- Kate B.
- Thursday, February 10, 2022
If you’re a fan of novels, narrative nonfiction is a great way to introduce yourself to nonfiction reading or broaden your reading repertoire. Narrative nonfiction is a true story (hence the nonfiction part) written in the style of a novel (hence the narrative part).
Narrative nonfiction is often engaging, capturing the imagination of the reader through the narrative style, characters, and detail. These nonfiction books may explain a complicated or technical issue in an approachable manner; may be especially moving, as these stories are happening to real people after all; or may delve deeply into a people, time period, or event through a storytelling voice.
I read narrative nonfiction to better understand a historical place or period of time; to better understand culture and give myself time and space to work through my feelings about it; and to be better informed about life.
Some of my favorite narrative nonfiction books are included in the following list. In fact, a few of these are my favorite books, full stop. Covering a wide range of topics, any one of these would be a great place to start exploring narrative nonfiction.
Five Days at Memorial
After the Last Border
The Falcon Thief
Isaac's Storm
These narrative nonfiction titles are on my TBR list.
The 1619 Project
Sprinting Through No Man's Land
Invisible Child
The Unfit Heiress
Factory Man
The Dragons, the Giant, the Women
Fuzz
The Black Joke
While I've provided links to the print books of these titles, many of them are also available in other formats (audiobook, eBook, or eAudiobook). Search the catalog for other formats or speak to a staff member who would be happy to help you find the right narrative nonfiction for you.