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The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023

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T he best nonfiction books of the year dug deep, mining both personal and global history to uncover essential truths. John Vaillant captured the horrors of a wildfire to study the consequences of climate change. Matthew Desmond dissected how poverty persists in the United States and made a compassionate call for greater equity. Tracy K. Smith detailed her complicated mission to learn more about her ancestry and urged us to examine whose stories we deem worth preserving. Their books are among the most impactful nonfiction published in 2023. Here, the 10 best books of the year.

More: Read TIME's lists of the best songs , albums , movies , TV shows , podcasts and video games of 2023.

10. King, Jonathan Eig

In the first major biography of Martin Luther King Jr . in decades, journalist Jonathan Eig paints a complex and fully human portrait of an American leader. Drawing on newly released FBI files, telephone transcripts, and more, Eig presents King like he’s never been seen before. The author unveils this research in fresh and exciting turns, unpacking the activist’s public work alongside his private life. King is a nuanced new look at a civil rights icon.

Buy Now: King on Bookshop | Amazon

9. Fire Weather , John Vaillant

At the center of John Vaillant’s Fire Weather is a horrific real-life story that serves as a deafening wake-up call. The book traces the events of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, in which 88,000 Canadians were displaced after their homes and neighborhoods were destroyed in a fiery blaze over the course of just one afternoon. In describing the natural disaster, Vaillant breaks down the science in accessible terms and offers an important account of the consequences of climate change.

Buy Now: Fire Weather on Bookshop | Amazon

8. Liliana's Invincible Summer , Cristina Rivera Garza

For three decades, poet Cristina Rivera Garza has been haunted by her sister’s murder. In July 1990, Liliana, an architecture student living in Mexico City who loved swimming and cinema, was killed. Though an arrest warrant was filed for Liliana’s ex-boyfriend, he disappeared during the investigation. So, in 2019, Rivera Garza decided to seek answers to what happened to her beloved sister herself. She recounts her quest for information and justice, and uses her sister’s story to tell a larger one about domestic violence and femicide .

Buy Now: Liliana's Invincible Summer on Bookshop | Amazon

7. Poverty, By America , Matthew Desmond

In 2017, sociologist Matthew Desmond won a Pulitzer Prize for Evicted, which analyzed why so many American families were facing eviction in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. His latest book revisits similar themes, this time focusing on why poverty is so prevalent in the U.S . With an empathetic hand, he writes about the systems that keep Americans from living above the poverty line, and implores us all to fight for ways to bring prosperity to the masses.

Buy Now: Poverty, By America on Bookshop | Amazon

More: The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023

6. How to Say Babylon, Safiya Sinclair

As a child growing up in Jamaica, Safiya Sinclair had to adhere to her Rastafarian father’s strict rules, which governed everything from the clothes she wore to the people she was allowed to see. But the author managed to educate herself on other ways of living and decided to use her voice to break free. In her memoir, Sinclair captures her turbulent coming of age, and how she grappled with realizing that the traditions she was raised in were suffocating her. The result is a moving portrait of a woman’s self-empowerment.

Buy Now: How to Say Babylon on Bookshop | Amazon

5. You Could Make This Place Beautiful , Maggie Smith

After her marriage falls apart, Maggie Smith inspects the pieces of the life she once knew to pave a path forward. You Could Make This Place Beautiful finds Smith dissecting the very form in which she is writing as she constantly questions the purpose of memoir and the stories we tell ourselves. Mining her heartbreak and memories both with her husband and without him, Smith moves between rage, sorrow, and grief. And through it all, she illustrates her unwavering love for her son and daughter.

Buy Now: You Could Make This Place Beautiful on Bookshop | Amazon

4. A Day in the Life of Abed Salama , Nathan Thrall

In February 2012, 5-year-old Milad Salama boarded a bus with his fellow Palestinian classmates en route to a theme park. But he never made it there. The bus crashed outside Jerusalem, and the children aboard it were injured or killed. This devastating scene propels Nathan Thrall’s book , which follows Milad’s father Abed from his first romance to the day of the collision, all told against the backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . Thrall tackles the subject with care and expertise, introducing the lives of several Israelis and Palestinians to illuminate their struggles and complex histories.

Buy Now: A Day in the Life of Abed Salama on Bookshop | Amazon

3. To Free the Captives , Tracy K. Smith

In her memoir, Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith crafts a searing narrative about being Black in America. She excavates her past to better understand the racial violence that persists today, wading through generations of her family’s history. But as she tries to learn more about her lineage, beginning with the Alabama town where her father grew up, Smith realizes that the research process itself is fraught and riddled with missing pieces.

Buy Now: To Free the Captives on Bookshop | Amazon

2. Doppelganger, Naomi Klein

What would you do if all of a sudden people started mixing you up with a person whose beliefs you can’t stand? Leftist activist and author Naomi Klein has been forced to answer this exact question: she is constantly confused with Naomi Wolf, who has spent the past few years spreading antivaccine rhetoric and fringe conspiracy theories. Klein investigates how “other Naomi” became the type of public figure she is today, taking a dizzying trip through the current cultural landscape to examine politics, misinformation, and the slippery path to radicalization.

Buy Now: Doppelganger on Bookshop | Amazon

1. Some People Need Killing , Patricia Evangelista

The title of Patricia Evangelista’s memoir is rooted in a conversation the journalist once had with a vigilante who made that unnerving declaration. Her home country, the Philippines, was full of people who shared the same belief as this man—like those working for the state, who carried out thousands of killings of citizens during President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs.” Evangelista tells the stories of those who were lost in the struggle, and interrogates the language we use to describe violence.

Buy Now: Some People Need Killing on Bookshop | Amazon

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Write to Annabel Gutterman at [email protected]

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Last updated: November 14, 2024

Across our site, we have thousands of nonfiction book recommendations, on a vast array of topics. Below, you'll find some general recommendations, useful if you're in the mood for nonfiction, want to read a really, really good book, but don't mind what it's about.

There are vast numbers of new books published every year, which makes choosing some of the best ones seem somewhat random and subjective. Fortunately, in the UK, we have the Baillie Gifford Prize . Judges scour hundreds of books—many of them lengthy tomes—to find the best books of the year. Our editor, Sophie Roell, also provides regular roundups of new nonfiction being published.

Best Nonfiction of 2024 | History books |  Best Nonfiction of 2023 | Best Biographies | Memoirs & Autobiography | Short Nonfiction | Nonfiction Series | Science books | Philosophy books | Psychology books | Art History books | Economics books | Business Books | Religion books

Notable Nonfiction Books of Fall 2024 , recommended by Sophie Roell

Patriot: a memoir by alexei navalny, punishing putin: inside the global economic war to bring down russia by stephanie baker, hitler's people: the faces of the third reich by richard j. evans, the golden road by william dalrymple, the peepshow: the murders at rillington place by kate summerscale.

From the memoir of the brave politician who opposed Putin, to how the culture of ancient and early medieval India transformed the world, from a book about the people who surrounded Hitler, to a serial killer in 1950s London, Sophie Roell , editor of Five Books , introduces some of her favourite nonfiction books published in the last three months.

From the memoir of the brave politician who opposed Putin, to how the culture of ancient and early medieval India transformed the world, from a book about the people who surrounded Hitler, to a serial killer in 1950s London, Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books , introduces some of her favourite nonfiction books published in the last three months.

Award-Winning Biographies of 2024 , recommended by Cal Flyn

King: a life by jonathan eig, master slave husband wife: an epic journey from slavery to freedom by ilyon woo, winnie and nelson: portrait of a marriage by jonny steinberg, monet: the restless vision by jackie wullschläger, traces of enayat by iman mersal, translated by robin moger, fassbinder: thousands of mirrors by ian penman.

We asked Five Books deputy editor Cal Flyn to put together a concise round-up of notable biographies of 2024, comprising the winners of relevant literary awards from the United Kingdom and the United States. The list includes two biographies of married couples and an "unclassifiable" literary detective story tracking down details of a forgotten Egyptian poet.

We asked Five Books deputy editor Cal Flyn to put together a concise round-up of notable biographies of 2024, comprising the winners of relevant literary awards from the United Kingdom and the United States. The list includes two biographies of married couples and an “unclassifiable” literary detective story tracking down details of a forgotten Egyptian poet.

The Best Business Books of 2024: the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award , recommended by Andrew Hill

The corporation in the twenty-first century: why (almost) everything we are told about business is wrongfnew ec by john kay, tribal: how the cultural instincts that divide us can help bring us together by michael morris, supremacy: ai, chatgpt, and the race that will change the world by parmy olson, the longevity imperative: building a better society for healthier, longer lives by andrew scott, unit x: how the pentagon and silicon valley are transforming the future of war by christopher kirchhoff & raj shah, growth: a history and a reckoning by daniel susskind.

From how to channel the tribal instincts innate to Homo sapiens to the role of Silicon Valley in the future of warfare, the Financial Times book award—now in its 20th year—has a broad definition of what makes a good business book. FT journalist Andrew Hill , the prize's organizer, talks us through the six excellent books that made the 2024 shortlist.

From how to channel the tribal instincts innate to Homo sapiens to the role of Silicon Valley in the future of warfare, the Financial Times book award—now in its 20th year—has a broad definition of what makes a good business book. FT journalist Andrew Hill, the prize’s organizer, talks us through the six excellent books that made the 2024 shortlist.

The 2024 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding , recommended by Charles Tripp

Material world: the six raw materials that shape modern civilization by ed conway, smoke and ashes: opium's hidden histories by amitav ghosh, the secret lives of numbers: a global history of mathematics & its unsung trailblazers by kate kitagawa & timothy revell, divided: racism, medicine and why we need to decolonise healthcare by annabel sowemimo, language city: the fight to preserve endangered mother tongues by ross perlin, the tame and the wild: people and animals after 1492 by marcy norton.

The British Academy Book Prize is awarded annually for a nonfiction book that combines rigorous research with engaging writing—and promotes global cultural understanding. Charles Tripp , chair of this year's judging panel, explains what that means and introduces the six books that made the 2024 shortlist.

The British Academy Book Prize is awarded annually for a nonfiction book that combines rigorous research with engaging writing—and promotes global cultural understanding. Charles Tripp, chair of this year's judging panel, explains what that means and introduces the six books that made the 2024 shortlist.

The Best Popular Science Books of 2024 , recommended by John Hutchinson

Everything is predictable: how bayes’ remarkable theorem explains the world by tom chivers, eve: how the female body drove 200 million years of human evolution by cat bohannon, your face belongs to us: the secretive startup dismantling your privacy by kashmir hill, the last of its kind: the search for the great auk and the discovery of extinction by gísli pálsson, why we die: the new science of aging and the quest for immortality by venki ramakrishnan, a city on mars: can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through by kelly and zach weinersmith.

Every year, the judges of the Royal Society Science Book Prize put together a shortlist of the smartest, sharpest, funniest science books of the previous twelve months. We asked the chair of the 2024 panel—the leading evolutionary biomechanics researcher Professor John Hutchinson —to talk us through their picks of the best new popular science books.

Every year, the judges of the Royal Society Science Book Prize put together a shortlist of the smartest, sharpest, funniest science books of the previous twelve months. We asked the chair of the 2024 panel—the leading evolutionary biomechanics researcher Professor John Hutchinson—to talk us through their picks of the best new popular science books.

The Best Nonfiction of the Past Quarter Century: The Baillie Gifford Prize Winner of Winners , recommended by Sophie Roell

Peacemakers by margaret macmillan, 1599: a year in the life of william shakespeare by james shapiro, nothing to envy by barbara demick, empire of pain: the secret history of the sackler dynasty by patrick radden keefe, into the silence: the great war, mallory and the conquest of everest by wade davis, one two three four: the beatles in time by craig brown.

"All the best stories are true" runs the tagline of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction , the UK's pre-eminent nonfiction book award. This year, to celebrate the prize's 25th birthday, a panel of judges picked out books for a winner of winners award, making for an excellent collection of nonfiction books from the last quarter of a century, as Five Books editor Sophie Roell explains.

“All the best stories are true” runs the tagline of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction , the UK’s pre-eminent nonfiction book award. This year, to celebrate the prize’s 25th birthday, a panel of judges picked out books for a winner of winners award, making for an excellent collection of nonfiction books from the last quarter of a century, as Five Books editor Sophie Roell explains.

The best books on The Lessons of History , recommended by Roman Krznaric

On history by howard zinn, why history matters by john tosh, the ornament of the world by maria rosa menocal, ibn khaldun: an intellectual biography by robert irwin, anarchy in action by colin ward.

History is too complex to be an easy guide for navigating the present, but that doesn't mean the experience of those who came before can't shed valuable insights into our current dilemmas. In his latest book, History for Tomorrow , social philosopher Roman Krznaric looks at ten crises currently facing the world and how lessons from the past might be able to help.

Five of the Best U.S. Political Biographies , recommended by William Cooper

Benjamin franklin by walter isaacson, known and unknown: a memoir by donald rumsfeld, one damn thing after another: memoirs of an attorney general by william p. barr, george w. bush: the 43rd president, 2001-2009 by james mann, a promised land by barack obama.

Biographers create character studies of fascinating people, through which we might insight into the historical context and the systems these individuals functioned within. Here, journalist and attorney William Cooper recommends five U.S. political biographies and memoirs that allow readers special access to the rooms where American decision-making takes place.

Five Biographies of Artists , recommended by Sue Prideaux

Caravaggio: a life sacred and profane by andrew graham-dixon, tove jansson: life, art, words by boel westin, young rembrandt by onno blom, surreal spaces: the life and art of leonora carrington by joanna moorhead, studio of the south: van gogh in provence by martin bailey.

From the Baroque painter who killed a man in Rome during the Counter-Reformation to the surrealist artist who left Britain and died in Mexico City in 2011, award-winning biographer Sue Prideaux talks to us about her favorite biographies of artists. Her new biography of Paul Gauguin, Wild Thing , is out this week and has been longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize.

The Best Nonfiction Books: The 2024 Duff Cooper Prize , recommended by Susan Brigden

The revolutionary temper: paris, 1748–1789 by robert darnton, france on trial: the case of marshal pétain by julian jackson, revolutionary spring: europe aflame and the fight for a new world, 1848-1849 by christopher clark, courting india: england, mughal india and the origins of empire by nandini das.

If you're looking for nonfiction with a literary sensibility and a historical bent, the books highlighted by the annual Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize are a great place to start. British historian Susan Brigden , author of Thomas Wyatt: The Heart's Forest and one of the prize's judges, talks us through the 2024 shortlist — from war and revolution to the splendours of Mughal India and Monet's garden at Giverny.

If you’re looking for nonfiction with a literary sensibility and a historical bent, the books highlighted by the annual Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize are a great place to start. British historian Susan Brigden, author of Thomas Wyatt: The Heart’s Forest and one of the prize’s judges, talks us through the 2024 shortlist — from war and revolution to the splendours of Mughal India and Monet’s garden at Giverny.

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