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Oct 12, 2022 · 8 Types of Nonfiction: Nonfiction Genres to Know. Nonfiction books portray real-life people and true stories in compelling ways. Nonfiction works also include textbooks, cookbooks, and more.
- History. Historical nonfiction consists of true accounts of historical eras and events. Some histories dwell purely in objective facts, and other histories are refracted through the lens of the author’s personal beliefs.
- Biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. This subset of nonfiction focuses on the life story of a particular subject. Biographies are written in the third person about someone other than the author.
- Travel guides and travelogues. Travelogues are a close cousin of memoirs, and they recount an author’s specific experience traveling somewhere. Travel guides tend to be more instructive, offering suggestions and practical information for travelers bound for a particular destination.
- Academic texts. Academic texts are designed to instruct readers on a particular topic. Most Americans first encounter academic books in the form of assigned school textbooks that form the basis for a yearlong class.
- History
- Philosophy
- Religion and Spirituality
- Science
- Popular Science
- Politics and Social Sciences
- Essay
- Self-Help
- Business and Economics
- Health and Wellness
History books are not to be mistaken with textbooks. Rather than cherry-picking details to be memorized about a person, an event, or an era, these nonfiction titles are more like cross-sections in time. They provide readers with as much of the social and political contexts of events as possible with the use of rich primary and secondary sources, so...
This is where the big questions get asked. While ‘philosophy’ conjures up the image of impenetrable books written by Nietzche and Confucius for the enjoyment of beard-stroking academics, that isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of this genre! Contemporary authors have taken care to make their writings more accessible without sacrificing depth of analysis.
Books about religion and spirituality can take many forms. Some are theory-based, some are written from personal experience, and some are structured like a self-help book, with the end goal of helping readers find their spiritual home. Oftentimes, each book focuses on a particular belief system — there are even Christian publisherswho are solely de...
Science books, or “Science & Maths” books — as Amazon would categorize them — can get quite technical. Most of the time, they’re reporting on scientists’ academic research. And so, science books tend to be well-organized and follow academic conventions like referencing and indexing. But while they sounddry, the intriguing questions that they addres...
Is this type of nonfiction just academic science books but repackaged for laypeople? Why yes indeed. Popular science books take complex research and processes and get rid of most of the jargon, so that your average Joe can pick them up and learn something new about our universe. They’re almost like Vox videos, but that you read instead of watch.
With the ongoing social and political tumult across the world, there has been a rise in both the reading and writing of this kind of book. Some political and social science books are based more on anecdotal evidence, others are on par with academic papers in terms of depth of research. Either way, they usually pick out a specific feature or structu...
A book of essays is a collection of themed pieces of writing written by an author, or multiple authors, who often has some sort of authority on or personal experience with the subject matter. While they sound incredibly serious, they don’t require as much research as the types of nonfiction we’ve mentioned above. They’re often quite introspective a...
Out of all the non-fiction genres out there, this is probably the most popular one. The name itself is explanatory: aself-help book provides you with some guidance and actions through which you can solve personal problems. Self-help books can be research-based, or they can be reflective — like an extended blog post. Note, though, that while the lat...
While this a broad category that may include volumes with a journalistic flavor, business books tend to be guides to entrepreneurship and management. It’s a medium for those who've had experience in the workplace or the market to share their tips and tricks (and also a good tool for authors to bag guest-speaking events). In this sense, this kind of...
There's no shortage of health and wellness books out there — what do we care about if not a long and healthy life, right? These books cover many different topics, from diets to sleeping habits, from stress management to dealing with anxiety. Most are written by researchers and doctors, who have the technical knowhow to offer sound insight and advic...
- Memoir. One of the most common types of creative nonfiction, memoirs tell a story of the writer’s own life. Unlike autobiographies, however, memoirs do not need to be exhaustive.
- Personal Essay. Like the memoir, the personal essay draws from the writer’s personal life and perspective, and often creates an intimate experience for the reader.
- Travel Writing. There are many different types of nonfiction travel writing, ranging from travel guides to blogs, journalism, and memoirs. Regardless of what form it takes, good travel writing helps your readers to imagine and experience an unfamiliar place.
- Literary Journalism. Sometimes called “immersion journalism,” “narrative journalism,” or “new journalism,” literary journalism is a type of nonfiction that combines reporting with techniques and strategies associated with creative writing, such as character development.
What is nonfiction, and why does it matter? We dive into this genre, share nonfiction examples, and help you decide if YOU should write nonfiction!
Without further ado, here are 60 of the best nonfiction books to peruse. These must-reads will keep you informed, inspired , entertained, and exhilarated as you journey through the most contentious and compelling topics in history and the contemporary world.
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Sep 23, 2023 · Nonfiction is the literature of fact—its content can be verified and is not imaginary. It may told from a specific perspective and thus subjective, but it is nonetheless real and corroborated. What are the different modes of nonfiction writing? When talking about how the nonfiction content is conveyed, there are different modes of writing:
