Reading List Non-fiction
Reading List Non-fiction
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Non-fiction is having a moment. For the past year or so, the bulk of the nation’s most-discussed water-cooler books have been true stories—and starting with Michelle Obama’s Becoming (see pages 16–17), the 12 books shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ non-fiction categories certainly reflect that. Exhibit A is Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury.
Top reads in non-fiction
The exposé of Donald Trump’s administration revealed juicy tidbits, including that the presi- dent spends much of his day ignoring matters of state to stay glued to Fox News while scoffing McDonald’s, and that White House staff were so dismayed by his refusal to read briefing reports that “some believed for all practical purposes he
was no more than semi-literate”. Fire & Fury’s sales were boosted by Trump himself. His legal team sent a cease and desist order to try to halt the book’s publication; the upshot was to make the title a free speech cause célèbre, assuring bestsellerdom on both sides of the Atlantic. Then Trump took to his favourite platform (Twitter) shortly after the book’s release to rail in his usual, er, understated style: “Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book.” Harsh words from the leader of the free world, but the result was a massive spike in sales. The Secret Barrister is another exposé, a fly-on-the-wall story by an
anonymous criminal lawyer working at the coalface of the UK justice system. Some of the revelations are shocking—magistrates, who adjudicate some 90% of UK court cases, are only given 18 hours training, it claims—while there are compelling arguments for root-and-branch reform of the whole system. No wonder a crowdfunding campaign raised £12,000 to send a copy to every Westminster MP. Christie Watson’s The Language of Kindness may be the flipside of The Secret Barrister. It’s also an insider account of a profession—her 20-year career as a nurse—and while Watson does not shy from the bad (an inner-city A&E is compared to Hogarth’s Gin Lane: “The poverty is palpable. There are drunk mothers and skeletal fathers. The room smells of body odour and of the metal of old blood”), the theme is one of hope and compassion. Talked-about books can be fun, too. Take Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth
Uviebinené’s Slay in Your Lane, a social and cultural event and an insightful and sometimes irreverent guide to life for young black women. Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (And Other Lies) was another zeitgeisty tome, with editor Scarlett Curtis asking 52 high-flying young women—including actor Emma Watson, trans activist Charlie Craggs and social media star Akilah Hughes—about their takes on “the F-word”. Author and journalist Dolly Alderton was a contributor to Feminists Don’t..., and her own memoir, Everything I Know About Love, an intimate, wise and near-perfect ode to female friendship, was also shortlisted. Some of the hottest cookbooks of recent vintage are about keep-
ing ourselves slim and healthy. Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge’s Lose Weight for Good does what it says on the tin—Kerridge shed 12 stone from his formerly portly frame using his recipes. Henry Firth and Ian Theasby brought boundless enthusiasm to the plant-based cookery trend with BOSH!, which has become the bestselling British vegan cookbook of all time (see pages 12–13 for an interview with the vlogging pair). Yotam Ottlenghi’s Simple combines elements from Kerridge and the vegan duo: it is healthy(ish) cuisine but also does what it says on the tin, with each recipe meant to be as “hassle-free” as possible. The blokiest entry here is undoubtedly Ant Middleton’s
First Man In, the former SAS hard-nut and adventurer’s memoir, which is interspersed with useful pointers on leadership and living life to the full. Our head-scratcher entry is the enjoyable The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book, a 2018 Christmas hit.
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