Community Corner

Narrative Nonfiction: Five Must-Read Books

Harrowing plane crashes, a true Bronx tale and more.

 

Nothing is as satisfying to me as reading a well-written, compelling true story. Which is why I love narrative nonfiction. 

The genre reads like fiction — it has plot, character development, scene-setting, conflict — but it's all true. Sometimes the best stories are not the ones we make up, but the ones that make up our lives.

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Below, in no particular order, is a list of five of my favorite narrative nonfiction books — old and new. If you're looking for a good read, I encourage you to check out any on this list. You just may have a hard time putting these titles down. 

 

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1. Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand 

At times, the tale of Olympic runner and World War II prisoner of war Louis Zamperini seems ripped from the set of an adventure or war movie. But Zamperini's tale of surviving an Army Air Forces plane crash in the Pacific, then years as a POW is intriguing and inspiring.

2. The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger

This book weaves a weather-battered tale of the epic 1991 storm off the Atlantic coast that took the lives of six Gloucester fishermen. Junger recounts the now-famous story of the Andrea Gail, letting us into the lives of the men and their families back on shore.

3. Lost In Shangri-La, by Mitchell Zuckoff

In a little-known valley in Dutch New Guinea in 1945, a plane crash leaves just three survivors in an area inhabited by natives who've never seen a white man or woman. The trio finds themselves in the middle of a daring escape plan involving courage and a glider.

4. Random Family, by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

This eye-opening account of life in the Bronx follows members of an extended family through their experiences with life, poverty, love, drugs, motherhood and more. LeBlanc spent a 10-year period with the family, researching and writing their story in captivating detail.

5. Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder

This book tells the story of Paul Farmer, a physician, and his work treating infectious disease. He treats tuberculosis in Haiti and beyond, while starting an organization to promote providing health care to the poor of the world. 


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