Good nonfiction books about Seattle?

June 20, 2007 9:53 AM

Recommendations for well-written narrative nonfiction books about Seattle?

I'm currently enjoying Peter Hessler's Oracle Bones, for example. So like that, but about Seattle. (Which would make it an entirely different book, yes -- I just mean I like his style.)

posted by The corpse in the library to writing & language (6 comments total)

Though I've found that opinions on it vary wildly, Sons of the Profits might be worth checking out. I enjoyed reading it when I first moved to Seattle.
posted by Inkslinger at 10:17 AM on June 20, 2007

May be way off base but try this.
posted by philad at 10:47 AM on June 20, 2007

Second Sons of the Profits

I asked this question on Librarything and was recommended the following:

Skid Road by M.C. Morgan
Vanishing Seattle by Clark Humphrey
Native Seattle by Coll Thrush
posted by Hildago at 10:53 AM on June 20, 2007

Gary Atkins' book "Gay Seattle: Stories of Exile and Belonging."
posted by Carol Anne at 10:58 AM on June 20, 2007

The Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from Seattle
posted by mmdei at 11:11 AM on June 20, 2007

It's not as much fun as Sons of the Profits, but Murray Morgan's Skid Road: An Informal Portrait of Seattleis a storyteller's history of Seattle, and I remember it being very good reading. My wife studied Washington State history under Morgan; he taught from a four inch thick stack of notes that never made it into what would probably have been the definitive history of the state.
posted by lhauser at 9:55 PM on June 20, 2007