Any good random nonfiction book recommendations?

Cafe Society
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[QUOTE=Tenar]
A personal favorite is Jessica Mitford’s 1963 expose of the funeral industry, The American Way of Death. An updated edition, The American Way of Death Revisited, was published in 2000, but I still prefer the original. If I were ever going to teach a high school class on “the way the world really works,” I would absolutely include this book because of the way it illustrates how industries pressure lawmakers to represent their interests rather than those of their constituents.

[/QUOTE]
Speaking of which, her letters have just been published, that would be interesting. A few years ago, a fascinating sort of collective biography of the Mitford sisters came out–amazing stuff. Sort of a snapshot of the 20th century all in one family.

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Another vote for O’Rourke’s A Parliament of Whores. You’ll never think of Congress the same way again.

I really enjoyed Richard Brookhiser’s Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington, which has a gentle sense of humor but also very entertainingly explores Washington’s life and legacy. Brookhiser explains why Washington deserves a lot more respect and admiration than he gets nowadays, when he’s practically mummified in the public imagination.

Last Chance to See, by Douglas Adams (the Hitchhiker’s Guide author) and a coauthor whose name escapes me, is a very, very funny look at a profoundly unfunny topic, probably-doomed efforts to protect extremely endangered animals.

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I appreciate the responses and see no shortage of enjoyable material in the coming months :slight_smile: I’m currently working on ‘Metaphors We Live By’ and ‘Influence’, which are both interesting, but unfortunately completely devoid of any humor. I’ll pick off a few from this list afterwards.

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Since your OP recommended the first thing I was going to say, might I add Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice for All of Creation by Olivia Judson - the most humorous and hottest biology book you’ll ever find.