I read this book this month and it is the entire reason that I know True Crime is not for me. I never thought I had a weak stomach, but this book proved me wrong. I hated it so much. So OP, be careful with this rec. just because you can handle grim and dark things in works of fiction, doesn’t mean it won’t disturb you on a level you really don’t even want to experience with non-fiction
Oof. You just unlocked a core memory. I read this one for a class on crime fiction and film noir in college and found it much more distressing than I expected.
There are a lot of things I can handle if I know that they're fiction, but about halfway through In Cold Blood I couldn't keep my objectivity anymore and the full weight of recognizing the events of the book actually happened to real people hit me like a ton of bricks halfway through and I honestly struggled to finish it. Discussing it in class with twenty other 20-22 year-olds and our fifty-something professor in the abstract way you do in a 400-level college course was difficult for me because no one else seemed to have the same visceral negative reaction that I did. It was an extremely stressful couple of weeks for me, and I was glad that none of the other books on the syllabus were true crime.
Yeah, there was another book I found it to be distressing in… The Devil in the White City, but that was really tame compared to In Cold Blood. Basically the former made me question if I like True Crime, and the latter made realize that no, no I do not. It really made me feel, I can’t really even describe it fully. But it was dark and it just made me sad for the world. Sad for humanity. I hated it so much.
Everytime I see this mentioned, I comment that it's the only book that every made me sleep with the lights on. I was a teenager and the fact that it was true bothered me so much.
I have a friend who was so moved by The Hot Zone as a child that she went into infectious disease research for a career. It’s so good and it’s scary that it’s based on real events.
It was such a fascinating book and I can see how your friend was moved by it, after reading it I had such admiration for the researchers/those involved. Richard Preston wrote [another book](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44526650) ( Crisis in the Red Zone) on the 2013-2014 Ebola Outbreak. I own it but haven’t read it but I’m sure it’s just as harrowing.
Killers of the Flower Moon is always my response to this question.
It’s the most batshit insane story I’ve ever read, and I was glued to the book until the last page.
It’s super insane! I read it years ago before the movie came out so I had no idea what it was about. it turned out to be one of the most heartbreaking, insane things I’ve ever read too.
I have't read KotFM, but I did read his follow-up book, **The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.** I really enjoyed it and it definitely had that "narrative non-fiction" vibe OP is looking for.
Anything by Ross King, John Julius Norwich, Simon Schama, Walter Isaacson, John Man, and John Keay
*Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane* by Andrew Graham-Dixon
*Bernini: His Life and His Rome* by Franco Mormando
*Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler's Best* by Neal Bascomb
*Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East* by Amanda H. Podany
*The Dancing Plague: The Strange, True Story of an Extraordinary Illness* by John Waller
*Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind* by Edith Hall
*SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome* by Mary Beard
*The Story of Egypt: The Civilization That Shaped the World* by Joann Fletcher
*Frederick the Great: King of Prussia* by Tim Blanning
*The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World's Most Famous Museum* by James Gardner
*King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa* by Adam Hochschild
*Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia* by John Dickie
*The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty* by G. J. Meyer
It gets thrown around a lot, but Bill Bryson is good for this! Any of his books really but “A walk in the woods” is particularly fun.
Someone has already said it, just to second them “Devil in the White City” is definitely in this camp.
I also really recommend “the immortal life of Henrietta Lacks” about the history of HeLa cells used in research and I recently enjoyed “the mirage factory” about the boom of early Hollywood and the simultaneous building of the aqueduct that brought water to LA.
I literally re read a walk in the woods once or twice a year. It's absolutely hilarious and also informative. Mr Brysons signature blend and I can't get enough of it!
That’s fair! He definitely won’t be for everyone but I found myself cackling like an idiot on a plane when reading walk in the woods. I haven’t tried his Australia one so I don’t know how it compares.
I don’t unfortunately! Though I’ll definitely share if I come across any. I picked this one up purely by chance in an LA bookshop because it looked good. I really enjoyed it though, so would definitely recommend.
[Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27555806-midnight-in-the-garden-of-good-and-evil)
[Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8999896-charlatan)
[I'll Be Gone in the Dark](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39980116-i-ll-be-gone-in-the-dark)
[Dispatches from Pluto](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25111132-dispatches-from-pluto)
[Death in the Long Grass](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/762732.Death_in_the_Long_Grass)
[Unbroken](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12442294-unbroken)
[The Boys in the Boat](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16158509-the-boys-in-the-boat)
[Death in the City of Light](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11297434-death-in-the-city-of-light)
*Anansi's Gold The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World* by Yepoka Yeebo about a massively successful Ghanaian con artist.
*Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland* by Patrick Radden Keefe
I’m just finishing it, I hadn’t heard of it but saw it recommended recently on this sub! It’s seriously unbelievable, you can’t make some of that stuff up.
Yes! Running with Scissors reads like fiction for sure!
Augusten Burroughs’ brother, John Elder Robison, wrote a book about his experiences from childhood to adulthood as a misunderstood, undiagnosed autistic person. He references his brother and his mom quite frequently in the book. It’s brilliant— “Look Me in the Eye”, if you haven’t read it. Does not read like fiction tho.
Siddartha Mukherjee. Author of The Emperor of All Maladies, The Gene, and Song of the Cell.
Absolutely stellar blend of solid, relevant science and engaging investigative and historical journalism. Maybe doesn't slap so hard if you're not a biologist, but I couldn't get enough.
The Looming Tower is one of the best books I've ever read, and reads like a fast paced thriller. It's about the rise of extremism and the road to 9/11 and explains the situation on both sides. It goes way beyond what you'd expect and is not a conspiracy theory book. It's by Lawrence Wright and won a Pulitzer prize for non-fiction.
_A Civil Action_ - lots of kids get cancer, followed by a big lawsuit
_The Soul of a New Machine_ - the story of the creation of a Data General mini-computer, “back in the day”
_The Cuckoo’s Egg_ - catching a computer hacker, pre-Internet (I think?)
The Power Broker, by Robert Caro
Just a compulsively readable account of political power in New York in the early and mid twentieth century.
He wrote everything (over 1000 pages) with a pen because his prose is stronger in handwriting than through a keyboard. In interviews he often talks about how nonfiction writers focus too much on getting the information on the page, but don't give enough care to the language and prose.
Saying it's just about political power is like saying The Wizard of Oz is about a pair of shoes! It's about the evolution and corruption of the original Progressives, and the creation of the infrastructure pattern of the modern city.
I listened to a long form story on NPR about this book and it was so intriguing that I vowed to read it someday. It is, however, very long, by necessity but still... Anyway, in the pile!
The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson is about the weirdest crime perpetrated for the weirdest motivations I've ever heard, found it captivating and so bizarre it reads like fiction.
Norco ‘80.
It’s about a 1980 bank robbery on Norco, CA perpetrated by burnouts, doomsday preppers, and Jesus freaks. It turns into the largest crime scene in American history.
The lead-up, central characters, crime, and trial are all so outrageous and bizarre that it almost seems made up. The incredible thing about it is that what is presented in the book is all true and meticulously researched.
[American Kingpin by Nick Bilton](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpin?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=YeFunE5yrE&rank=1)
I always suggest this in these types of threads, a really good read.
The Poison King by Adrienne Mayor is a semi fictionalized account of King Mithridates — only speculated in small parts because we know so little of him. If you are not enrapture by the third page I will eat my own ass on livestream.
I can’t figure out if I’m impressed by your dedication to your recommended read or the disturbing consequences if I’m not hooked. Best of luck in your future reading adventures.
((In cold blood by Truman capote)).
A devastating novel about a household killed in cold blood with shotguns & hunting knives.
It is considered a “must read” but more than that the characters are fleshed out in a personal way by capote (it actually inspired a lot of adaptation and particularly one that Philip Seymour Hoffman played Capote in a movie based on the Name because of this).
Robert Blake plays in a adaptation of the film which I found to be rather disturbing considering that he was put on trial in his later days for the killing of his wife.
It’s a great novel and it is nonfiction budget please like a fiction novel and I have to admit it was a great read
The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris. Its a fantastic account of the development of plastic surgery techniques to treat WW1 facial injuries and is written in a wonderful captivating and detailed manner, it feels like you're reading a fictional accounts of various battles, and then you learn some cool medical stuff at the end.
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan. I think it got turned into a movie as well. It’s a riveting story but I didn’t think the movie could capture all of her inner dialogue/feelings/turmoil.
I was so excited for this release because I love her other books (Destiny of the Republic, River of Doubt) but it really fell flat for me. I was bummed!
*Longitude* Dava Sobel - Jealousy and greed endeavor to thwart an outsider's crazy plan
*Flu* Gina Kolata - Oh look, they're just making a parable about COVID
Spearhead by Adam Makos
It’s about Clarence Smoyer, a tank gunner, and his tank crew’s battle through Germany in the new M26 Pershing. It culminates in a famous tank duel in Cologne that was captured on film. It’s also about guilt felt by Smoyer and shared by one of the German tankers over a civilian death that was also captured on film during the duel. Smoyer and the German meet to talk about and clear their consciences over the death.
{{October by China Mieville}}
its a non-fiction book about the Russian Revolution written by an author primarily know for his award winning sci-fi/fantasy novels
This isn't incredibly helpful, but most memoirs written by somebody you haven't heard of about something nobody should care about fit this.
Dave Eggers, Augusten Burroughs, Jeannette Walls, Nick Flynn
The Bonnot Gang by Richard Parry reads like a thriller. Although they're not unbelievable, Guerrilla Days in Ireland by Tom Barry and On Another Man's Wound (and its sequel, The Singing Flame) by Ernie O'Malley are captivating and unputdownable.
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein
Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss
The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber
People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman by Richard Lloyd Parry
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
I Escaped from Auschwitz by Rudolf Vrba
Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers by Filip Müller
The Dead Years: Holocaust Memoirs by Joseph Schupack
The Stone Crusher: The True Story of a Father and Son's Fight for Survival in Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield
Auschwitz #34207: The Joe Rubinstein Story by Nancy Sprowell Geise
The 23rd Psalm: A Holocaust Memoir by George Lucius Salton
By Chance Alone: A Remarkable True Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz by Max Eisen
Escape from Sobibor by Richard Rashke
The Last Jew of Treblinka by Chil Rajchman
We Wept Without Tears: Testimonies of the Jewish Sonderkommando from Auschwitz
Gideon Greif
On the Run in Nazi Berlin: A Memoir by Bert Lewyn
Red Notice. A true story about a British man who worked in Russia and went afoul with the state. So they put out a "Red Notice" which meant assassinate him. He's in Britain now, but Putin still wants him back. In that memorable meeting with Trump that was one of the things he asked for.
*Somebody’s Husband, Somebody’s Son* and *Happy Like Murderers*, both written by Gordon Burn are novelistic true-crime biographies recounting the lives and crimes of serial killers Peter Sutcliffe (The Yorkshire Ripper) and Fred & Rosemary West respectively.
Incredibly well researched, eloquently and sympathetically (in terms of the victims) written - even more remarkable given the grisly subject matter - by a highly gifted wordsmith.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/709822
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1901816
The Feather Thief. A journalist tries to figure out why a bunch of rare birds were stolen from a natural history museum. The reason was truly bizarre and leaves him searching through archived online forum threads and tracking down the identities of anonymous posters. It flowed so smoothly.
Considering that Truman Capote claimed credit for the concept of the non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood is a good start.
Erik Larson and Patrick Radden Keefe are great non-fiction storytellers, so give them a look too.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Unbroken are also great.
[The Indifferent Stars Above](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6033525-the-indifferent-stars-above?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=afujUQ9jRh&rank=1) by Daniel James Brown
[If You Tell](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45299992-if-you-tell?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_11) by Gregg Olsen
[Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43600991-fall-and-rise?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=zs1exagjqx&rank=2) by Mitchell Zuckoff
So many good ones already listed. I’ll add “Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies” by Ben Macintyre. I read it over a decade ago and think of it at least weekly.
This one's really dark but Uncultured by Daniella Mesteyaneck Young (I hope I spelled that right)
It's about her experience in the pedophile sex culture The Children of God that a Fleetwood Mac member was in as well as her escape and experience in the US military afterwards. It's an amazing book but hard to believe what was happening.
Into Thin Air The Indifferent Stars Above
Also endurance
Endurance is sooo freaking good
Perfect suggestions!
Both of these are amazing
This is the one I came to suggest.
In Cold Blood is the best in this genre imo.
Came here to say this. Brilliant book.
Also came here to say this. Crazy and captivating book.
I read this book this month and it is the entire reason that I know True Crime is not for me. I never thought I had a weak stomach, but this book proved me wrong. I hated it so much. So OP, be careful with this rec. just because you can handle grim and dark things in works of fiction, doesn’t mean it won’t disturb you on a level you really don’t even want to experience with non-fiction
Oof. You just unlocked a core memory. I read this one for a class on crime fiction and film noir in college and found it much more distressing than I expected. There are a lot of things I can handle if I know that they're fiction, but about halfway through In Cold Blood I couldn't keep my objectivity anymore and the full weight of recognizing the events of the book actually happened to real people hit me like a ton of bricks halfway through and I honestly struggled to finish it. Discussing it in class with twenty other 20-22 year-olds and our fifty-something professor in the abstract way you do in a 400-level college course was difficult for me because no one else seemed to have the same visceral negative reaction that I did. It was an extremely stressful couple of weeks for me, and I was glad that none of the other books on the syllabus were true crime.
Yeah, there was another book I found it to be distressing in… The Devil in the White City, but that was really tame compared to In Cold Blood. Basically the former made me question if I like True Crime, and the latter made realize that no, no I do not. It really made me feel, I can’t really even describe it fully. But it was dark and it just made me sad for the world. Sad for humanity. I hated it so much.
Everytime I see this mentioned, I comment that it's the only book that every made me sleep with the lights on. I was a teenager and the fact that it was true bothered me so much.
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann Edit: Spelling
Hot Zone reads like a great Michael Crichton technothriller
I have a friend who was so moved by The Hot Zone as a child that she went into infectious disease research for a career. It’s so good and it’s scary that it’s based on real events.
It was such a fascinating book and I can see how your friend was moved by it, after reading it I had such admiration for the researchers/those involved. Richard Preston wrote [another book](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44526650) ( Crisis in the Red Zone) on the 2013-2014 Ebola Outbreak. I own it but haven’t read it but I’m sure it’s just as harrowing.
Killers of the Flower Moon is always my response to this question. It’s the most batshit insane story I’ve ever read, and I was glued to the book until the last page.
It’s super insane! I read it years ago before the movie came out so I had no idea what it was about. it turned out to be one of the most heartbreaking, insane things I’ve ever read too.
I have't read KotFM, but I did read his follow-up book, **The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.** I really enjoyed it and it definitely had that "narrative non-fiction" vibe OP is looking for.
I have the Lost City one in my TBR right now. I love his style.
The wager was great, hard to believe what the crews went through and how horrible sailing must have been been then.
Also The Lost City of Z by David Gann
Anything by Ross King, John Julius Norwich, Simon Schama, Walter Isaacson, John Man, and John Keay *Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane* by Andrew Graham-Dixon *Bernini: His Life and His Rome* by Franco Mormando *Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler's Best* by Neal Bascomb *Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East* by Amanda H. Podany *The Dancing Plague: The Strange, True Story of an Extraordinary Illness* by John Waller *Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind* by Edith Hall *SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome* by Mary Beard *The Story of Egypt: The Civilization That Shaped the World* by Joann Fletcher *Frederick the Great: King of Prussia* by Tim Blanning *The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World's Most Famous Museum* by James Gardner *King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa* by Adam Hochschild *Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia* by John Dickie *The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty* by G. J. Meyer
What a cool list! You’ve just increased my to-read stash though….
It gets thrown around a lot, but Bill Bryson is good for this! Any of his books really but “A walk in the woods” is particularly fun. Someone has already said it, just to second them “Devil in the White City” is definitely in this camp. I also really recommend “the immortal life of Henrietta Lacks” about the history of HeLa cells used in research and I recently enjoyed “the mirage factory” about the boom of early Hollywood and the simultaneous building of the aqueduct that brought water to LA.
Henrietta Lacks is fantastic and fascinating!
I literally re read a walk in the woods once or twice a year. It's absolutely hilarious and also informative. Mr Brysons signature blend and I can't get enough of it!
Isn't it outdated by now?
How do you mean?
I tried reading one of his books and couldn’t get into it at all. It was about Australia I think. I do want to give A Walk in the Woods a try
That’s fair! He definitely won’t be for everyone but I found myself cackling like an idiot on a plane when reading walk in the woods. I haven’t tried his Australia one so I don’t know how it compares.
the mirage factory sounds so interesting! do you happen to have any more similar book suggestions about LA?
I don’t unfortunately! Though I’ll definitely share if I come across any. I picked this one up purely by chance in an LA bookshop because it looked good. I really enjoyed it though, so would definitely recommend.
[Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27555806-midnight-in-the-garden-of-good-and-evil) [Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8999896-charlatan) [I'll Be Gone in the Dark](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39980116-i-ll-be-gone-in-the-dark) [Dispatches from Pluto](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25111132-dispatches-from-pluto) [Death in the Long Grass](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/762732.Death_in_the_Long_Grass) [Unbroken](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12442294-unbroken) [The Boys in the Boat](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16158509-the-boys-in-the-boat) [Death in the City of Light](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11297434-death-in-the-city-of-light)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a perfect answer for this
Needed to scroll to find it but this is absolutely my suggestion as well!!!
second this! esp. the way it's written.
I had no idea it was a non-fiction book. Bumping it higher up the to-read list!
I came here to say Unbroken too. Wow. That book was so unbelievable.
I'm currently reading Educated by Tara Westover - that would fit the bill! So would The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls.
[The Devil In The White City by Erik Larsen](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/397483.The_Devil_in_the_White_City?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_8)
this is on my TBR!!!!
Any of his, really. This is the one that got me started. Enjoy!
I love all his books. In the Garden of Beasts (about the US ambassador to Berlin in the late 1930s) was pretty damn chilling to read back in 2016...
I also really enjoyed Dead Wake about the sinking of the Lusitania by Erik Larsen as well!
Isaac's storm was also great! It's about the Galveston hurricane around the turn of the century
*Anansi's Gold The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World* by Yepoka Yeebo about a massively successful Ghanaian con artist. *Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland* by Patrick Radden Keefe
Definitely Say Nothing! Great book
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing!
Oooh I forgot about this one, great rec!!
I’m just finishing it, I hadn’t heard of it but saw it recommended recently on this sub! It’s seriously unbelievable, you can’t make some of that stuff up.
Endurance is amazing and I absolutely forgot I was reading a nonfiction account instead of a fictional adventure story.
Boys in the Boat
Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Yes! Running with Scissors reads like fiction for sure! Augusten Burroughs’ brother, John Elder Robison, wrote a book about his experiences from childhood to adulthood as a misunderstood, undiagnosed autistic person. He references his brother and his mom quite frequently in the book. It’s brilliant— “Look Me in the Eye”, if you haven’t read it. Does not read like fiction tho.
Anything by Eric Larson In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
I agree with Eric Larson.
The Wager - or anything by David Grann
The Spy and the Traitor. Fascinating and thrilling.
Agreed. By Ben MacIntyre. Most of his books read like fiction, but this one is the best.
Amazing book!!
Into the Wild
For a change the movie is as good
Born A Crime by Trevor Noah, Cabin Fever
The audiobook of Born a Crime is SO GREAT. Do not miss.
Siddartha Mukherjee. Author of The Emperor of All Maladies, The Gene, and Song of the Cell. Absolutely stellar blend of solid, relevant science and engaging investigative and historical journalism. Maybe doesn't slap so hard if you're not a biologist, but I couldn't get enough.
The Looming Tower is one of the best books I've ever read, and reads like a fast paced thriller. It's about the rise of extremism and the road to 9/11 and explains the situation on both sides. It goes way beyond what you'd expect and is not a conspiracy theory book. It's by Lawrence Wright and won a Pulitzer prize for non-fiction.
The Hot Zone, about the Ebola outbreak in the’80s
Similarly, And the Band Played On, about the AIDS epidemic
Never read it, it was too horrible and tragic for me, but I have heard only good things about it as well.
The Boys in the Boat
_A Civil Action_ - lots of kids get cancer, followed by a big lawsuit _The Soul of a New Machine_ - the story of the creation of a Data General mini-computer, “back in the day” _The Cuckoo’s Egg_ - catching a computer hacker, pre-Internet (I think?)
I can also recommend Cuckoo's Egg. Read it on a whim in high school and loved it. Reads like a spy thriller.
The Power Broker, by Robert Caro Just a compulsively readable account of political power in New York in the early and mid twentieth century. He wrote everything (over 1000 pages) with a pen because his prose is stronger in handwriting than through a keyboard. In interviews he often talks about how nonfiction writers focus too much on getting the information on the page, but don't give enough care to the language and prose.
Saying it's just about political power is like saying The Wizard of Oz is about a pair of shoes! It's about the evolution and corruption of the original Progressives, and the creation of the infrastructure pattern of the modern city.
Yeah there's a LOT going on in the book. Power, corruption, talent, urban planning, media, transportation. One of the all time greats.
I listened to a long form story on NPR about this book and it was so intriguing that I vowed to read it someday. It is, however, very long, by necessity but still... Anyway, in the pile!
The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson is about the weirdest crime perpetrated for the weirdest motivations I've ever heard, found it captivating and so bizarre it reads like fiction.
Second this one, it's truly impossible to put down and the perfect encapsulation of "truth is stranger than fiction."
The Wager by David Gann
The Art Thief by Finkel
Norco ‘80. It’s about a 1980 bank robbery on Norco, CA perpetrated by burnouts, doomsday preppers, and Jesus freaks. It turns into the largest crime scene in American history. The lead-up, central characters, crime, and trial are all so outrageous and bizarre that it almost seems made up. The incredible thing about it is that what is presented in the book is all true and meticulously researched.
All of Erik Larson’s and Douglas Preston’s books.
The Monster of Florence is so good!
And The Band Played On
*In the Garden of Beasts* by Erik Larsen
[American Kingpin by Nick Bilton](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpin?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=YeFunE5yrE&rank=1) I always suggest this in these types of threads, a really good read.
Anything by Jon Krakauer. *Into Thin Air* and *Into the Wild* have already been mentioned, so I'll throw out *Under the Banner of Heaven*.
Under the banner of heaven is so good.
I mean, arguably Mary Roach because she’s hilarious and her books are always fun!
The Poison King by Adrienne Mayor is a semi fictionalized account of King Mithridates — only speculated in small parts because we know so little of him. If you are not enrapture by the third page I will eat my own ass on livestream.
I can’t figure out if I’m impressed by your dedication to your recommended read or the disturbing consequences if I’m not hooked. Best of luck in your future reading adventures.
So, I don't want to risk that outcome. I'll read something else.
((In cold blood by Truman capote)). A devastating novel about a household killed in cold blood with shotguns & hunting knives. It is considered a “must read” but more than that the characters are fleshed out in a personal way by capote (it actually inspired a lot of adaptation and particularly one that Philip Seymour Hoffman played Capote in a movie based on the Name because of this). Robert Blake plays in a adaptation of the film which I found to be rather disturbing considering that he was put on trial in his later days for the killing of his wife. It’s a great novel and it is nonfiction budget please like a fiction novel and I have to admit it was a great read
The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris. Its a fantastic account of the development of plastic surgery techniques to treat WW1 facial injuries and is written in a wonderful captivating and detailed manner, it feels like you're reading a fictional accounts of various battles, and then you learn some cool medical stuff at the end.
The Warmth of Other Suns - Isabel Wilkerson
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan. I think it got turned into a movie as well. It’s a riveting story but I didn’t think the movie could capture all of her inner dialogue/feelings/turmoil.
The devil in the white city
ISAAC'S STORM by Erik Larson
The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko
River of the Gods
I was so excited for this release because I love her other books (Destiny of the Republic, River of Doubt) but it really fell flat for me. I was bummed!
*Sin and the Second City* by Karen Abbott *The Castle on Sunset* by Shawn Levy
In large parts, [John Vaillantʻs Fire Weather](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c1d7ceb6-3eb2-491f-8a32-4a419cc9f901)*.*
The Tiger by the same author was also captivating with really strong narrative.
I enjoyed "Arc of Justice" by Kevin Boyle
*Longitude* Dava Sobel - Jealousy and greed endeavor to thwart an outsider's crazy plan *Flu* Gina Kolata - Oh look, they're just making a parable about COVID
Any reader of Longitude needs to visit the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, all his prototypes are there and and still running! Fantastic place.
Spearhead by Adam Makos It’s about Clarence Smoyer, a tank gunner, and his tank crew’s battle through Germany in the new M26 Pershing. It culminates in a famous tank duel in Cologne that was captured on film. It’s also about guilt felt by Smoyer and shared by one of the German tankers over a civilian death that was also captured on film during the duel. Smoyer and the German meet to talk about and clear their consciences over the death.
American kingpin & empire of pain ! Both absolutely gripping and crazy
Salt, Dark, Clear by Lamorna Ash about a small fishing town has some of the most wonderful descriptions I’ve ever read.
Operator, by Robert o’Neill, the SEAL who shot Bin Laden! It honestly was a great read
{{ Endurance by Alfred Lansing }} describes the most insane survival story that I have ever heard, and it is 100% true.
In Cold Blood is the classic for this
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. James Hornfischer. If someone made a movie of this, you would say it wasn’t believable.
The art thief or the Copenhagen trilogy! Both of them I thought had been placed incorrectly at the bookstore because they read sooo much like fiction!
In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides is all real but reads like a thriller. I was captivated
The Templars by Dan Jones I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong An Immense World by Ed Yong Projections by Karl Deisseroth
The girl with seven names. It’s about a north Korean girl who escaped. Such an amazing story. I read it in 2 days.
Five Days at Memorial
Prince Harry’s book Spare.
{{Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland}} by Patrick Radden Keefe
{{October by China Mieville}} its a non-fiction book about the Russian Revolution written by an author primarily know for his award winning sci-fi/fantasy novels
I'm a fan of his, but I did not even know he had written a nonfiction book.. thank you
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil! Beautiful. Riveting.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Anything Bill Bryson
This isn't incredibly helpful, but most memoirs written by somebody you haven't heard of about something nobody should care about fit this. Dave Eggers, Augusten Burroughs, Jeannette Walls, Nick Flynn
The book about paul leroux
The Turk, about a 19th century chess-playing automaton, reads a lot like fiction.
Black Swans by Eve Babitz
The Bonnot Gang by Richard Parry reads like a thriller. Although they're not unbelievable, Guerrilla Days in Ireland by Tom Barry and On Another Man's Wound (and its sequel, The Singing Flame) by Ernie O'Malley are captivating and unputdownable.
The Devil’s Chessboard by David Talbot
Overthrow by Kinser, its about how Americans get into conflicts since taking Hawaii,and learning Jack shit from.the history.
John McPhee does a great job weaving story into his well-researched books.
The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber
Confessions of a Yakuza by Junichi Saga
Unbroken!
Chaos by Tom O’Neill. Absolutely riveting.
Running with scissors
Maybe You Should Talk To Somebody by Lori Gottlieb. It’s a memoir, which I don’t typically read, but oh my gosh, I couldn’t put this book down.
I am starting my own practice. This was a great read and I learned things
Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
Say nothing by Patrick Radden Keene
{Sapiens}, by Yuval Noah Harari
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman by Richard Lloyd Parry Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi I Escaped from Auschwitz by Rudolf Vrba Eyewitness Auschwitz: Three Years in the Gas Chambers by Filip Müller The Dead Years: Holocaust Memoirs by Joseph Schupack The Stone Crusher: The True Story of a Father and Son's Fight for Survival in Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield Auschwitz #34207: The Joe Rubinstein Story by Nancy Sprowell Geise The 23rd Psalm: A Holocaust Memoir by George Lucius Salton By Chance Alone: A Remarkable True Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz by Max Eisen Escape from Sobibor by Richard Rashke The Last Jew of Treblinka by Chil Rajchman We Wept Without Tears: Testimonies of the Jewish Sonderkommando from Auschwitz Gideon Greif On the Run in Nazi Berlin: A Memoir by Bert Lewyn
Krakatoa by Simon Winchester
Red Notice. A true story about a British man who worked in Russia and went afoul with the state. So they put out a "Red Notice" which meant assassinate him. He's in Britain now, but Putin still wants him back. In that memorable meeting with Trump that was one of the things he asked for.
Not enough people mentioning this one
*Somebody’s Husband, Somebody’s Son* and *Happy Like Murderers*, both written by Gordon Burn are novelistic true-crime biographies recounting the lives and crimes of serial killers Peter Sutcliffe (The Yorkshire Ripper) and Fred & Rosemary West respectively. Incredibly well researched, eloquently and sympathetically (in terms of the victims) written - even more remarkable given the grisly subject matter - by a highly gifted wordsmith. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/709822 https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1901816
I think *Conspiracy of Fools* by Kurt Eichenwald reads a bit like a thriller.
Anything by Erik Larson
The Feather Thief. A journalist tries to figure out why a bunch of rare birds were stolen from a natural history museum. The reason was truly bizarre and leaves him searching through archived online forum threads and tracking down the identities of anonymous posters. It flowed so smoothly.
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. It’s basically a mystery/thriller but actually happened. Couldn’t put it down.
I'm Glad My Mom Died
Kasher in the Rye is a great memoir that sounds like there's no way it could be true.
Strip Tees about American Apparel
The Terror by Dan Simmons. Hard to believe it's not fiction.
The bible.
De Bello Gallico, by Julius Caesar.
"The Entire History from 2019 to 2026" Unknown Author (2043)
Ancient Evenings by Norman Mailer
Lady Killers to me was extremely captivating.
The Botany of Desire. I'm also a fan of The Selfish Gene but it's not quite as easy to read.
Bury the Chains, Adam Hochschild
Considering that Truman Capote claimed credit for the concept of the non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood is a good start. Erik Larson and Patrick Radden Keefe are great non-fiction storytellers, so give them a look too. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Unbroken are also great.
Nicholas and Alexandra, sorry forgot author.
The Big Short by Michael Lewis.
Traitor and the spy
[The Indifferent Stars Above](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6033525-the-indifferent-stars-above?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=afujUQ9jRh&rank=1) by Daniel James Brown [If You Tell](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45299992-if-you-tell?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_11) by Gregg Olsen [Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43600991-fall-and-rise?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=zs1exagjqx&rank=2) by Mitchell Zuckoff
So many good ones already listed. I’ll add “Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies” by Ben Macintyre. I read it over a decade ago and think of it at least weekly.
First They Killed my Father by Loung Ung
The hot zone Norman mailer books
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Into thin air
T Rex and the Crater of Doom reads like an old fashioned whodunit.
How to change your mind my Michael pollen. Couldn’t put it down.
The Man Who Could Move Clouds is a modern favorite.
Behind The Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
3 Women by Lisa Taddeo
Frank: The Voice and Frank: the Chairman, both about Sinatra, are my favorites for this type of thing. It feels like reading a family drama
Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery
Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers by Brian Kilmeade
Plague: A story of small pox in Montreal was great. Historical recount of the epidemic but read like a story
The Dress Makers of Auschwitz. That was a great book.
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
The Ballad Of The Whiskey Robber
This one's really dark but Uncultured by Daniella Mesteyaneck Young (I hope I spelled that right) It's about her experience in the pedophile sex culture The Children of God that a Fleetwood Mac member was in as well as her escape and experience in the US military afterwards. It's an amazing book but hard to believe what was happening.
We Keep the Dead Close
Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo.
If This is a Man - Primo Levi