# Great \*non-fiction\* books **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 1, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-non-fiction-books/31684 "2000-09-01T20:03:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kepi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kepi/32/7251_2.png) [@Kepi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepi)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-non-fiction-books/31684/41 "2000-09-05T17:48:16Z")
My favorite non-fiction book is _ **The Fifties** _ by David Halberstam. It’s a great history of the social, cultural, technological, and political changes that swept America during the decade that most people look back at as “boring”. Anything but, IMHO! The author covers topics ranging from the emergence of the military-industrial complex and the Beat movement to the first televised congressional hearings and the establishment of American road culture icons such as McDonalds and Holiday Inn. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-non-fiction-books/31684/42 "2000-09-05T18:05:14Z")
Just picked up “The Boxer Rebellion” by Diana Preston from the review table at work. Anybody read it? ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-non-fiction-books/31684/43 "2000-09-05T18:21:03Z")
A number of folks have brought up John McPhee, and I’ll put a vote in here for his _Assembling California_. Ditto Jared Diamond and _The Third Chimpanzee_. Ellroy’s _My Dark Places_ was a harrowing but rewarding read. Three other excellent memoirs I would recommend are _The Liar’s Club_ by Mary Karr, and the two views from the Wolff brothers: _The Duke of Deception_ by Geoffrey and _This Boy’s Life_ by Tobias. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-non-fiction-books/31684.md?page=2)