We all love to read fiction books, they bring us to a new world of imagination and thought. But we should also stick to the realm of reality and read nonfiction books. They give us the insights of wise men and women. Stories of horror, struggle, pain, learning, changing, and a lot more.
Below is a compilation of insightful books that will provide you with the knowledge and new perspectives of life.
- 1. Caste: The Origin Of Our Discontents
- 2. Minor Feeling: An Asian American Reckoning
- 3. The Dragons, The Giant, The Women: A Memoir
- 4. Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir
- 5. The Dead Are Arising: The Life Of Malcolm X
- 6. Vesper Flights
- 7. Uncanny Valley
- 8. A Promised Land
- 9. Me And White Supremacy
- 10. You Never Forget Your First
1. Caste: The Origin Of Our Discontents
Isabel Wilkerson brings a transformative book, Caste: The Origin Of Our Discontents, which contains decades of research and reporting. The book describes injustice and the caste system in the U.S. with the oppression of Black Americans.
Wilkerson compares the aspects of the experience of American people of color to the Indian caste system and Nazi Germany caste system. The Pulitzer award-winning journalist blends history, interviews with experts, and ordinary people who faced injustice to represent the reality of injustice in America.
2. Minor Feeling: An Asian American Reckoning
The book was written by Cathy Park Hong. She explains her experience as the American daughter of Korean immigrants. The series of narratives ask urgent questions about the impact of racism against Asian American people.
It contains 7 essays, she explains the book title under an essay known as “Stand Up” that focused on Richard Pryor. In Minor Feelings, she talks about racializing ranges of emotions that are dysphoric, negative, and therefore untelegenic.
3. The Dragons, The Giant, The Women: A Memoir
The book was written by Wayetu Moore. The story revolves around the thoughts of a 5-years old girl belonging to a family in Liberia, at a time when the country was facing an emergency of civil war.
She tries to describe her family’s journey as they are forced to leave their homes for safety purposes. She narrates the story from the perspective of her younger self.
4. Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir
The book was written by Natasha Trethewey. She reflects on the movement when she was 19 and visited her mother’s house the day after she was killed. The story is about a terrifying tale of domestic abuse and the story of the writer’s mother who was brutally murder by her stepfather.
5. The Dead Are Arising: The Life Of Malcolm X
The Pulitzer award-winning journalist Les Payne gathered researches and interviews about Malcolm’s life. But Payne died before the completion of the book. After that, his daughter Tamara Payne finished the book. The book is about Malcolm’s childhood, his path to nationalism, Islam, and more.
6. Vesper Flights
The book was written by one of the most famous nature-writer Helen Macdonald. In the wake of the pandemic, when the world stops, people start observing nature. Her book shows us how to better observe or comprehend the scene around us.
7. Uncanny Valley
This book by Anna Wiener focuses on the tradition between a publishing industry to the series of jobs at tech companies and her gradual disappointment with tech companies.
8. A Promised Land
The book is written by the 44th President (2009 to 2017) of the US, Barack Obama. The book is about his journey, starting with his earlier career. It also demonstrates Obama’s intelligence and conscience.
9. Me And White Supremacy
This book was written by Layla F. Saad. It is structured as a 28-day guide, primarily targeted at white readers. The book tries to help readers in identifying the impact of white privilege and white supremacy. It includes quotes, terminology definitions and question prompts.
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd and subsequent protests, this book received positive critical reception and entered many bestseller lists.
10. You Never Forget Your First
This book is based on the life of George Washington, the 1st President of the United States. It was written by Alexis Coe. She’s a historian and former research curator at the New York Public Library. This book is the 3rd complete biography of Washington.
