A deep dive on gossip. Revolutionary history. A meditation on muscle. A graphic ode to NYC. A closer look at the color blue. And memoirs galore. We asked our newsroom colleagues to share the nonfiction titles they've enjoyed reading so far this year — here's what they shared with us. (You can find their fiction picks here.)
Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
As someone who consumes a lot of news, sometimes it is hard to remain optimistic about the future. Perhaps you feel it too: The woes of the world can be paralyzing. It was refreshing, therefore, to be called to action by Abundance. Well-known journalists and podcast hosts Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson argue that, yes, we really can build and invent our way to the better future we want and need. With a shift in our collective mindset – from one of scarcity to abundance – we can build "not just more, but more of what matters." One question remains: When do we start? — Katherine Sypher, production assistant, How I Built This
Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry
As we've become accustomed to scrolling through pictures mindlessly, it's easy to forget that there can be deep meaning in what we see, stories in a single color. Imani Perry dives deep to explore what the color blue has represented for generations of Black people across continents. It's a color that represents hope. A color that became a sound. It's the history in the hue of indigo dye, so valued that indigo cloth was a major currency of the slave trade. It's a color that, like Black culture itself, contains multitudes and Perry's meditation renders it in profound clarity. — Tayla Burney, director, Network Programming and Production
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Sarah Wynn-Williams was a young, idealistic policy wonk and diplomat who saw the potential of Facebook to influence geopolitics for good and wanted to be a part of it. Making a persistent, passionate case for the influence that the social media site could have, she got in the door, where she helped rearrange the seating charts to position the company's leaders alongside global heads of state. What starts as a kind of dishy peek inside a tech startup growing into a Goliath morphs into an exposé of the people in charge failing to understand their power. Meta disputes the book's allegations and argues the author violated a nondisparagement clause in her severance agreement.
— Tayla Burney, director, Network Programming and Production
Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare by Edward Fishman
This book is a survey of how the U.S. has increasingly used the dollar's global dominance as a way to exert control and influence over allies and enemies. The author is a former U.S. sanctions official, so this is part history, part research and reporting, and part a firsthand account from an insider. It's immensely readable, despite pretty incredible information density. And with the dollar's role in the spotlight right now (and maybe in flux), it could not be timelier. — Mary Childs, co-host, Planet Money
Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life by Maggie Smith
"Your creativity is calling. It needs you," urges poet and writer Maggie Smith. This guide on craft is an open, thoughtful gold mine of advice for writers and nonwriters alike. Filled with breakdowns of Smith's own poems, as well as exercises and suggested outside reading, these pages invite you to reference their knowledge over and over, for a lifetime. — Christina Cala, senior producer, Code Switch
Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television by Todd S. Purdum
Some I Love Lucy fans may have seen Cuban-born Desi Arnaz as little more than husband and co-star to comedy legend Lucille Ball on their groundbreaking 1950s-era sitcom. But Todd S. Purdum digs deep to detail how the son of Cuban aristocracy fled to America and fought racism to help redefine the shape of modern TV. As co-founder of Desilu Productions, he helped pioneer shooting I Love Lucy episodes with three cameras on film – making rebroadcast "reruns" of TV shows possible – building a studio that eventually made series like Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. It's a detailed and compelling look at an ace performer who became the first Latino star and first Latino executive in American TV. — Eric Deggans, TV critic
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green
Tuberculosis has preyed on the most vulnerable humans since the dawn of our species. But author John Green argues that we now have the knowledge and resources to defeat the disease – we lack only the will. Spun through surprising histories (did you know TB led to the creation of the Stetson hat?) and personal anecdotes from a modern-day survivor, Everything Is Tuberculosis makes an urgent case for the kind of global health initiatives that the U.S. has been turning against. It's also witty, cogent and achingly beautiful – everything we've come to expect from the writer of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars. — James Mastromarino, producer, Here & Now
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780 by Rick Atkinson
I've been eagerly waiting years for this book! This is the second volume of Rick Atkinson's trilogy on the Revolution. Atkinson makes good use of letters and diaries. You feel like you're in the middle of a battle, with all the sights, sounds and tragedy. Harrowing tales of hand-to-hand fighting, scalping and desperate evacuations. Fine detail: the waxed mustaches of the Hessian forces, the number of rum barrels distributed to weary and ill-clad troops, the dull thud of cannonballs smacking into ships. The stench of makeshift hospitals, with piles of limbs stacked outside. He carefully lays out how the battles began, and the successes, mistakes and missed opportunities — on both sides. — Tom Bowman, Pentagon correspondent
Ginseng Roots: A Memoir by Craig Thompson
Craig Thompson's follow-up to his award-winning (and still controversial) graphic memoir, Blankets, is an expansive look at the global ginseng trade. It was an accidentally timely release – it came out while the United States' trade relationship with China was dominating the news cycle. But as deeply researched and history dense as the book is, it's also a personal look at why we work, why we bother trading stories with each other through the things we make. — Andrew Limbong, correspondent, host of NPR's Book of the Day podcast
Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert
Girls navigating the path to womanhood in the early aughts faced an onslaught of media telling them who and how to be. Contradictory depictions of young women were everywhere across pop culture: purity culture clashed with Girls Gone Wild, reality TV made beauty and love commodities, models went from "super" women to teenage waifs. Sophie Gilbert explores the influence pornography had on culture at the time, providing vital insight into messages for young girls that were often objectifying even if they were sold as empowering. For anyone who enjoys You're Wrong About or craving connective tissue to Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma. — Tayla Burney, director, Network Programming and Production
The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World by William Dalrymple
William Dalrymple's The Golden Road puts ancient and early medieval India at the heart of an empire of ideas, trade, science, religion and culture. In this masterful work, Dalrymple, the co-host of a popular history podcast, aims to correct "India's often forgotten position" as a cultural and economic superpower that, in his telling, transformed Asia and much of the world. — Nishant Dahiya, standards editor
How to Share an Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love, and Plenty by Bonny Reichert
The moment you finish, you'll want to share this book with family and friends, just like a good meal. Journalist and chef Bonny Reichert grew up loving food. She also grew up the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Saul Reichert, who had nearly starved to death when he was a boy. There is pain but so much joy – and readers will love spending time in the Reicherts' kitchen. As the author writes in her introduction, it's "about a family that lost everything and built itself up again, one meal at a time." — Shannon Rhoades, senior editor, Weekend Edition
Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary by Victoria Amelina
A brilliant novelist and poet, Victoria Amelina faced Russia's invasion and assault on her native Ukraine by transforming into a war crimes researcher and real-time documentarian. When I last interviewed her in June 2023, she was deep into writing this book, one focused on "extraordinary women" seeking justice. When a Russian missile killed her a few weeks later, it was left to three of her closest friends and her husband to finish her book using her notes. This book, at times anecdotal, is mesmerizing, combining short narratives, diary-like commentary, raw testimonies and disquieting detail. — Joanna Kakissis, Ukraine correspondent
Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live by Susan Morrison
He's been compared to everyone from Darth Vader to the Wizard of Oz. But Saturday Night Live creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels has remained a coolly enigmatic figure for most of the show's 50-season tenure – ripe for a star-filled, myth-busting biography. Susan Morrison, an editor at the New Yorker, got Michaels to open up in interviews, developing a detailed, knowing look at his career, from his early days in Canadian TV to his status as major gatekeeper in American comedy. She explores it all in a 656-page tome flipping between his life story and work on one episode in 2018, revealing how Michaels leverages a detached confidence and command of the zeitgeist to keep SNL relevant. — Eric Deggans, TV critic
Memorial Days: A Memoir by Geraldine Brooks
Grief is both universal and extremely personal. When Geraldine Brooks' vibrant husband, renowned fellow writer Tony Horwitz, died suddenly away from home, the shock was all-consuming. Moving through all of the paperwork, the practical tasks that needed tending didn't allow Brooks to truly mourn the loss of her companion, lover, co-parent, family raconteur ... the one who dealt with the accountant. Three years later, on a remote Australian island, Brooks really reckons with her grief and the ways in which our cultures and faiths support – or minimize – time for it. A beautiful ode to a life, a partnership and living with loss. — Tayla Burney, director, Network Programming and Production
The Mother Code: My Story of Love, Loss, and the Myths That Shape Us by Ruthie Ackerman
The Mother Code is a refreshing take on the many complex reasons one may choose to become – or not become – a parent. Without being prescriptive, Ruthie Ackerman blends memoir with journalistic research to unpack myths surrounding fertility, pregnancy and raising kids, including the reality that many who have the privilege to choose motherhood still experience ambivalence in that choice. The honesty in this book is also a salve for anyone who ever wonders whether they're doing adulthood the "right" way. (Spoiler alert: There is no right way!) — Ashley Brown, supervising editor, All Things Considered
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
Until I read this book, I never really thought about why there seemed to be a number of prominent serial killers in the 1970s and '80s, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Caroline Fraser, though, has thought a lot about it — and in Murderland she provides a detailed examination of the confluence of smelting, environmental pollution, poor highway design and murder in the region. It's a miasma of psychopathy on the individual level and greed on the corporate one that makes you wonder whether the definition of "serial killer" ought to be expanded. — Melissa Gray, senior producer, Weekend Edition
No Fault: A Memoir of Romance and Divorce by Haley Mlotek
Haley Mlotek and her high school sweetheart separated 13 months into marriage, after a 13-year relationship. Her memoir weaves her own memories of their divorce with vignettes on the history of the subject and examples from pop culture. Mlotek resists a clean narrative about her relationship and offers no answers or advice for those who may be looking. The only question that matters, she says, is a hopeful one: "But what happened after?" — Clare Lombardo, editor, Culture Desk
On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters by Bonnie Tsui
I listened to this meditation on muscle over the course of a long bike ride. Physically, I pumped my legs over miles of pavement. Mentally, I was in Scotland with female weightlifting pioneer Jan Todd as she strained to lift the fabled, 700+ pound Dinnie Stones, or I was pondering how humpback whales propel their 50-ton bodies out of the water with the flick of a tail muscle – a feat that tests the limits of muscle fiber. Bonnie Tsui melds scientific fact with memoir and storytelling, weaving a thoughtful reflection on muscle as the stuff that allows us to weather hard things with grace. Like a long bike ride on a beautiful day, it was so lovely I didn't want it to end. — Pien Huang, health correspondent
Prose to the People: A Celebration of Black Bookstores by Katie Mitchell
Writer and bookstore owner Katie Mitchell spent years traveling the U.S. documenting old and new Black bookstores. The result is Prose to the People, a layered account of more than 50 shops, interspersed with original pieces by Kiese Laymon, Rio Cortez and others, and with a foreword from the late Nikki Giovanni. Archival materials and candid photography make it read like a scrapbook and offer vivid introductions to the stewards of these community spaces. Yes, they all sell books – but the stories of how they got there, their specialties and their clientele are a road trip well worth taking. — Adriana Gallardo, editor, Morning Edition
Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton
I never knew I could care so much about a hare! In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chloe Dalton set out on a country stroll and crossed paths with a newborn hare too young to survive on its own, no mother in sight. Dalton takes the baby in, and this decision turns out to dominate the next years of her life (hares, which are not domesticated like rabbits, do not fare well in captivity). Part diary, part natural history, part field guide, this book is also an epic hero's journey – where you set out on an ordinary day and stumble upon something that changes you forever. — Beck Harlan, visuals editor, Life Kit
The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West by Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska
Has the Western world lost interest in the great possibilities of science and technology? This provocative book claims giant tech firms are focusing on short-term commercial gain from consumer products that don't – and won't – have lasting impact, while ignoring bigger questions that could – and should – benefit society at large. The authors argue for a renewed partnership between tech companies and government, viewing it as a moral responsibility. Artificial intelligence makes the stakes high. The time is now, as it all shapes the community to which we belong. These important questions merit debate. The book is easy to read, and though it doesn't exactly declare definitive answers, it's worthy of your time. — Edith Chapin, editor-in-chief
Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
I must begin with the facts, as the author does: Writer Yiyun Li lost both her teenage sons to suicide. It's a tragedy we might call "unthinkable," but Li's book is about thinking. While the deaths of her sons are the context, the subject is Li's thought process as she lives through the aftermath of her younger son's death in 2024. To be in Li's head is a rare privilege – she is a writer of elegance and clarity and is a deeply interesting thinker. And the book, surprisingly, is not sad. It is moving and even funny in places as she writes about her wonderful friends, a few awful strangers, but most of all her extraordinary sons. You may find yourself transformed after reading it. I did. — Barrie Hardymon, senior editor
This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Graphic Memoir by Kay Sohini
If you're looking for a love letter to New York City, you'll find few as passionately written as Kay Sohini's latest work. It traces her journey moving from India to New York – and with it comes joy, excitement, heartbreak and anguish. It's a visually gorgeous work that brings both of Sohini's worlds alive, from her family kitchen table in India to the bustle of Manhattan. And as an immigrant who made a similar journey years ago, I found myself nodding along to every word. — Hafsa Fathima, assistant producer, Pop Culture Happy Hour
Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance by Laura Delano
Unshrunk issues a provocative challenge to psychiatrists across the U.S.: Maybe pharmaceutical drugs aren't always the antidote. In this memoir, Laura Delano shares how a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in her teen years led to a life in and out of treatment. After more than a decade and 19 prescriptions, Delano made the decision to taper off her medication and find relief outside the mental health system. This is an uncomfortable read but one that will leave you wondering how we might take better care of ourselves and each other. — Lauren González, senior manager, Content Development Team
Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses by Peter Wolf
It makes complete sense that a memoir by a respected rock veteran would read like a favorite album, with each chapter playing like one great storytelling track after another. Although, in this case, Peter Wolf's stories challenge the usual rock star narrative to include his experiences with art (he's a painter), philosophy, books, short marriage to a Hollywood star and even a very brief NPR mention. But don't fret, musician stories abound, including mentions of Keith Richards, Merle Haggard, and the most intimate, loving portrayals of blues musicians John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters that I have ever read. — Felix Contreras, co-host, Alt.Latino and producer, Tiny Desk Concerts
When the Going Was Good: An Editor's Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines by Graydon Carter
"You never know when you're in a golden age," Graydon Carter writes. "You only realize it was a golden age when it's gone." Carter is a larger-than-life figure from the magazine world's golden age, but he can be self-deprecating: He describes himself as a "beta male" even during the time he helmed Vanity Fair, at the height of his influence. For me – someone who's devoured magazines all my life and came of age as a reporter at Time, where Carter got his start – this memoir was essential reading of the most joyful sort, with its evocation of a more abundant, irreverent and freewheeling journalistic time. "I simply love being an editor," Carter writes. I simply love his book. — Hannah Bloch, senior editor, International Desk
You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip by Kelsey McKinney
Whether you think of gossip as delicious or trashy (or both), Kelsey McKinney makes the compelling case that it is built into the fabric of our society. You Didn't Hear This From Me makes a razor-sharp case for gossip's role in everything from Picasso to politics. McKinney, co-creator of the Normal Gossip podcast, is just as funny as she is smart, so the book reads like an excellent gab session with a friend. — Meghan Keane, supervising editor, Life Kit
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