LibGuides: Collection Development and RA: Nonfiction

What is Narrative Nonfiction?

Need a break from fiction? Look no further than narrative nonfiction! Narrative nonfiction encompasses a broad range of topics, from true crime travel to to history to science - and more.

As information technology has evolved, so has the average nonfiction collection of a small public library. Instead of serving primarily as a place to find the answer to a particular question, the nonfiction section has expanded to also become the place where leisure readers can explore the true stories that interest them.

NoveList Crash Course

Additional Resources

BookPage: All nonfiction coverage from the popular recommendation guide for readers.

What's Nonfiction? Blog featuring reviews, booklists, and more!

Kirkus: Nonfiction: Nonfiction reviews for new and upcoming titles.

Citizen Reader: Librarian blog about mainly nonfiction titles.

Back Pocket Picks: Under the radar suggestions for the patron who's read everything.

Aloha Rodeo by David Wolman; Julian Smith
ISBN: 9780062836021
Publication Date: 2019-05-28
In the spirit of The Boys in the Boat comes the captivating true story of the Hawaiian cowboys who changed rodeo and the West forever. In August 1908, three unknown riders arrived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, their hats adorned with wildflowers, to compete in the world’s greatest rodeo. They had travelled 3,000 miles from Hawaii, where their ancestors had herded cattle for generations, to test themselves against the toughest riders in the West. Dismissed by whites, who considered themselves the only true cowboys, the Hawaiians left the heartland as champions—and American legends.
Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem by Daniel R. Day
ISBN: 9780525510512
Publication Date: 2019-07-09
With his eponymous store on 125th Street in Harlem, Dapper Dan pioneered high-end streetwear in the early 1980s, remixing classic luxury-brand logos into his own flamboyant designs. But before reinventing fashion, he was a hungry boy with holes in his shoes, a teen who daringly gambled drug dealers out of their money, a young man in a prison cell who found nourishment in books, and, finally, a designer who broke barriers to outfit a whos-who of music, sport, and crime world celebrities in looks that went on to define an era. By turns playful, poignant, and inspiring, Dapper Dan's memoir is a high-stakes coming-of-age story spanning more than 70 years and set against the backdrop of an ever-evolving America.
Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin; Anna Shapiro (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780060975227
Publication Date: 1992-12-18
Share the unsurpassed pleasures of discovering, cooking, and eating good, simple food with this beloved book. Equal parts cookbook and memoir, Laurie Colwin's "Home Cooking" combines her insightful, good-humored writing style with her lifelong passion for wonderful cuisine in essays such as "Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant," "Repulsive Dinners: A Memoir," and "Stuffed Breast of Veal: A Bad Idea." "Home Cooking" is truly a feast for body and soul.
The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr
ISBN: 9780553459395
Publication Date: 2020-09-08
The product of five years of research and hundreds of interviews across every level of the business, The Secret Life of Groceries is essential reading for those who want to understand our food system--delivering powerful social commentary on the inherently American quest for more and compassionate insight into the lives that provide it.