Our Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2024

Susan Lieu beautifully explores grief, trauma, self-image, and the complexities of mother–daughter relationships in this powerful memoir. After emigrating from Vietnam to the United States, Lieu’s family looked to their matriarch as they built a new life in California. With two successful nail salons and an undeniable charm, she was their guiding light. But when Lieu was just 11 years old, her mother died after a botched cosmetic procedure. The tragic loss propelled the author on a 20-year search for answers about her mother, her family, and herself. “Devastating yet healing, painful yet humorous, epic yet intimate, The Manicurist’s Daughter made my eyes weep yet my heart sing” (Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, bestselling author of The Mountains Sing). 

In The Message, bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates interrogates the way we tell stories and examines how the narratives we create shape our perception of reality. Across three interwoven essays, Coates invites readers on a journey from Senegal to South Carolina to Palestine as he explores American myth-making and misleading nationalist narratives. A timely work, The Message asks us as readers to embrace the true stories, even when they aren’t the ones we want to hear.

More than two decades after The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell is back with a new perspective for the modern age. With his captivating blend of storytelling and social science, Gladwell calls attention to contagious phenomena and what he identifies as an alarming new form of social engineering in this thoroughly researched and skillfully written follow-up to its groundbreaking predecessor.

The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert along with his wife, Evie McGee Colbert, share their favorite dishes from family and friends in Does This Taste Funny? Stuffed with recipes for every course and occasion — from mouthwatering mains to desserts, drinks, and party food — the Colberts’ family cookbook is a delicious read. It’s also sure to warm your heart, offering a glimpse inside the Colberts’ loving family home through candid photos and their most cherished meals.

Bestselling author Leslie Jamison delivers a searing read in Splinters, an unflinching and artfully written examination of love, loss, and how the many facets of a woman’s identity come together to define her. Candid, intelligent, and vulnerable in her delivery, Jamison ruminates on themes of divorce, artistry, and new motherhood in this must-read memoir.

In the wake of an apartment break-in that robs her of her sense of safety, Sloan Crosley endures a profound personal loss: the death of her close friend by suicide. Through these two experiences, Crosley embarks on a deep consideration of what it means to grieve and move forward without letting go of the past. Darkly witty and strikingly written, Grief Is for People is an unforgettable account of friendship, loss, and healing.

Dateline’s Dan Slepian chronicles his 20-year crusade to free six innocent men from wrongful incarceration in The Sing Sing Files. It all started back in 2002 with a tip about two men serving sentences on a false murder conviction. The case launched Slepian into a decades-long investigation into a broken criminal justice system and led to the release of several wrongfully imprisoned men. Hailed by the Associated Press as “compelling and emotionally wrenching,” Slepian’s searing work of investigative journalism is not to be missed. 

Depressed and desperate, veteran New York Times journalist Ernest Londoño went on a psychedelic retreat in the Brazilian rainforest. The experience was life-altering and prompted the author to take a deep dive into the risks and rewards of using medicinal psychedelics as a form of treatment in mental health. Drawing on his own story and insightful interviews with individuals in the medicinal psychedelic space, from researchers and religious leaders to veterans suffering from PTSD who credit psychedelic therapy with changing their lives, Londoño explores the world of mind-altering substances as a means to healing in Trippy.

Award-winning photojournalist Richard Frishman documents the lasting legacy of American slavery and segregation in this vivid photography book about America, which includes seven outstanding essays by B. Brian Foster, a professor of sociology and Black culture at University of Virginia, and a foreword by National Book Award winner Imani Perry. Embarking on a 35,000-mile journey across the United States, Frishman spotlights the systemic racism evidenced in the architecture of our country in this haunting and thought-provoking collection. 

An instant New York Times bestseller, The Anxious Generation delves into the precipitous state of mental health in young people. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt outlines the impact of smartphones, advancing technology, and social media on the development of children — and it’s not a pretty picture. But he also offers practical advice to combat this emerging crisis and advocates for better, healthier childhoods for our kids in this timely and necessary book.

Nicholberry Goldens founder Kerry Nichols offers a look inside the minds of our furry friends with her national bestseller, Puppy Brain. Drawing on years of experience and expert research, Nichols guides readers through the developmental stages of puppies to help us to cultivate healthy, happy, and fulfilling relationships with our canine companions. Brimming with insight, warmth, and, of course, plenty of adorable pictures, Nichols’s book about dogs is a terrific read for new puppy parents and seasoned dog owners alike.

It’s high time we beat the burnout that’s so prevalent in the modern working world. In Slow Productivity, Cal Newport advocates for rethinking the way we approach productive work, referencing revered thinkers from a range of fields as examples of people with smarter, more sustainable pacing. Challenging today’s go-go-go culture, Newport offers expert advice on how all of us can — and should! — slow down, rethink, and move toward a healthier and happier form of productivity.