Diverse Nonfiction

Here’s a list of nonfiction that I’ve read in the last few years that I would consider diverse.

Most is memoir/biography so I’d love any other general nonfiction suggestions.

General NonFiction

Brazillionaires by Alex Cuadros

On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome, with Love and Pasta By Jen Lin-liu

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America by Jeff Chu

Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed by Terry Bryant – Yeah, it’s a cookbook but recipes sometimes have BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

A Path Appears by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn

Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey by Marie Mutsuki Mockett – part memoir, part exploration of religion in Japan post-tsunami

Rejection Proof: 100 Days of Rejection, or How to Ask Anything of Anyone at Anytime by Jia Jiang

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

The Ebony Exodus Project: Why Some Black Women Are Walking Out on Religion–and Others Should Too by Candace R.M. Gorham

Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter

Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine by Damon Tweedy – Part memoir, part issues

Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution by Mona Eltahawy

Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Around the World by The Women’s March Organizers

A World of Three Zeros: The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions by Muhammad Yunus

The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes and Racism in America’s Law Enforcement and the Search for Change by Matthew Horace

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time by José Andrés

Racial issues with white authors discussing privilege

Tomlinson Hill: Sons of Slaves, Sons of Slaveholders by Chris Tomlinson

Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County: A Family, a Virginia Town, a Civil Rights Battle by Kristen Green

Some of My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America by Tanner Colby

Memoirs/Biography – some biographers are white

Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowee

My Own Country by Abraham Verghese

Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair by Nujeen Mustafa

Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt

Marching Powder by Rusty Young and Thomas McFadden

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past by Jennifer Teege

No Excuses: A Memoir by Derrick Coleman – black and deaf man in the NFL

Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary by Anita Anand – about an Indian princess raised in England

Truffle Boy: My Unexpected Journey Through the Exotic Food Underground by Ian Purkayastha

Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock

Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice by Paula Byrne

Devotion and Defiance: My Fight for Justice for Women by Humaira Awais Shahid

In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor’s Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. Ahmed

King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village by Peggielene Bartels

Serving in Silence by Margarethe Cammermeyer – An old one but one that was important to my education on LGBT issues

Saving Delaney by Andréa Ott-Dahl, Keston Ott-Dahl – Lesbian couple with a baby with Down’s Syndrome

My (Underground) American Dream: My True Story as an Undocumented Immigrant Who Became a Wall Street Executive by Julissa Arce

Bento Box in the Heartland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America by Linda Furiya

Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home by Lisa and Laura Ling

Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince, Elaine DePrince

Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson

Power Forward: My Presidential Education by Reggie Love

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis

Victoria and Abdul:  The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu

Daring to Drive:  A Saudi Woman’s Awakening by Manal al-Sharif

How Dare the Sun Rise:  Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

Diary of a Tokyo Teen: A Japanese-American Girl Travels to the Land of Trendy Fashion, High-Tech Toilets and Maid Cafes by Christine Mari Inzer

Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation by Susan Williams

Revolution for Dummies by Bassem Youssef

The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors

The Fox Hunt: A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming to America by Mohammed Al Samawi

Find Me Unafraid: Love, Loss, and Hope in an African Slum by Kennedy Odede, Jessica Posner

Never Stop Walking: A Memoir of Finding Home Across the World by Christina Rickardsson, Tara F. Chace (Translator)

POC subjects by white (or unknown) authors

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer

Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town by Warren St. John – an all refugee soccer team in Georgia

A Chosen Exile: A History of Racial Passing in America by Alysson Hobbs

Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970 by Lynne Olson

The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom by Helen Thorpe

Disability Representation

Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet’s Journey with an Exceptional Labrador by Stephen Kuusisto

If at Birth You Don’t Succeed: My Adventures with Disaster and Destiny by Zach Anner – Get the audio!