# Do you know of any non-fiction page-turners? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761 "2005-02-12T18:01:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MizQuirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@MizQuirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizQuirk)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/1 "2005-02-12T18:01:47Z")
With fiction, there’s just something about the made-upness of it that I can’t stand, so I have a hard time finding good, well-written books in the library. I know there are non-fiction lists available, but they don’t cull out the bad ones, by authors who aren’t good writers. Seems it would be much better to get first-hand recommendations. I’ve found true-crime fascinating, and biographies (but not auto-biographies usually, because celebrities often varnish the truth, omit most of the good stuff, or are not good writers), but after that, I’m stuck. Any recommendations for things that you’ve found interesting and/or humorous? It doesn’t have to be of classic-level caliber—just a good read. ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/2 "2005-02-12T18:05:30Z")
I’d recommend _The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test_ by Tom Wolfe. It’s a great look at hippy culture by a very talented writer. I’m mostly a fiction guy myself, but I loved this book. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/3 "2005-02-12T18:06:36Z")
The Moral Animal - Robert Wright Looking for Spinoza - Antonio Damasio Darwin Among the Machines - Dyson Against the Gods - (?) King Leopold’s Ghost - Hochschild Enjoy. I did. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/4 "2005-02-12T18:47:02Z")
I highly recommend [Ann Rule](http://www.annrules.com/) if you like true life mysteries/crime. She’s fantastic. **Suburban Plankton** recommends [Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805066691/102-6064845-7264143). ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/5 "2005-02-12T18:48:41Z")
The Right Stuff Band of Brothers or pretty much anything by Steven Ambrose Tom Clancy has written some several non fiction books about how various parts of the miltary works. ---
**Author:** ![MizQuirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@MizQuirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizQuirk)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/6 "2005-02-12T18:53:22Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I highly recommend [Ann Rule](http://www.annrules.com/) if you like true life mysteries/crime. She’s fantastic. > > **Suburban Plankton** recommends [Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805066691/102-6064845-7264143). Yep, I agree Ann Rule is fantastic, and have read all of hers. Thanks to all for the suggestions, and keep 'em coming. I’m making a list and getting after them! ---
**Author:** ![merrily](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@merrily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merrily)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/7 "2005-02-12T18:57:17Z")
(I imagine this will get moved to Cafe Society shortly) Authors you might enjoy: Bill Bryson Stephen Jay Gould (his collections of essays) Barbara Tuchman ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/8 "2005-02-12T18:58:02Z")
Good autobiographies: _Have A Nice Day: A Tale Of Blood And Sweatsocks_ by Mick Foley. For those of you who don’t know, Mick Foley was a professional wrestler who wrestled under the names Cactus Jack, Dude Love and Mankind. I loved it, and I don’t even like wrestling all that much. _The Real Frank Zappa Book_. All I can say is _read it_. Other: _Skipping Towards Gomorrah_ by Dan Savage. The author of the column _Savage Love_ defends the seven deadly sins. And unlike moral scolds like Robert Bork or Bill Bennett, he goes out and gets himself dirty. ---
**Author:** ![MizQuirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@MizQuirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizQuirk)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/9 "2005-02-12T19:05:06Z")
> [@merrily](#): > > (I imagine this will get moved to Cafe Society shortly) Oh, I hope so–I didn’t even THINK of that! How dumb of me. Would you all have seen it there? ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/10 "2005-02-12T19:29:56Z")
Touching the Void - Joe Simpson Stasiland: True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall - Anna Funder If this is a man &The truce - Primo Levi ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/11 "2005-02-12T19:33:34Z")
Young Men and Fire - Norman Maclean Ghosts of the Fireground - Peter Leschak The Perfect Storm - Sebastian Junger Ice Bound - Jerri Neilsen My Year Off - Robert McCrum The Executioner’s Song - Norman Mailer Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer Abandon Ship! - Richard Newcomb ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/12 "2005-02-12T19:35:44Z")
I am sort of in the same boat as you, but I much rather enjoy nonfiction science, math, and textbook style texts. If you like the same, I’d recomend Asimov’s Undestanding Physics collection, any of the Greene texts on superstring theory, and Anton Bivens Davis’s Calculus text. That should be in the 7th edition atleast. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/13 "2005-02-12T19:42:07Z")
[Stiff](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393324826/qid=1108237932/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-6466459-7904963?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) by Mary Roach (morbid yet fascinating) [Icebound](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0786886994/qid=1108237981/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/102-6466459-7904963) [Killed](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1560255811/qid=1108238120/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-6466459-7904963?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/14 "2005-02-12T20:06:07Z")
“The Da Vinci Code.” _d & r_ ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/15 "2005-02-12T20:11:39Z")
_Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books_ by Azar Nafisi. One of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read - written by a former literature professor in Iran. E. ---
**Author:** ![mrunlucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@mrunlucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrunlucky)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/16 "2005-02-12T20:18:44Z")
_The Ice Master_ by Jennifer Niven _Ghosts of Cape Sabine_ by Leonard F. Guttridge _In the Land of White Death_ by Valerian Albanov ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/17 "2005-02-12T20:24:13Z")
\Seabiscuit\ by Laura Hillenbrand had me so engrossed that I missed my stop on the train when I was commuting home from work. I was amazed that I was that caught up in the story of the match race, as I already knew the outcome. Still, exciting stuff! \Bury Me Standing\ by Isabel Fonseca was also a page turner, her study of modern day Roma people was fascinating, and in many parts, very sad. And in the humor vein, I had a very good time with \French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France\, by Tim Moore – he is a travel writer, and this is his account of the time he spent cycling the route of the Tour de France. ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/18 "2005-02-12T20:27:22Z")
Window’s for Dummies? 😃 sorry, i don’t read non-fiction much. Not since graduating anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/19 "2005-02-12T20:45:11Z")
I’ve raved about this one before, but if you have any interest in medieval history at all, pick up Robert Payne’s _The Dream and the Tomb_. It’s an impeccably researched account of all the Crusades, told with a novelist’s eye for detail and some of the most beautiful prose ever written. Absolutely absorbing, history told the way history should be told. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761/20 "2005-02-12T21:03:51Z")
_Magic Prague_ By Angelo Maria Ripenelli (I’m sure I’ve misspelled the name) is a fascinating book that starts off going through the history of the Czech nation as it relates to literature and finally goes on to explore the literature itself. Somewhere along the way, you can hear the guy’s brain snap and the writing gets more and more fevered and…haunted. It’s an absolutely fascinating book. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-any-non-fiction-page-turners/289761.md?page=2)