5 Great Nonfiction Books For People Who Only Read Fiction

Sometimes, reading nonfiction can seem like a boring option. We love fiction because it’s an escape-nonfiction can appear to be the lesser option of the two. I can relate-it took me a while to actually get into non-fiction books. However, I’ve found that if you pick up books by authors whose writing makes you feel connected to the story, they are just as immersive as any fictional tale. Finding nonfiction books for people who only read fiction, but when you find them it’s a special sort of reading experience.

Here are the top 5 non-fiction books if you don’t read non-fiction books.

_{*Disclosure: We only recommend books which we love and would read ourselves. This post contains affiliate links, as we are part of the Amazon Services LCC Associate Program, which may earn us a small commission, at no additional cost to you.}

5. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

It is the 1920’s and people are living fantastic and luxurious lifestyles in the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. Then slowly, one by one, they all begin to disappear. Assumed dead, the numbers keep increasing. How in the world are the wealthiest people in the area just disappearing without a trace?

With the help of Texas Rangers, the FBI, and undercover agents the unraveling of the mystery begins. Exposing one of the most haunting conspiracy theories in the nation, David Grann writes constructs a narrative that makes the reader feel as though the story is fictional. This is a true crime tale that can’t be beat.

4. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

I lived in Savannah Georgia for a good few years, and sure enough at every store, tourist shop, and local book store the cover of this book stares back at you. Everyone in Savannah knows the tale, and it’s shocking to learn about a mystery that still haunts an entire community to this day.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is the story of a murder that took place in 1981. The aftermath of a shooting haunts the square and everyone around it. This book reads like a novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Full of the culture of the deep south, a modern mystery and twists and turns, this book is a great place to start off on a nonfiction journey!

3. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

All hikers know of the Appalachian Trail. This trail extends across a large portion of the United States, stretching from Georgia to Maine, and is known for being exceptionally gorgeous as well as challenging. It is a perfect example of America’s natural beauty, and it each year it attracts thousands of hikers looking for adventure.

Bill Bryson takes you on this journey without you ever having to leave your couch or break a sweat-sounds like a sweet deal to me. From walking the reader through the history that surrounds the trail, to the wildlife and the nature one can take it, we’re even treated to fun facts such as which plants grow where, which are safe or poisonous and so on. 

Using humor and first hand accounts of his own personal adventures and friendships made on that trail, A Walk in the Woods is the perfect escape for the armchair traveler in all of us. 

2. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 

This is a book that encapsulates a crisis that many people deal with during their time on this earth. After dealing with loss and heartache, Elizabeth Gilbert felt as though she was not happy with her success and what it brought her.

She made the life-altering decision to do something she’d never tried before. She quit her job, packed her bags and left the country seeking adventure and happiness. Eat Pray Love joins Gilbert on her journey of self-acceptance and what it means to be happy in this life.

1. The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot 

Henrietta Lacks — a name few know but everyone should. At first, she was no more than a tobacco farmer who grew up in the south and was not well off. Yet, throughout her life she was responsible for finding the cure of polio, as well as discovering many of the secrets of cancer, the atom bomb, cloning, in vitro fertilization, gene mapping and so much more.

This book takes you on a crazy journey of how science profited off a woman who had no say, and left her and her family in the dark. It took over a decade for her loved ones to discover everything they tried to cover up and keep secret, but Rebecca Skloot takes you with her as she uncovers all that this brilliant, forgotten woman did for the world. Impossible to put down and neverendingly fascinating, Henrietta’s story is here to shake you to the core and uncover secrets about the scientific community you never expected.

Fun fact: Oprah and HBO made a movie based off all the findings this books outlines!

You see, nonfiction books for people who only read fiction are more common than we imagine. Check out any of these, and you’ll never look at the nonfiction genre the same way again.