25 Nonfiction Titles for Guys Who Aren’t Big Readers
I’m a children’s librarian at a smaller library with one reference/circulation desk, so I make recommendations to people of all ages. One of my favorite patrons is the guy who gets a new library card because he now has some time on his hands maybe due to a surgery. Or the guy who gets dragged into the library by his wife who insists he has something to read on their beach vacation. I can identify with this guy because he sounds an awful lot like my husband. As an electrical engineer, my husband reads manuals at work all day. When he’s home, he’d rather work in the yard or catch a game if he has any downtime. But what kind of librarian would I be if I didn’t bring him home books occasionally?
So with some input from my coworkers, I have compiled a list for you to recommend to that guy who might just try a nonfiction book if you bug him enough. These are titles that won’t disappoint. You’re probably already familiar with some of them, but maybe you’ll find a new gem to recommend (My husband wants you to know that Under and Alone is the only book he ever got out of bed to read to find out what happened next).
Adventure
- Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
- Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire by Nicholas Howe
- Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks by Andrea Lankford
- A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins
- A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
History
- The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
- The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
- The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman
- The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz
- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Humor
- Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn
- Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
- Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman
- Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
- The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs
Adapted on TV
- Captain Phil Harris: The Legendary Crab Fisherman, Our Hero, Our Dad by Josh Harris and Jake Harris
- Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H. G. Bissinger
- Measure Twice, Cut Once: Lessons from a Master Carpenter by Norm Abram
- On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Survival on the World’s Deadliest Roads by Hugh Rowland
- Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America’s Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang by William Queen
And More…
- The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know IsWrong by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
- What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
- Why is the Stanley Cup in Mario Lemieux’s Swimming Pool?: How Winners Celebrate With the World’s Most Famous Cup by Kevin Allen
Leave a comment about your favorite titles to recommend!
Tags: book recommendations, readers advisory, reading lists, reluctant readers
