# Recommend some entertaining nonfiction, please **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139 "2006-09-18T03:03:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![A.I.Wintermute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@A.I.Wintermute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.I.Wintermute)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/61 "2006-09-21T22:05:29Z")
Just in case all this isn’t enough, check out [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=302072) (which I’ve had bookmarked for a while). ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/62 "2006-09-24T12:51:48Z")
[Tim Cahill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Cahill_%28writer%29) is usually good value. I’d second whoever recommended John Simpson. [David Cordingly’s](http://www.bloomsbury.com/authors/microsite.asp?section=1&id=492) books of maritime history are interesting. I’m reading at the moment ‘Cliffs of Despair’ by [Tom Hunt](http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=13855). A little morbid, but also surprisingly entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/63 "2006-09-24T13:09:32Z")
_A Short History of Everything_\* by Bill Bryson. Someone on the 'Dope recommended it to me, and I’m forever grateful to them. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/64 "2006-09-24T14:02:50Z")
[QUOTE=Ceejaytee] I’m currently reading [The White Nile](http://www.amazon.com/White-Nile-Alan-Moorehead/dp/0060956399/sr=8-1/qid=1158584518/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-9639833-0585610?ie=UTF8&s=books) by Alan Moorehead, about the search for the source of the Nile River in the mid-19th century. Great reading, filled with interesting characters like Sir Richard Burton (explorer, not actor), Livingstone, Stanley, etc. Written in 1960, the language is a bit dated, but Moorehead is a complelling writer. I’m finding it fascinating. It has shocking details of the slave trade and the white man’s first glimpse of life in Central Africa. Moorehead discusses the differences between Burton’s affinity with the Arab slave traders and Livingstone’s love of the African people he spends time living with. He seems to be the only white explorer of the time who care enough to live with the native people and learn their culture and languages. Man, those Victorians were intrepid. [/QUOTE] I’ll second this book as a terrific read, along with the companion book, **Blue Nile**. I’ll also second **Endurance** as an excellent book. I’m presently reading **Blue Latitudes** , by Horwitz. This is a highly entertaining read by a guy and his amusing English friend who are retracing Capt. Cook’s voyages through Polynesia, etc. Educational, factual and hilarious at the same time. I recently finished **All Over But the Shoutin’** , by Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg. Bragg, until recently, was a reporter for the New York Times. The book details his humble origins in the “white trash” south, the trials of his family, his escape from that environment, and his unbreakable ties to his past. A very amusing and poignant look at life in the dirt-poor rural south. An excellent book. Another recommendation is **Darkest Jungle** , by Todd Balf. This is the story of the expedition that tried to cross the Darien Isthmus in Panama in 1854. This area on the map looks like a short hike, but it contains some of the densest jungle in the world. Two months after they left civilization, the survivors were rescued, starving and diseased. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/65 "2006-09-24T14:13:34Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] I liked **Queen Victoria’s Gene** - it discusses the likelihood that Victoria was illegitimate versus the likelihood that her hemophilia gene resulted from a spontaneous mutation in one of her parents. [/QUOTE] I myself have this book and it IS good-BUT, I would caution that the theory that Victoria was illegitimate, put forth by the authors, is very shaky. Especially as more evidence has come out that Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, possibly DID have a history of hemophilia in her own family. If you look back at the Duchesses ancestors, you see a large number of males dying young of unknown causes. And for this theory to work, her unknown sire would have to have been a hemophiliac himself. So that also limits the possibilities. Besides, if you compare pictures of Victoria to those of her legal father’s (Edward, Duke of Kent) family, there’s no question she’s a Hanover. So read it if you like, but just take it with a grain of salt. Now then, I’m currently reading a book by Flora Fraser about the daughters of George III: _Princesses: the Six Daughters of George III_. So far, it’s quite interesting. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/66 "2012-06-21T04:38:55Z")
Anything by Bill Bryson, Barbara Ehrenreich, Andrew Tobias or Michael Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/67 "2012-06-21T05:05:24Z")
Helter Skelter Zodiac The Night Stalker ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/68 "2012-06-21T08:50:38Z")
The Zombie Survival Guide ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/69 "2012-06-21T10:40:38Z")
[Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds](http://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Pilot-Memoirs-Legendary-Robin/dp/0312569513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340275109&sr=8-1&keywords=Fighter+Pilot), which happens to be, well, the memoirs of legendary ace Robin Olds. Double-ace from WWII who served as a Wing Commander during the Vietnam War, famous for his mustache almost as much for his flying skills and leadership. Also, unable to keep his mouth shut to save his life, so that makes for some entertaining situations. He’s got a style of writing that’s pretty blunt and fun to read when discussing various situations where he thought someone was being an idiot or where he nearly got himself killed doing something he knew better than to do. ---
**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/70 "2012-06-21T20:34:02Z")
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/71 "2012-06-22T02:55:15Z")
If the WWII era is of interest, I recommend Richard M. Ketchum’s [The Borrowed Years](http://www.amazon.com/Borrowed-Years-The-Richard-Ketchum/dp/0385416059/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340332575&sr=1-1&keywords=ketchum+borrowed+years). From the Publishers Weekly blurb, which will give you a better sense of it than I ever could: > [@](#): > > This powerfully evocative re-creation of a period of American innocence–the three years preceding the bombing of Pearl Harbor–is a labor of scholarship that pays off richly. A mixture of history, firsthand memory and judicious interpretation, the book describes how Americans clung to their innocence even as the country faced the prospect of imminent war. Ketchum captures the era in detail, describing it with color, warmth and immediacy. Woven into the narrative along with political, military, economic and cultural themes are the author’s poignant reminiscences of his coming-of-age at that time, “when most of my friends and I were singing and dancing and laughing away the last hours of youth while the lights, as they used to say, were going out all over Europe.” Some history, biography, memoir, and social science all in one highly enjoyable read. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/72 "2012-06-22T03:01:56Z")
[Over The Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097009731X?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=097009731X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2) I’m not usually one for non-fiction but this was fascinating. I literally tore through it in a day. The human folly aspect was just astounding… ---
**Author:** ![crazydoglady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@crazydoglady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazydoglady)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/73 "2012-06-24T17:51:26Z")
Wicked River by Lee Sandlin, about the Mississippi during its heyday. Also, WWII buffs, there is this long essay by the abovementioned author on his website: ‘Losing The War’ [Losing the War - by Lee Sandlin](http://leesandlin.com/articles/LosingTheWar.htm) - made me cry. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/74 "2012-06-24T18:06:33Z")
Not sure why this thread was raised from the dead, but there are some good suggestions here. My sentimental favourite is “The Barmaid’s Brain” by Jay Ingram. It’s a collection of science anecdotes, but no scientific knowledge is required. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/75 "2012-06-25T20:25:40Z")
I have a pile of Uncle John’s Bathroom readers next to my bed. It’s perfect since I usually get tired after a dozen or so pages of reading, I can finish off a few articles and if I don’t pick it up again for a month I don’t have to worry about forgetting where I was. I will suggest [Connections](http://www.amazon.com/Connections-James-Burke/dp/0743299558). I just found that ALL of the tv episodes are online on a YouTube channel! I am so going to be watching these! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139/76 "2012-06-25T21:12:57Z")
I’m reading Closing Time by Daniel Okrent and I am really enjoying it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-entertaining-nonfiction-please/373139.md?page=3)