. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

   Little known fact about me, Truman Capote is one of my favorite authors. He is the master of the short story, and Breakfast at Tiffany's is a novella I hold dear to my heart- I'd recommend it provided you don't hold any particular attachment to the movie. Truman Capote is also a pretty interesting guy himself, and the backstory behind In Cold Blood has filled books and provided fodder for two pretty phenomenal movies (of those Capote is the deeper, better movie, but Infamous is worth watching for a more skin deep take on the story- and also for the sheer amount of talent in that movie: Sandra Bullock, one of the James Bond guys, Isabella Rossellini, etc). But anyway, In Cold Blood. This book is a must read for any true crime fan, a phenomenal exploration into the minds of two criminals who killed a family in Kansas for fifty bucks. The horrors of their crimes are not shied away from, but there is an undeniably human side to them portrayed. This is a truly revolutionary work, and one many crime novels have endeavored to emulate. Again, any nonfiction lover, and especially nonfiction crime enthusiast, should read this book. 

4. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

   This appears to be Bill Bryson's least known book, which depresses me. I'm not one for memoirs, but this book is truly wonderful. It's about Bryson growing up in the 50s in Des Moines, Iowa, and is both educational and personal. It's one of the funniest books I've ever read- my mother and I quote still quote from it- including one of my favorite scenes in the history of literature- I'd type it here, but it involves a racial slur- thought NOT IN A RACIST CONTEXT. I did, however, almost piss my pants when I read it the first time. Still, this book has the same effect on me that my favorite Woody Allen movie, Radio Days, had, funny, sweet, and an ending that never fails to bring me to tears all in one book.

5. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

   Here's another true crime classic, The Devil in the White City. This is history told in an accessible way, one that seamlessly blends fact and narrative to create a wonderful story about both an architect, the visionary behind the 1892 Chicago World's Fair, and America's first serial killer, whose chosen victims came from the fair. Naturally, to me the serial killer's parts were more interesting, but the actual coming together of the fair and the history of Chicago, that turbulent city on Lake Michigan, and one I personally love, is quite fascinating in its own right. If you haven't read this book yet, please pick it up.

What are some of your favorite nonfiction books? Have you read any of these books? What do you think about them? Leave your thoughts below!