Good non fiction books to read could include anything from philosophical essays to emotional memoirs about a person’s real life. Those who seek out non-fiction thus look for the most information, wit, and understanding out of the thousands of texts available. In other words, they look for perspective.
Read on to learn about 7 major works of non-fiction that you should add to your shelves. These books serve as conversation starters, increase your knowledge of the world, and give you a new perspective.
We have to include a work by the great ancient thinkers and none was greater than Aristotle, the father of Western thought. His metaphysics – our place in the universe – continues to define how we learn and study the essence of existence. If you want to know what it means to be, this is the defining work in the history of non-fiction.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking
A Brief History of Time by the legendary English physicist Stephen Hawking may seem like an indigestible tome of scientific jargon based on the title. However, Hawking wrote this book for everyone. He condensed his impossibly complex perspective of time and space into language that normal people could understand. This is for people who want to learn about the universe from the literal ground up.
Collected Essays of George Orwell by George Orwell
Orwell compiled his uncompromising view of the world into a digestible series of essays that give us a read on his opinions on everything from war to nationalism to writing. He’s a titan of prose when it comes to dystopic fiction, with 1984 being the most easily recognizable book of its kind. Therefore, this essay collection proves that his fiction is not so fictional after all.
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
You may recognize the book from the film. The Right Stuff details the postwar space-race in the United States, including the testing of faster aircraft and the trials, failures, and ultimate triumphs of the first astronauts. While rife with tragedy, this nonfiction account of the events gives the pilots’ achievements their due for a modern audience.
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Touching the Void concerns Joe Simpson and Simon Yates’ attempt to climb Siula Grande in the Andes in 1985. A disaster caused Simpson to slip, pushing his knee joint into his tibia, and stranding him alone in a cavern of ice. The book turns to his triumph, however, as Simpson persevered alone down the entire slope, dragging his leg, decaying from frostbite, and nearly dead.
Yates didn’t know he was still alive but found him at the bottom of the mountain many days later. Simpsons’ story is thus now one of the seminal works of inspiration, pushing self-preservation to the absolute human limit.
The Takeaway for Readers
Good non fiction books to read should alternately inform and inspire us. We included works on this list that have the capacity to do both. While all books may not fit your interests, non-fiction’s ability to broaden your perspective should be respected and enjoyed regardless.