For Li’l Bro:
- Young Men and Fire by Norman McLean: An old man dying writes of young men dying. If you’re familiar with the song “Cold Missouri Water” covered by Cry, Cry, Cry and others, this is the story. It’s the only nonfiction book that has ever made me cry.
- And The Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts: It’s almost an epic novel, sprawling with a bazillion fascinating characters. It’s also an amazing feat of journalism. And while some of his findings and assumptions are now challenged, it doesn’t take away from the power of the book, its urgency or its central message and call to action.
- Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion: If you are going to read any Didion collection, this is the one. It’s got the Santa Ana winds, John Wayne, hippies in Haight-Ashbury. Plus, it’s probably the best literary title ever; if you know the poem, you’ve got a good idea of what the book is about.
- The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson: So I don’t normally like economic/business books but this book made me really excited about the future of consumer choices, what the internet can do and a believer in the power of online communities and interconnections. And then Anderson keeps the conversation open and ongoing on his blog; you can watch an idea take shape, expand, contract and solidify right before you.
- The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America by Bill Bryson: The funniest book ever written by an Iowan. Actually, one of the funniest books ever written. Period.
The “I’m not sure what genre to call it” slot:
- Night by Elie Wiesel: Chilling and soul-shattering. The most perfectly devastating description of loss of faith ever written.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Lil' Bro // Feb 26, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I thought maybe “Freakonomics” would make it on that list.
Do memoirs count as non-fiction, or are they a category all their own (i.e. David Sedaris)? I guess those are kind of like Bill Bryson.
Otherwise, I’d have to put “Nickel and Dimed” on my list. Amazing book. Peoples’ History by Howard Zinn is another life changing book every 20 year old should read. I wish I could say I made it through “Guns, Germs, and Steel,” but I didn’t, although I plan to some day. That would probably be on my list if I had read it.
2 mennomom // Feb 27, 2008 at 12:01 am
Yes, “Guns, Germs, & Steel” is fascinating although it does take awhile to get through and “The Tipping Point” is very interesting also. I started “And the Band Played On” but couldn’t see myself sticking with it to the end. The problem with books of that nature - that deal with stuff happening now - is that over time the assumptions turn out to be questionable because of new information that comes to light, so books like that become dated rather quickly. And yes, “Night” is a powerful little volume in spite of its brevity. It will stand the test of time.
3 urbanmenno // Feb 29, 2008 at 1:02 am
“Nicked & Dimed” is definitely in my top 10 as is “The Tipping Point.” And I do love me some David Sedaris.
But I’m going to disagree with MennoMom about “And the Band Played On.” I actually think that book will stand the test of time, still does stand the test of time. Partly because it was the first book and still the best chronicle of what like was like at that time because it was written as it was happening (1987) … it’s like a first-person chronicle of the entire era. I remember Rock Hudson dying but that’s my first memory of the AIDS crisis and to realize it had been going on unnoticed for such a long time was a real eye opener. I had never realized how AIDS literally decimated whole communities.
So maybe our understanding of what the virus is and how it got to the US is better or deeper now. But nothing takes away from the power of the personal stories he tells and that’s the meat of the book — the medical personnel chasing the disease as more and more people die from it.
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