The fictional worlds that authors create are spectacular and become essential escapes for so many readers. But I’m not the biggest fan of fiction. I was obsessed with fiction growing up, especially with Ramona and Beezus, Twilight, and The Hunger Games. When I started considering journalism to be a serious career path, fiction stopped piquing my interest and I stopped reading altogether because of it.
After being introduced to memoir writing in my junior year of high school, I fell in love with reading again. The emotions and experiences in nonfiction books felt more tangible. Those feelings were even more powerful because I knew they were real and if they were real for someone else, they could be real for me too. The success, the love, and the laughter on the page could all be mine.
Over the last year or two, I have read countless nonfiction books. I’ve loved most of them and hated a few. I’ve compiled an intimate, manageable list of five nonfiction books that should be on your TBR (to be read) list.
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
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The Glass Castle is a great first nonfiction book. The book reads almost as fiction because of the unbelievable events of Jeannette Walls’ life and the unthinkable actions of her parents. Jeannette Walls’ complex life from childhood to adulthood constantly shifts as her parents move her and her siblings across the country, running from financial troubles. The Walls parents had a unique life philosophy that did not involve providing for their children. Walls’ eloquent writing and empathy for her abusive parents will glue you to the page.
- Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
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I cannot recommend Greenlights enough. Even if you are not a Matthew McConaughey fan, this book is worth your time. McConaughey’s life philosophy of seeking success, which he calls finding greenlights, and leaving what you know to find yourself is eye-opening. The book recounts McConaughey’s life from birth to his acting career and then through fatherhood. The book is designed with McConaughey’s journal entries and there is an accompanying workbook to record your own greenlights. Greenlights will teach you how to be your best self and stress less so you can just keep livin.
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
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If you were an iCarly fan as a kid, I’m Glad My Mom Died introduces a behind the scenes perspective on child acting. McCurdy, known as Sam from iCarly and Sam & Cat, fulfilled her mother’s dream of being an actor and provided for her family through her acting roles as background characters and series regulars. Her mother and “The Creator” abuse her throughout her career, causing her to struggle with eating disorders and substance abuse. The book explores McCurdy’s complex relationship with her mother, considering her to be both her best friend and her enemy. I’m Glad My Mom Died is a fascinating read that truly grapples with the possibility of welcoming the death of a parent.
- Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
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Michelle Zauner, the lead vocalist in Japanese Breakfast, outlines the immense grief she faced through her mother’s cancer journey and after her mother’s death. Crying in H Mart is a beautiful representation of the little things that remind us of our loved ones–past and present. Her memoir explores her dedication to Korean culture in an immigrant family to honor herself and her mother. Zauner proves that although grief seems endless, the weight of such a painful emotion can be eased by maintaining traditions and creating new connections in honor of those who have passed.
- Spare by Prince Harry
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Are you the heir or the spare? As the second born, Prince Harry is the spare who isn’t expected to amount to much of anything and the royal family definitely didn’t expect him to step away from his royal duties altogether. Spare unapologetically accounts three stages of Prince Harry’s life–his childhood with his mother, Princess Diana, his tours in the military, and his fairytale-turned-nightmare beginnings with his wife, Meghan Markle. Prince Harry explicitly responds to the lies and dangers of the UK Press, stemming from fear of a repetition of his mother’s tragic death and from hope to share the truth about his relationship with his family. Although the book was written with a gilded pen, Prince Harry’s experiences with mental illness and substance abuse humanize the royal family and inadvertently attempts to prove the necessity of the royal family in today’s world.
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These books made me fall in love with reading all over again. Whether you added one or all of these books to your TBR list, I hope you enjoy them! Readers tend to shy away from nonfiction books, but some of the best stories out there are the ones that really happened.
I’m currently reading Girlhood by Melissa Febos and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is next up on my TBR list. Happy reading!