Five Non-Fiction Books On My TBR

For quite some time, books have always been my main source of entertainment. I was never a big TV show binge-r, and I could never find the hype surrounding movies. It was always books. However, I’ve noticed that I was always drawn to fiction. As I’ve slowly gotten older, I realized how much I was missing out on because I limited myself to fiction only. One of my recent goals is to expand my reading to include more non-fiction non-YA books, so I thought it would be fun to discuss that here with y’all! Let’s get started!

1. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

I actually have only owned this book physically for a couple months, but I have had my eyes on this book for quite a while! I first heard about this book from my favorite musical theatre composer, Dave Malloy. With each show he does, he publishes a list in the programs of different books, albums, movies, etc. that inspired his work. For his show Octet, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed is one of them! I’m really interested in reading to see how it discusses accountability and “canceling”, especially within social media spaces because that’s a topic I think about quite often. I can’t wait to dive in, hopefully soon!

2. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions by Gloria Steinem

If you’ve been keeping up with my recent posts, you may already know that I recently hauled Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions in one of my recent book hauls! In case you haven’t been keeping up, I’ll fill you in about my recent love for Gloria Steinem. I saw the play Gloria: A Life in February at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA. It’s essentially a show about the life and activism of Gloria Steinem and other women in the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, I’ve been really interested in reading some of her books and discovering more about her and other women in the women’s rights movement! Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions is a collection of essays written by Gloria, some of them being from when she was a journalist. I’m super excited to get reading!

3. And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts

Similarly to Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, I just hauled this one in my most recent book haul post! I have been wanting to pick this book up because, honestly, I haven’t learned all that much about the HIV/AIDs epidemic. I said this in my haul, but the only really education I’ve received regarding it was a paragraph or two in my AP U.S. History textbook. I know pretty much the bare basics and that’s it. As an ‘adult’, I want to take it upon myself to educate myself on topics and time periods that were left out in my K-12 education. Thus, And The Band Played On landed on my TBR!

4. The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

For the past year or two, one particular topic I’ve become very interested in is sustainability. I try my best: I use reusable straws, I never use plastic bags, and you wouldn’t catch me dead with a single-use plastic waster bottle. However, I love stuff. Who doesn’t? Our society has trained us to become obsessed with the latest technology, clothes, and even books (!!!). I’ve been slowly trying to break that habit, hence why I’m SUPER interested in reading The Story of Stuff. I’m really interested in reading and researching more about how the “stuff” we buy impacts our planet and our communities.

5. From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find The Good Death by Caitlin Doughty 

I was first introduced to Caitlin Doughty through her YouTube channel Ask A Mortician. I used to be really squeamish about the idea of death and funerals, but Caitlin makes it really interesting and fun (as fun as death can be). She also talks about how, in the Western world, we have become very disconnected from our deceased loved ones. We have a very “hands off” approach to taking care of our dead, which is not the norm across the world! In this book, Caitlin discusses funerary practices in different countries and cultures to truly discover what defines a “good death”. I’ve been watching Caitlin’s videos for so long, and I can’t believe it’s taken me THIS LONG to pick up one of her books! I seriously can’t WAIT to dive in!

This was so much fun! Thanks for sticking around and reading this post! What did you think? Are you normally a non-fiction reader? What non-fiction books have you enjoyed in the past? Are there any on this list that you have read and enjoyed? Let me know in the comments! I can’t wait to chat with you!