Another year of wonderful reads! As we head into 2025, I recommend these nonfiction gems that both entertain and inform.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
I picked up this book during Christmas last year, thinking it might be worth reading given Arnold’s accomplishments. It was an easy read, and I found his examples and philosophy of life to be uplifting. This is the time of year to think about goals and plans, and this book will both inspire and guide you.
Ted Geltner
Harry Crew’s memoir, A Childhood: The Biography of a Place, is one of my all-time favorites. His early life resembles my father’s—bleak and miserable. When I picked up this book, I had hoped Harry’s later years would be happy and calm, but they were anything but. He lived a life filled with drugs, alcohol, and instability, which made me understand how tough it is to break a tough childhood cycle.
Harry continued to write great stuff, but his personal life was beyond anything I have ever read about. This is a gritty and fascinating look at a great writer.
David Grann
David Grann spins complicated stories into great tales. This one is exceptional. It follows the crew of the Wager, a ship that went through hell, leaving few survivors. The crew splits into two factions and both somehow survived their ordeal and made it back to England, but their stories differed entirely as to what happened. This is a riveting story of heroism, desperation, and survival told by a master storyteller.
Hampton Sides
Hampton Sides is another favorite author of mine. This sweeping narrative of Captain James Cook’s final voyage is spellbinding. Cook, who was far ahead of his time as a navigator and explorer, embarked on his most ambitious venture.
However, the brilliant, thoughtful seaman changed and became reckless to the extreme, threatening his crew and legacy. Cook’s final hours were excruciating to read about, but this true tale is a fabulous story of bravery and hubris.
Max Boot
Full disclosure: I have always admired Reagan and thought his critics underrated him. Max Boot gives a comprehensive but highly readable account of his legacy that is surprisingly balanced by listing the late president’s strengths and weaknesses.
The story also examines his upbringing in Illinois, his mother’s great strength, and his father’s profound weakness. It also covers his Hollywood years and his rise to power in California and Washington, DC.
Yuval Noah Harari
This book offers a frank and sometimes scary look at disinformation, which is occurring at warp speed. As artificial intelligence grows, it will become increasingly difficult to discern truth from fiction.
Harari’s incredible knowledge and predictions should frighten us all, particularly given the often-false sources of information that seem to permeate our lives and create an alternative universe. I will read this book again, knowing I am way behind the curve on the future of information.
Paul Kalanithi
Paul was a 36-year-old neurosurgeon who had just completed 10 years of rigorous training, was beginning a brilliant career, and had recently become a first-time father when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He was athletic, gifted, and happily married to a highly successful physician.
The story is a powerful statement about the meaning of life and the incredibly brave way Dr. Kalanithi faced it. Readers will be inspired by his journey, his love for his daughter, and his bravery at the end. (The book was completed by his wife after his death.)
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