{"id":20369,"date":"2023-01-02T10:48:17","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T15:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/?p=20369"},"modified":"2025-06-03T21:12:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T01:12:43","slug":"nonfiction-books-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2023\/01\/nonfiction-books-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonfiction books"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s an update to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/nonfiction-books-6\/\">this<\/a> list.<\/p>\n<p>Best of the best<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Last Chance to See&#8230;<\/strong> by Douglas Adams &amp; Mark Carwardine<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/fail-at-almost-everything-and-still-win-big\/\"><strong>How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big<\/strong><\/a> by Scott Adams<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Roving Mind<\/strong> by Isaac Asimov (%)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2023\/07\/el-deafo\/\"><strong>El Deafo<\/strong><\/a> by Cece Bell<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2022\/07\/hyperbole-and-a-half\/\"><strong>Hyperbole and a Half<\/strong><\/a> by Allie Brosh<\/li>\n<li><strong>1984: Spring \u2013 A Choice of Futures<\/strong> by Arthur C. Clarke<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Ancestor&#8217;s Tale<\/strong> by Richard Dawkins (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Eco Wars<\/strong> by David Day<\/li>\n<li><strong>Collapse<\/strong> by Jared Diamond (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Third Chimpanzee<\/strong> by Jared Diamond (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Celebrations of Life<\/strong> by Ren\u00e9 Dubos (%)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2022\/04\/the-age-of-wood\/\"><strong>The Age of Wood<\/strong><\/a> by Roland Ennos<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reflections of Eden<\/strong> by Birut\u00e9 M.F. Galdikas<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/blink\/\">Blink<\/a> <\/strong>by Malcolm Gladwell<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/david-and-goliath\/\"><strong>David and Goliath<\/strong><\/a> by Malcolm Gladwell<\/li>\n<li><strong>Outliers<\/strong> by Malcolm Gladwell<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Tipping Point<\/strong> by Malcolm Gladwell<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2012\/05\/what-the-dog-saw\/\"><strong>What the Dog Saw<\/strong><\/a> by Malcolm Gladwell<\/li>\n<li><strong>Through a Window<\/strong> by Jane Goodall<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight<\/strong> by Thom Hartmann<\/li>\n<li><strong>Manufacturing Consent<\/strong> by Edward S. Herman &amp; Noam Chomsky<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/the-story-of-more\/\"><strong>The Story of More<\/strong><\/a> by Hope Jahren<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/final-report\/\"><strong>Final Report<\/strong><\/a> by Rick Mercer<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Last Lecture<\/strong> by Randy Pausch<\/li>\n<li><strong>Beyond Civilization<\/strong> by Daniel Quinn<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/the-invisibility-of-success\/\"><strong>The Invisibility of Success and Other Investigations<\/strong><\/a> by Daniel Quinn<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amusing Ourselves to Death<\/strong> by Neil Postman<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/mind-over-medicine\/\"><strong>Mind Over Medicine<\/strong><\/a> by Lissa Rankin, M.D.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Drumbeat<\/strong> edited by Boyce Richardson<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Demon-Haunted World<\/strong> by Carl Sagan (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why Do People Believe Weird Things<\/strong> by Michael Shermer (%)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/word-by-word\/\"><strong>Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries<\/strong><\/a> by Kory Stamper<\/li>\n<li><strong>Good News For a Change<\/strong> by David Suzuki &amp; Holly Dressel (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Inventing the Future<\/strong> by David Suzuki<\/li>\n<li><strong>Indian Givers<\/strong> by Jack Weatherford (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Native Roots<\/strong> by Jack Weatherford<\/li>\n<li><strong>What Would You Do?<\/strong> by John H. Yoder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Runner ups<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/gold\/\">Gold<\/a> <\/strong>by Isaac Asimov<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Great Ape Project<\/strong> by Paola Cavalieri &amp; Peter Singer, eds. (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Secrets of Star Trek: Insurrection<\/strong> <span class=\"kno-fb-ctx\" data-ved=\"0CGoQ2kooATALahUKEwiS9ojItO3IAhWB8x4KHZUECbg\">by Terry J. Erdmann<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2012\/03\/moonwalking-with-einstein\/\"><strong>Moonwalking With Einstein<\/strong><\/a> by Josh Foer<\/li>\n<li><strong>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future<\/strong> by Michael J. Fox<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/talking-to-strangers\/\"><strong>Talking to Strangers<\/strong><\/a> by Malcolm Gladwell<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/why-we-make-mistakes\/\"><strong>Why We Make Mistakes<\/strong><\/a> by Joseph T. Hallinan<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Roswell UFO Crash<\/strong> by Karl K. Korff<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Language of Night<\/strong> by Ursula K. Le Guin<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adventures in a TV Nation<\/strong> by Michael Moore<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Education of Koko<\/strong> by Francine Patterson &amp; Eugene Linden (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Technopoly<\/strong> by Neil Postman<\/li>\n<li><strong>If They Give You Lined Paper, Write Sideways<\/strong> by Daniel Quinn<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kanzi<\/strong> by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh &amp; Roger Lewin (%)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/in-the-beginning-was-the-command-line\/\"><strong>In the Beginning&#8230; was the Command Line<\/strong><\/a> by Neal Stephenson<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/some-remarks\/\"><strong>Some Remarks<\/strong><\/a> by Neal Stephenson<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eats, Shoots and Leaves<\/strong> by Lynne Truss<\/li>\n<li><strong>An Informal History of the Hugos<\/strong> by Jo Walton (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>What Makes This Book So Great<\/strong> by Jo Walton (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Firefly: Still Flying<\/strong> by Joss Whedon et al<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Best books on teaching<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Excellent 11<\/strong> by Ron Clark<\/li>\n<li><strong>How to Talk So Kids Can Learn<\/strong> by Adele Faber et al<\/li>\n<li><strong>Beyond Discipline<\/strong> by Alfie Kohn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Best autobiographies &amp; biographies<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Star Trek Creator<\/strong> by David Alexander<\/li>\n<li><strong>I. Asimov<\/strong> by Isaac Asimov<\/li>\n<li><strong>Beam Me Up, Scotty<\/strong> by James Doohan &amp; Peter David<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gene Roddenberry<\/strong> by Joel Engel<\/li>\n<li><strong>Warped Factors<\/strong> by Walter Koenig<\/li>\n<li><strong>Beyond Uhura<\/strong> by Nichelle Nichols<\/li>\n<li><strong>I Am Spock<\/strong> by Leonard Nimoy<\/li>\n<li><strong>I Am Not Spock<\/strong> by Leonard Nimoy<\/li>\n<li><strong>Becoming<\/strong> by Michelle Obama (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>From Sawdust to Stardust<\/strong> by Terry Lee Rioux (%)<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/leonard\/\">Leonard<\/a> <\/strong>by William Shatner &amp; David Fisher<\/li>\n<li><strong>Star Trek Memories<\/strong> by William Shatner &amp; Chris Kreski<\/li>\n<li><strong>Star Trek Movie Memories<\/strong> by William Shatner &amp; Chris Kreski<\/li>\n<li><strong>To the Stars<\/strong> by George Takei<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Anwer Is&#8230;<\/strong> by Alex Trebek<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>(%) Some books I didn&#8217;t read cover to cover but I read a significant portion and still wanted to mention them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s an update to this list. Best of the best Last Chance to See&#8230; by Douglas Adams &amp; Mark Carwardine How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams The Roving Mind by Isaac Asimov (%) El Deafo by Cece Bell Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh 1984: Spring \u2013 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[7,42,23],"class_list":["post-20369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-my-thoughts","tag-book","tag-lists","tag-nonfiction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20369"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24952,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20369\/revisions\/24952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmswitzer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}