Our Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2025

An instant New York Times bestseller, John & Paul tells the love story of one of music’s most famous partnerships — John Lennon and Paul McCartney — through the songs they made together. Author Ian Leslie brilliantly traces the intense and complex relationship they shared in this acclaimed new Beatles book, following the legendary musicians from their first encounter through the dizzying heights of fame to their breakup. “John & Paul is a bold, original, empathetic revelation of why our world is still fascinated by this friendship ― and still trying to live up to it” (Rob Sheffield, author of Dreaming the Beatles).

Margaret Atwood, the award-winning speculative fiction author of books like The Handmaid’s Tale, delivers an insightful new memoir in Book of Lives. From her wild childhood in the forests of Quebec to her heady days in 1980s Berlin and the years she shared with writer Graeme Gibson, Atwood invites us along for the ride, offering a fascinating glimpse into the life/lives of a literary icon.

From Edgar Award–winning author Elon Green (Last Call) comes a gripping new work of true crime journalism. Michael Stewart was a 25-year-old aspiring artist, model, and DJ, trying to find his place in the vibrant New York City art scene of the 1980s. On September 15, 1983, New York City Transit Authority police brutally assaulted Stewart for allegedly tagging a subway station wall. He died after 13 days in a coma. The Man Nobody Killed examines this tragic case, which was one of the most notable accounts of police brutality of its time, and how it sparked public outcry, rallying voices in New York City and beyond to demand justice.

From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Finney Boylan, Cleavage is a powerful exploration of gender and identity in the modern era. Having come out as transgender in 2000, Boylan has the experience of “a life lived in two genders.” In Cleavage, she reflects on her womanhood and the individuals who have shaped her, and explores the contrasts and intersections of what it means to be a man and a woman.

Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence director Marc Brackett presents an insightful guide to understanding and managing our emotions with Dealing with Feeling. Brackett draws on his years of experience to provide readers with a clearer understanding of how our emotions influence success in all areas of life, from romance and home to friendships and careers. In Dealing with Feeling, he sets us on the path to better emotion regulation with an expertly curated collection of tools and tips.

The rich life of legendary author James Baldwin is captured in beautiful detail in Baldwin: A Love Story, the celebrated new biography by Nicholas Boggs. Drawing on in-depth research, new archival material, and revealing interviews, Boggs’s narrative details how Baldwin’s closest relationships — with his mentor, lover, and fellow artists — profoundly impacted his celebrated body of work.

In Bad Friend, cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith examines the oft-idealized bond of female friendship throughout history and breaks it down to its messier and more relatable human truths. From schoolyard girl groups to the intimacy of adult best friends and the lasting commitment of sisters by choice, friendships between women are far more nuanced than the media leads us to believe. Watt Smith delves into the complexity with this brilliant blend of memoir, history, and social critique.

Part memoir, part searing work of prison journalism, The Tragedy of True Crime is a fascinating first-person account by John J. Lennon. After killing a man in 2001, Lennon began his 28-to-life sentence at Attica Correctional Facility. There, he joined a writing workshop and soon set about telling the stories most haven’t heard. In The Tragedy of True Crime, Lennon introduces readers to four men who have killed, vividly exploring their life stories — before and after their defining moments of violence — and challenging our shared obsession with true crime. “Lennon’s ambition is not to turn human suffering into spectacle, but to restore complexity to his own story and those of the men around him” (New York Times Book Review).

How to Lose Your Mother is a skillfully crafted mother–daughter memoir that balances the grief of losing a parent before they’re truly gone with the reckoning of a tumultuous childhood. After learning of her mother’s dementia diagnosis, Molly Jong-Fast begins exploring the connection they shared, unpacking their relationship with unflinching honesty and humor. Jong-Fast recalls her intense upbringing with the renowned author Erica Jong (Fear of Flying), whose literary success filled their home with a sensational atmosphere but also put strain on their relationship. “This raw, intimate memoir is a stunning portrait of difficult relationships and how we survive them” (People).

Every family has its secrets, but Christine Kuehn was stunned to discover the dark truth about her own family’s past. Family of Spies is a gripping real-life spy memoir that reveals how Kuehn’s aunt’s affair with Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels led to their family being sent to Hawaii to serve as spies during WWII and relaying secret information to the Japanese in the lead-up to the Pearl Harbor attack. Thrilling, heartbreaking, and all shockingly true, Kuehn’s story will alter how we view December 7, 1941.

From New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss, You Can Never Die is an open-hearted exploration of life in all its beauty and heartbreak. After the loss of his beloved dog, Penny, Bliss attempts to understand the world we live in, navigating each day with humor, heart, and candor. Featuring Bliss’s vivid artwork, You Can Never Die is a poignant and moving graphic memoir.

Sustainability expert Ashlee Piper delivers a road map to decluttering your life, boosting your mood, and leading a more sustainable existence in No New Things. When Piper decided to stop buying new stuff, she found that the positive benefits affected every aspect of her life. Here, the author helps you break free from consumerist habits and curb your impulse to acquire so you can reclaim your time, money, and mental space.

In Everything Is Tuberculosis, bestselling author and advocate for global health reform John Green tells the story of a boy named Henry and the fight against a disease that has long plagued humanity. Once romanticized as the ailment of poets, tuberculosis is responsible for killing 1.5 million people each year, particularly those in poverty. Green outlines the social and scientific history of tuberculosis as he shares Henry’s story, discussing how the disease may impact our future and what we can do about it.

From food critic Besha Rodell, Hunger Like a Thirst tells of a life lived through memorable meals — both good and bad. This delectable food memoir traces Rodell’s journey from Australia to the United States at the age of 14. The author’s passion for food and flavor drew her into the restaurant world, first as a waitress and then as a successful food writer, one of the last anonymous restaurant critics. Along the way, Rodell explores our ever-evolving cultural appetites that have turned us all into foodies. 

National Book Award–winner Patti Smith delivers a spellbinding new memoir with Bread of Angels. The acclaimed author and musician offers a candid look at her life, from her childhood set against a condemned housing complex and filled with sibling adventures and bullying adversaries to the first romances and literary loves of her teenage years and her transcendent artistry. Throughout, Smith writes as she always has — with a voice full of life and music.