I’ve Read 800+ Books in My Life. Here Are My 10 Non-Fiction Favorites.
Inspiring reads to get you started on your journey of self-improvement.
I’ve always been an avid reader since childhood, but non-fiction was never my forte. I loved getting lost in fictional worlds and characters created by authors. I loved daydreaming and imagining myself in those fantastical scenarios.
I somehow had a mental block that non-fiction was “boring,” and I needed to be super intellectual to understand any of it.
This changed in 2020, when I consciously started reading more non-fiction. Turns out I was wrong. Sure, many non-fiction books require high levels of intellect to understand them, but so do fiction books.
If you’re curious and willing to change your life, non-fiction can have as much of a transmorative impact on your life as fiction does.
I’ve read over 800 books in my life, and in this post, I’ve put together ten of my favorite non-fiction reads. Read on, and if you find your favorite book among the ones in the list, let me know in the comments.
(Note: The links mentioned in this article are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase these books through these links, it will help me earn a small amount of money — at no extra cost to you. Thanks!)
1. Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Every person has some amazing ideas that have the potential to change the world. But not everyone can convey their ideas to make them sound exciting. This book promises to help change that.
My friend had this book in his course curriculum for management studies. He recommended it to me saying it would help me become a better writer. I took his word for it and started reading this book.
The result?
It was an educative, enlightening experience.
According to the extensive research done by Chip and Dan Heath, here’s what good ideas have in common:
- They catch the reader’s attention immediately.
- They are easily understood and remembered.
- They leave a lasting impact: they change your audience’s opinions or behavior.
- They make use of vivid, concrete images.
This book discusses how to apply all these elements when you present your ideas. It has a lot of anecdotes and examples that help you relate your learnings with reality.
Why I love this book so much
The changes might be subtle, but this book has forever changed the way I write stories. People on the internet have called my stories evocative, but a huge part of that credit goes to this book. I keep going back to the copious notes I’ve taken while reading this book several times a month, and each time, the takeaways hit me differently.
2. Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi
This is the memoir of Amrou Al-Kadhi, an Arab born in Iraq and raised with strict Muslim values, who moves to Britain during their early teens and starts life as a drag queen called Glamrou during and after college.
It’s so heartwarming to see young Amrou growing up with their strict Islamic values. They’re always counting their points for sin and points for doing something good. The love for Allah is ingrained deep into them, as is the love for their family.
But when Amrou is ten, they start realizing they might like men. But how can they be homosexual when the Quran apparently considers it as one of the biggest sins? How can a person so obsessed with making sure they have more “good points” than “Sin points” acknowledge that just by existing and being who they are, they are committing the greatest, most unforgivable sin?
And thus begins Amrou’s journey of first rejecting Islam and all that it represents to finally making peace with the concept of Allah and religion. The journey is so moving and heartbreaking — it often veers into dark places, but Amrou’s sharp wit keeps the text from becoming too depressing. We get to explore the world through the eyes of this gender-non-conforming queen who shows us humanity at its best and worst.
Why I love this book so much
This book is such a rewarding journey, I wish I’d come across it earlier. I’m going to recommend this to every straight cisgender man that ever claims that pronouns are not important or that the LGBTQ community should shut up and not make so much noise.
There’s a lot of intersectionalities here — the book exposes the discriminations that lie inside the LGBTQ community, the discrimination against people of color, the hatred for Muslims, the bias against femmes, and the prejudice against people who are brave enough to openly flaunt their sexuality.
This book made me realize the pain of being born in a body you don’t identify with. It taught me what horrors life can hold for a person who is shamed for being who they are. It broke my heart and made me whole again. I can’t recommend this enough — especially the audiobook — performed by the author themselves — is a true gem.
3. The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein
If you haven’t tried the life-changine power of affirmations, this book is for you.
In The Universe Has Your Back, best-selling author and motivational speaker, Gabrielle Bernstein teaches readers how to transform their fear into faith in order to live a divinely guided life.
This is a powerful book that helps you identify your fears and take away their power of influencing your mood. It teaches you to trust that the Universe has the best plans in store for you. Gabby’s powerful voice forces you to reconsider your worries and embrace faith.
Even if you’re not a spiritual person, this book can change your life.
Why I love this book so much
This book helped me get rid of the need to control everything and surrender to the Universe. It helped me embrace this new mindset that has since given me a lot of mental peace and happiness. I highly recommend this book to every person who’s feeling a little lost in their life and seek to empower themselves by getting rid of self-doubt.
4. On Writing Well by William Zinsser
First published in 1976, this guide to writing non-fiction is a classic whose ideas and principles still hold true.
As the Goodreads blurb promises — “Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental principles as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher.”
Why I love this book so much
I started reading this book in November 2020 when my freelance client remarked that my English doesn’t sound like it’s written by a native speaker. This is not unexpected because I’m from India and English is my third language. But I wanted to be a better writer and that’s when this book caught my attention.
Since then, I’ve read bits and pieces of this book over and over again — often highlighting sentences and paragraphs I’d previously missed. If you’re a writer and plan to master the art of writing non-fiction, this book is a must-read. It helped me grow so much, and I owe a large part of the success I’ve seen so far to William Zissner.
5. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
No matter how strongly they deny it, very few people haven’t struggled with these questions:
- Why isn’t everyone else working harder and living up to my expectations?
- What will people think if I fail or give up?
- When can I stop proving myself?
In this book, Dr. Brené Brown, a leading expert on shame, authenticity, and belonging, shares what she’s learned from a decade of research on the power of Wholehearted Living — a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.
“Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn’t change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.”
Why I love this book so much
During several paragraphs in the book, it felt as if Dr. Brown was writing my story. The conversational tone of the book made it feel more like talking to a friend. A dear friend who tells me showing my weakness to the world is not just important, but it’s also one of the strongest acts of self-love I can commit. But before I go there, I need to embrace my flaws, fears, and everything I perceive as my weakness.
6. Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl
In this book, Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor takes the reader on a harrowing journey through the concentration camps of Vienna and Poland. It gives a heart-wrenching, yet very practical look at the happenings in such extreme situations through the practiced eyes of a psychologist.
In the second half of the book, Frankl gives a detailed introduction to logotherapy — the branch of psychology designed to let a patient find the meaning/purpose of their life, and hence eliminate all thoughts of suicide. I felt this was a very practical, no-nonsense approach and I would definitely love to meet and interact with a practicing logotherapist someday.
Why I love this book so much
Man’s Search For Meaning influenced me to consciously live a meaningful life and to place value on the journey and not just the destination. It helped me understand that “meaningful” doesn’t always mean “enjoyable.” Rather, it can equate to “fulfilling,” and sometimes, that’s more than enough.
7. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Harari’s magnum opus traces the history of humankind from our foraging ancestors to the current generation of humans who build supercomputers and smart cities.
The author dissects our origins and analyzes why humans behave the way we do.
This book taught me that every human behavior we’re familiar with today has its roots in the fight-or-flight response of our ancestors. Even the concept of happiness can be tackled with cold logic. If you break it down to merely the interplay of chemicals in your brain, you will stop holding so much value to it.
Why I love this book so much
Sapiens taught me that once you let go of emotions and look at every scenario with cold logic, you’ll be surprised at how simple it becomes to deal with problematic situations. The key is to detach emotion and examine the problem objectively.
8. Choose Yourself by James Altucher
The master motivator, James Altucher, lays out a clear, actionable way how to always prioritize yourself and live the life of your dreams.
The author’s friendly, conversational tone draws you in right from the first chapter and helps you believe that no matter how high the odds seem to be stacked against you, you are the only one with the power to change your destiny. You CAN do it.
All you need to do is keep working on yourself and keep pulling yourself back to your feet no matter how hard the world pushes you down.
“The only truly safe thing you can do is to try over and over again. To go for it, to get rejected, to repeat, to strive, to wish. Without rejection there is no frontier, there is no passion, and there is no magic.” — James Altucher
Why I love this book so much
Choose Yourself taught me to work on myself and my skills. After reading this, I was inspired to make myself so awesome that even the most successful people can’t help but notice my journey.
It helped me let go of self-doubt and stop worrying about things that aren’t in my control. Even if I get rejected (which happens a LOT of times), I learned to analyze what didn’t work in my favor and focus on how I can make sure such a thing never repeats again.
9. Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard P. Feynman
This is the memoir of the American theoretical physicist and winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize for Physics, Richard P Feynman.
In the book, Feynman talks about his adventures as a child where he taught himself to repair radios, and when he goes to college and beyond. The most fascinating trait I found in Feynman was his ever-burning curiosity to learn new things and acquire new skills.
For someone with his level of accomplishments, this brilliant man never stopped trying to upgrade his skillset and ask questions whenever he had the smallest of doubts.
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”— Richard P Feynman
Why I love this book so much
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman helped me make curiosity a part of my life. It made me understand that asking questions can solve a lot of problems and lead to several revelations.
But knowing isn’t infallible. Nature is constantly changing, and it’s inevitable that what I learned today will be obsolete soon. Feynman’s memoir made me open-minded to conflicting opinions and to not shut down someone who speaks something contrary to my beliefs.
10. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Written as a series of spiritual reflections by the Roman emperor and philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, Meditations is now considered to be one of the greatest works of all time in philosophy.
The book is a collection of short, powerful statements that depict the wintry, poetic beauty of life. It can be read by philosophy nerds as well as the layman, and every person who reads this book will take away something different from it.
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” ― Marcus Aurelius
Why I love this book so much
This is a special book that can be opened at any page, and most of the passages will resonate with people in various phases of their lives. It has helped me through several years and myriad ups and downs of my life. If there was ever a book I’d keep re-reading all my life until I die, it would be this one.
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