I read a few non-fiction books, but I would have to say my personal favourite is Nelson Mandela's autobiography. It is just inspiring to read and it was a harrowing experience to read what conditions he had to suffer when he was on Robben island.
I came here to tell you that there's no such thing as a non-fiction novel, but when I looked it up I learned Truman Capote invented it.
I have favourite non-fiction books, though. The Autobiography of Malcolm X is a classic, and I'm currently making my way through The Years of Lyndon Johnson series by Robert Caro. It's fascinating if you're interested in American politics.
I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but I really enjoyed "The Murder of the Century" by Paul Collins. It tells the story of a headless torso found in the East River in 1897 and how the yellow journalists raced to solve the crime. It's a fascinating "true crime" story that also reveals a lot about history.
"You do ill if you praise, but worse if you censure, what you do not understand." Leonardo Da Vinci
Most of the non-fiction I like tends to be about psychology, spirituality and animals (as well as the obvious writing guide-type books). Most of the time though I use them more as inspiration/research for my writing so i don't know if they count! lol
When it comes to reading non-fiction for pure enjoyment, I'm a bit of a fan of positive, real life day-to-day stories. At the minute I'm really enjoying "Under the Paw" by Tom Cox . Reading about his experiences with cats is humourous, light-hearted and very relatable. I find it easy to read after a long day!
The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious by C.G. Jung. It's a compendium of his psychoanalytical reports and it's massively interesting. Studying the typical archetypes is really beneficial in writing characters/relationships.
Also, The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, which is a collaborative autobiography of the members of Motley Crue. It's... intense. It dispels any romanticized assumptions of the rockstar lifestyle, and will honestly make me look at the band in a different way (especially when I see them live this autumn). I would recommend it while at the same time putting a warning sticker on it, because it's also exceptionally explicit. Which, in my opinion, makes the story more realistic... Not for ye God-fearing, pure-hearted virgins of the mind.
"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls." --Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns
Atul Gawande is AMAZING, and Complications is probably my favourite non-fiction book. It isn't a novel, although it's autobiographical in a way, but it's largely collected essays about surgery and medical ethics. It is just unbelievably well written. It's in every recommended reading list for med students ever, and it's pretty obvious why.
"Stella. You were in my dream the other night. And everyone called you Princess." -Lauren2010
Well, my favourite is "The Age of Kali" by William Dalrymple and it's the only non-fiction book I've ever read.
If any person raises his hand to strike down another on the ground of religion, I shall fight him till the last breath of my life, both as the head of the Government and from outside- Jawaharlal Nehru.
