List
2017 Staff Picks: Nonfiction
Our expert readers advisory staff take a look back at the year and share their favorite titles.
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The Fact of A Body: A Murder and A Memoir
2017 by Marzano-Lesnevich, AlexandriaGet this item"Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich doesn't believe in the death penalty until she sees a taped confession of Ricky Langley, a pedophile and murderer. It doesn't help that he stirs up memories of her own abuse at the hands of her grandfather. This is a really tough read, Marzano-Lesnevich is candid and doesn't shy away from graphic details. But if you can handle that, this book is well worth your time. As each story bleeds into the other, I found it completely engrossing as well as a fascinating combination of memoir and true crime—two of my favorite genres."
Recommended by Kathy.
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Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
2017 by Gay, RoxaneGet this item"It is not hyperbole to say that I cried reading every page. Gay writes with honesty about what it is like to have a big body in a world that values only thinness and about what trauma does to a body and to one's self worth. It is a gut-wrenching read, but well worth it."
Recommended by Lynnanne.
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Magdalene: Poems
2017 by Howe, MarieGet this item"Howe imagines the biblical figure as a contemporary woman; erotic, spirited, and spiritual. These are beautiful poems that are sparse, haunting, full of fragility and pain but powerfully, simply spoken. One of the few books I will purchase for myself this year!"
Recommended by Lukie.
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Rebel Mother: My Childhood Chasing the Revolution
2017 by Andreas, PeterGet this item"There are so many things I enjoyed about this book —the transformation of a Mennonite housewife into a Marxist rebel, the bizarre and difficult living situations in South America, the political bent, and an extraordinary mother-son relationship. But what made this a favorite of the year, was the way Andreas wrote the story. Similar in tone to Jeannette Walls' Glass Castle, the story is seen through his eyes as a boy. As an adult, it is easy to pass judgement on their living conditions and a mother who kidnapped him, but as a child he was fiercely devoted to her and he is able to maintain this viewpoint throughout."
Recommended by Kathy.
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Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood
2016 by Noah, TrevorGet this item"A brilliant, endlessly entertaining, and fascinating blend of personal narrative, historical exploration, and social criticism. I listened to the audiobook and I definitely recommend that experience. I was late so many times because I had to sit in my car and let the chapter finish because I just couldn't pause it."
Recommended by Becky.
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We Are Never Meeting in Real Life: Essays
2017 by Irby, SamanthaGet this item"I’m not a huge audiobook person, but I highly recommend it in this case. Narrated by Samantha Irby herself, this conversational, witty, grumpy, sometimes lewd, and always hilarious set of essays will have you in tears from laughing. My recommendation comes with a warning, though—if you listen in your car, people who see you howling as they pull up next to you at stop lights (especially while listening to her lengthy diatribe against her cat) may think you have straight up lost your mind."
Recommended by Meredith
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A Colony in A Nation
2017 by Hayes, ChristopherGet this item"Hayes argues that police aggression in the form of stop-and-frisk is a direct echo of British use of the same tactics against colonists in the years preceding the Revolutionary war. Black citizens, Muslims, immigrants of color are the colonists, their neighborhoods the colony, and the police are an occupying force egregiously violating their rights, their personhood, and their right to pursue happiness. From this premise, he goes on to report on his experiences in Ferguson, with campus police at Brown University, and other instances wherein he collided hard with an awareness of his white privilege. His final arguments against stop-and-frisk, for a more compassionate, holistic policing, are powerful."
Recommended by Jarrett.
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Abandon Me: Memoirs
2017 by Febos, MelissaGet this item"This is some incredibly beautiful prose. I constantly had to pause and wonder how she could describe a feeling I thought was personal to me with such precision, even though none of our experiences were exactly the same. Let yourself be swept away by the way she constructs her story."
Recommended by Becky.
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And Then You're Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by A Whale, Are Shot From A Cannon, or Go Barreling Over Niagara
2017 by Cassidy, CodyGet this item"Science education is much more entertaining when wrapped around discussions of horrible things that can happen to the human body, both real (being attacked by a great white shark) and hypothetical (falling into a black hole). Whether being incinerated, squished, or reduced to plasma, these are ways you don’t want to go."
Recommended by Steven.
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Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of An Improbable Life
2017 by Smith, Sally BedellGet this item"Great biography of the Prince of Wales by frequent biographer Smith. The details about his early childhood and his relationship with his parents, especially his father, speak volumes on the man he is today."
Recommended by Cecilia.
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Love, Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival
2017 by Gettleman, JeffreyGet this item"Torn between staying in the States or living in Africa, this New York Times, Pulitzer-prize winning author convinces his attorney-wife to move to Africa. His previous assignments throughout the region allowed him to become familiar with the customs and people of Africa, eventually capturing his heart and spirit. This coming-of-age story won my heart immediately—not only because I have read his reports when he was on assignment but because I am a true romantic at heart. Gettleman's story is touching, inspiring, and for a Sagittarian (like me) who lives to travel, you will truly be rewarded. "
Recommended by Mary.
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Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night
2017 by Zinoman, JasonGet this item"Coming of age in the 80s, the first few years of David Letterman’s Late Night show was a balm, a beacon of aggressive subversiveness that melted my tender tween mind. Zinoman’s deeply informed, insightful book is truly the best, most definitive account of what made and makes Letterman such a singular comedic voice."
Recommended by Chris.
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The Vietnam War: An Intimate History
2017 by Ward, Geoffrey C.Get this item"As an accompanying text to the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick documentary series, this manual is deeply and extensively researched. However, its appeal for me lies in the hundreds of photographs and illustrations that comprise the bulk of the book, as well as the human stories behind the war. This is not an historian's accounting of the war with battles and skirmishes but rather an intimate insight into a war that tore a country apart like none other since perhaps the Civil War."
Recommended by Mary.
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Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich
2017 by Ohler, NormanGet this item"What's worse than Nazis? Nazis hooked on crystal meth. Thrill to this account of rampant drug abuse in the Third Reich led by Der Fuhrer himself, whose daily intake would have Keith Richards shaking his head in disbelief."
Recommended by Steven.
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Al Franken, Giant of the Senate
2017 by Franken, AlGet this item"Politics has not been a particularly amusing subject lately. Al Franken’s funny yet sincere description of his career and senatorial campaign is a welcome exception. His take on the Senate and the way work really happens there, leaves me with a tiny shred of hope that things will get better."
Recommended by Terry.
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Lazy Perfection: The Art of Looking Great Without Really Trying
2017 by Patinkin, JennyGet this item"How many of us have mastered the French art of looking chic, put-together, and confident? If you're like me, always busy but wanting to impress with less this is the style book for you. Having met the author, she reflects the book to a T—her droll, sassy, hip advice will save you time, resources, and sanity!"
Recommended by Mary.
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Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History
2017 by Schutt, BillGet this item"Since I enjoy reading about food as well as gruesome ways to die, I could hardly resist a book about cannibalism. The practice is more common than one would think, both in the animal world and in the human when folks are feeling especially peckish or looking for a culinary thrill."
Recommended by Steven.
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Ready or Not!: 150+ Make-ahead, Make-over, and Make-now Recipes by Nom Nom Paleo
2017 by Tam, MichelleGet this item"You don't have to be a caveman cuisine fanatic to enjoy Michelle Tam's delightful cookbook: it employs a fun, cheeky format; she provides step-by-step photographic instructions; and the food is delicious."
Recommended by Allyson.
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