whats the best nonfiction book you've ever read?

Question

ANY kind of nonfiction. Tell me why too.

Answer 1

Birds, Beasts, and Relatives by Gerald Durrell.
the autobiography of Gerald Durrell's childhood as he grew up on an island of Greece and then later in England. He was an avid student of nature and the tales of his interactions with the natives and fauna of Greece and his family's reactions are hilarious.

Answer 2

Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of Nature of History by Stephan Jay Gould

Although recent research has revealed some flaws, this book made me think as few others have done. And it made me regard the word "contingency" in a whole new light.

"530 million years ago something happened that would change the way scientists would look at evolution and it would take the humor, knowledge and artistic skill of Stephen Jay Gould to explain WHY it changed the way they look at evolution and WHY we should all care.
Mr. Gould takes evolution and shows how it worked in the ancient sea and why it seemed to change how it works now. Mr. Gould is an honest writer, brave enough to say that what he says might be proven wrong later on, but is willing to dive right in anyway. He is willing to get his hands messy while trying to work out the paleontological puzzle of the Burgess Shale and he takes us along, we go together during every step, we watch scientists overcome every barrier and we are able to judge the results that we saw built right before our eyes, piece by piece."

"Luminous. . .Filled with profound and upsetting ideas like the Burgess Shale itself and just as solid. It is surely one of nature's best stories, told with a light touce by a master of the field".--Lewis Thomas, M.D.

Industry reviews
"Mr. Gould is an exceptional combination of scientist and science writer....He is thus exceptionally well placed to tell these stories, and he tells them with favor and intelligence."
New York Times Book Review - James Gleick

"The message of history is superbly conveyed....Recommended reading for scientists and nonscientists of all persuasions."
Science - Walter C. Sweet

In Wonderful Life, Gould tells the story of the reinterpretation of the unusual fossils of the Burgess Shale: “a grand and wonderful story of the highest intellectual merit — with no one killed, no one even injured or scratched, but a new world revealed.” Reviewing Wonderful Life for Nature, Richard A Fortey wrote, “There is no question about the historical importance of the Burgess Shale, and Gould is right when he says that it deserves a place in the public consciousness along with big bangs and black holes .... A compelling story, told with characteristic verve.”

Answer 3

Pablo Picasso
by Norman Mailer

Answer 4

I like far too many non fiction books to really have a favorite, but at the moment I am fairly hooked on the Kim Harrison books ("Dead Witch Walking", "The Good, the Bad, and the Undead", etc........). They have some fairly origional aspects to them, and the version of vampires they present is most interesting. The stories and writing are also quite good on hooking you.

Answer 5

anything at all dealing with evolution published by the discovery channel, especially The Future is Wild, dealing with the concepts of forward evolution. A bunch of experts in their relative fields try to scientifically guess what life on earth will be like in 5, 10, 15 million years. fascinating and totally probable!

Answer 6

On Writing by Stephen King

Answer 7

The Color of Water by James McBride.

it is such an amazing an inspiring book about a black man and his 12 siblings raised by a white Jewish mother. While he had questions about race and identity his mother would never talk about her own painful past. And James is struggling to come to terms with his own racial identity and background.

i would totally recommend it!

Answer 8

Living Buddha Living Christ
by Thich Nhat Hanh

Compares Buddhism and Christianity, mostly focusing on their similarities. It really changed the way i think about my religion (Christianity) and made me feel more connected with the world around me.

Answer 9

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah its so sad about an unwanted daughter! Read It I like it Beacuse i am Asian too and i read the back of it and it sounds interesting and its true too

Answer 10

Freakonomics. I loved how it was written and presented me with a topic I would normally never be interested it. I found it utterly fascinating