Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nonfiction

Other than Naomi and Ruth...

peacrow — Thu, 30 May 2013 16:04:35 -0800

What are some stories (real/historical or fictional) about good mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships that I can read? Good meaning: respectful, the daughter-in-law honors the mother-in-law as her own mother, they help raise children cooperatively and/or the duo are actual friends or collaborators on a project, etc.

A novel about a good MIL/DIL relationship would be extra nice. Thanks!

Best Books On Museum Life?

The Whelk — Sat, 25 May 2013 10:52:11 -0800

Looking for recommendations for the best non-fiction books on the subject of running a large museum/art archive. From any POV, from the fund-raising presidents to the ticket takers, guards, and art history interns in the basements. I'm looking for more large, prestige institutions ("What is it like to work at the Met" for example) but smaller collections or niche museums are also good.

Nonfiction about rituals and magic and so on

goosechasing — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:58:21 -0800

I want to read nonfiction about ritualistic/magical/occult/religious practices or events in a historical/cultural context that will learn me real good without sacrificing the fun factor. More interested in things like druid sacrifice or the Salem witch trials than modern-day ghostbusters or psychics, but all cultures are welcome.

What is the best non-fiction book for kids in your field of study/work?

winston — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:17:35 -0800

My kids (currently 6 and 9) have become voracious readers. We have a large and varied collection of excellent fiction for them, but the non-fiction collection is more haphazard. They love learning new facts as they read (the type of thing that makes them look up from the book and say, "Did you know...?"). I want to make sure that the collection of books gives them a good introduction to fields where I myself may not have enough knowledge to judge the quality/accuracy of the book. So what's the kid's book in your field that makes you say, "If only every kid got to read this book, people would understand [topic] better."? If you don't know whether it's a suitable reading level for my kids' ages, go ahead and suggest it anyway. We can figure it out or save it for later.

Help me learn more about contemporary Indonesia!

tapir-whorf — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:04:41 -0800

I'm trying to learn more about contemporary Indonesia, and I'd love book & essay recommendations, especially of narrative non-fiction with a strong first person narrative voice! (But I'd also love suggestions of fiction, good travelogues, podcasts, blogs, zines, films, academic articles--really anything that doesn't demand prior in depth knowledge.) For me the most engaging way to learn about a place's history, culture, & ordinary life is through reading narrative non-fiction with a strong first person narrative/authorial voice. For example, for the past couple years I've been crazy about Peter Hessler's astute accounts of contemporary China (plus his ability to make fun of Chinese culture without coming across as a naive or culturally insensitive outsider is particularly great.), & I just finished a great, super-engaging anthro text about the Chungking Mansions as a nexus of so-called low-end globalization called Ghetto at the Center of the World by Gordon Mathews. In general I love thoughtful accounts of life in other places--especially when it goes beyond the standard received tropes and delves into nuances of history and subculture without becoming dry or pedantic. I'd love to find some books & shorter prose that paints a compelling and nuanced portrait of contemporary & modern Indonesia & is similarly accessible yet rigorously researched and information-dense (but also any other media is great). Thank you!

Heavily Illustrated "Serious" Books

cmoj — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:40:11 -0800

I'm looking for examples of informative nonfiction books that are heavily illustrated, but are not textbooks. David Hockney's Secret Knowledge is pretty much exactly what I'm taking about. Lots of straight up art history books would seem to fit but might stray into textbook territory.

I will stress that I'm not looking exclusively for art relate books. Science, history, pop-science, space, etc. are all welcome. Anything (that's good) with lots of informative illustrations, photos, charts, graphs, etc.

I want to read (nonfiction) books about how the rest of the world lives

Kateruba — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 08:36:26 -0800

More specifically I want to read books on the topic of "What you take for granted, someone else is praying for". I feel that I am not seeing much further than my comfortable Western perspective of life. I keep up on current events and read articles about human rights issues, life quality, etc...but I feel like that just gives me a small glimpse of what life is like for most of the world.

I know that it is not the most noble pursuit to want to learn about people who have it worse off than you, to feel better, so to say, but sometimes one needs a bit of a wake up call on their narrow perspective, a bit of a shake up of values, of what one considers "normal" or "average" and takes for granted.

I would also be interested in books that detail what life was like during different times of history, i.e. the Middle Ages.

Thank you!

Non-fiction books about relationships between father and a new child

evadery — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 06:57:52 -0800

I'm going to be a proud first-time papa in a couple months, and I'm gearing up for the madness and joy to come. I've really enjoyed reading non-fiction anecdotes about fathers and children, and I was wondering if you had any books you might recommend? Hopefully nothing 'Chicken Soup for the ____'-ish, but more along the New Yorker-y lines of Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik and Home Game by Michael Lewis. If it impacts your suggestions, we're expecting a boy, however, books about raising either gender are OK. And mom and children books would be OK if you think I could relate to the situation as a parent, but father/child books are preferred. Thanks!

(PS - have seen this MeFi link already, but am looking more for non-fiction, and more about the raising of a young child, not the raising of a child into adulthood.)

Books on immersive experiences

divabat — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 11:24:29 -0800

Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and Robin Sloan's Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore describe immersive artistic experiences that echo Alternate Reality Games or events like the All Worlds Fair. What other books describe events and experiences like these? I especially appreciated how The Night Circus talks about the creation and development of said Night Circus, not just that the circus exists and plot happens in it. Non-fiction would be awesome but fiction like my examples work too.

Name of an essay about Cuba that involves locomotives?

eggman — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:47:19 -0800

I read a nonfiction piece awhile back that I can't find via my google-fu. It concerns a guy visiting Cuba who meets with locomotive types in memory of (or for) his father, who was a train buff. The piece was nostalgic and colorful, and focused on the concept of Cuban train engineering effectively being frozen in time. Can anyone help?

Mythology books

goosechasing — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:43:27 -0800

I'm looking for the very best non-dry nonfiction about different mythologies, especially as they relate in a historical/societal context. Comparative mythology is awesome, but so is focusing on a specific mythology (like a book focusing solely on druids or fairies or what have you). I don't want a compilation of myths or retellings. I do want an examination of common themes within a culture or the structure of the culture's pantheon.

Toooo maaany booooks

SampleSize — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 08:01:04 -0800

How do you decide what books to read? Recommendations? Reviews? Go to the bookstore and read a chapter? I often find myself overwhelmed with the zillions of choices. How do you narrow it down?

Is writing great fiction innate or learned?

indognito — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 12:12:02 -0800

Writing fiction: is it the sort of thing where you either have "the gift," or you don't? I'm curious, because so many of my favorite nonfiction authors (David Sedaris, Merrill Markoe and Chuck Klosterman among them) seem to produce uninteresting fiction. Uninteresting to me, at least. Conversely, there are authors such as Haruki Murakami who write amazing fiction, but his running memoir seems bland by comparison. (I still enjoyed it, because I like running and I like Murakami, but I certainly wouldn't have sought it out otherwise.)

I spent years writing for several hours a day, and never produced anything other than mildly humorous personal-experience essays. I was always very interested in writing fiction--anything from literary to horror short stories--but I would inevitably freeze up, unable to think of what could possibly happen next in the story, and finally abandon it in defeat.

Can writing great, readable fiction be learned? Is there a special elusive something that successful fiction writers have that is simply out of reach for others, even the best nonfiction writers? (and vice versa?)

Looking for creepy reads

indognito — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 09:50:58 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for creepy and/or scary novels and nonfiction. I just finished Dan Simmons' "The Terror" and looooooved it. I'm also feeling a little sad that it may be weeks before I find something else that I enjoy half as much. I was hoping you could recommend novels or nonfiction that are well-written, intelligent and scary as hell.

Some things I've read and enjoyed on the fiction side include "A Good and Happy Child," "Night Work," all of Stephen King (of course), and "House of Leaves." All but the Stephen King were books I found out about by reading previous MeFi threads on the subject.

On the nonfiction side, I really enjoy intelligent and non-woo explorations of "mysterious phenomena," including UFOs, ESP and the like. I don't have any strongly held opinions on whether these things are real or not, but reading about them creeps me out in a very enjoyable fashion. Some books I've enjoyed in this category include "UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record," "Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena, from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory," and "The ESP Enigma."

What I'm particularly looking for: things that seem not quite right, slowly building tension, books that are well-researched and well-written.

What I'm not looking for: gore for the sake of gore, cardboard-cutout characters, hastily slapped together books, New-Agey-type stuff (i.e. aliens are among us and they're here to bring world peace and heal us with crystals).

I've read and didn't particularly enjoy "The Amityville Horror," and made several attempts at reading Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill, but just can't seem to get into any of 'em.

Oh, and I've pored for hours over this delightful thread: http://ask.metafilter.com/139743/WTF. The question really articulates well what I'm looking for in terms of tone, but am really looking for things in book format, specifically.

Year in long reading 2012

AceRock — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 22:01:30 -0800

I have an ~18 hour flight ahead of me and I am compiling a DIY ebook of longform journalism/non-fiction for my Kindle to get me through it. So, what is the best thing you read this year? Must have to be available on the web. My preferences skew towards nonfiction, but stellar short fiction is welcome too! Thanks!

Once again I require awesome history books plz

elizardbits — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:14:32 -0800

I need to stop reading wikipedia at work, so please give me books instead In order to assist me in reaching this goal, I will need awesome nonfiction recommendations on the following subjects:

- the French and Indian Wars, including the Beaver Wars
- the Jewish-Roman Wars
- the military of Ancient Rome, specifically anything to do with engineering, logistics, and/or tactics
- something about the Cathars that isn't incredibly dry and tedious

Books only, no podcasts please! Minor hearing impairment + tendency towards distractability = podcast annoyances. (ooh, unless they have transcripts with which I can follow along. But I prefer books.)

pulitzer drafts

AceRock — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:01:28 -0800

Years ago Jack Hart, the esteemed editor and writing coach at The Oregonian, posted the rough drafts of Tom Hallman's Pulitzer winning story The Boy Behind the Mask somewhere online. Perhaps to a writers'/journalists' forum or mailing list. One editor's reaction to seeing the progression of the story through the drafts was to call it the most instructive lesson he'd ever had in newspaper writing. Help me track down those drafts!

Winter reading recs?

Blisterlips — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:59:14 -0800

My Nook is hungry- and I have silly tastes- recommendations? Winter is just about here and it’s cozy-reading time- but I need some new material. I’m looking for a variety of material, some garbage to something a little more brainy. Give me your favorites!

-I like junky romance books- the more garbagey the better.
-I like memoirs. I just read UnOrthodox, and it was rather enjoyable.
-I’m about to finish Under the Banner of Heaven- which was a wonderful non-fiction book about Fundamentalist Mormons. I loved it (I’m atheist but I am not comfortable with disrespectful attitudes toward believers). Books on religion that are not trying to convert me are awesome. I would REALLY love a respectful, articulate book on the Quiverful Movement. Like REALLY.
-I like anything Post Apocalyptic. I liked the PostMan. I liked Water World. I’m not being at all ironic.
-I like nonfiction history books- more about people, less about war.

So- any thoughts? Please feel free to put your favorite book that doesn't fit into the above suggestions- they are just to get the ball rolling!

How to write a very readable nonfiction book for an under 35 audience?

vizsla — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 05:52:58 -0800

I am interested in writing a non-fiction book or two (possibly ebooks) in a proven popular style. Where can I find resources, reviews, interviews, commentaries about choosing book structures, layout, language, tone and content that appeal to an aspirational audience? I don't expect this to be extremely popular. There are a few groups of people I have access to that I would want to promote it to mostly to assist them. But I do want it to be very readable, attention-holding and informative like say, Nassim Taleb's Black Swan and similar books were. The target audience might be youngish people (18-35) considering whether to move into self-employment. Interviews, lessons, observations would be the main content.

Also open to any info about how a successful nonfiction author went about starting and then developing the book over time. Thanks.

Seeking the best stories, across all genres, about coming to terms with the world in the early adult years.

croutonsupafreak — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:09:45 -0800

What are the best stories that feature young adults coming of age/coming to terms with life's imperfect realities? By "young adults" I mean "adults who are young," probably roughly 19-30, not "young people who are becoming adults." This maturing process can be central to the work or peripheral. One example: "The Great Gatsby." Short stories, novels, nonfiction, film, television and any other genre are all welcome.

Name some examples of humorous tragedies in film and literature

Felicity Rilke — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:56:48 -0800

I need suggestions of fictional or non-fictional books or films that deal with illness or dying in relation to humor/the absurd. This is a pretty broad question, so I'll provide just a bit of background. I'm writing an essay about theories of humor (specifically touching on incongruity theory, benign violation theory, and the role of repetition in humor) as applied to personal narrative -- essentially how farce arises from tragedy and the elements necessary to humor.

I need to bring in some sources from film or literature that engage with incongruity/repetition/futility/disappearance, or published memoirs of illness or dying without neat, happy endings BUT which are humorous or absurd.

Writers I've been looking at so far: Kafka, Auster, Millhauser, Rakoff. My knowledge of film is sorely limited (but film is great because it takes less time to watch a movie than read a book).

If I can put this succinctly, I'm basically looking for examples that deal with the idea of the punchline not being worth the joke. Or that the punchline is that there is no punchline.

If anyone can make sense of my explanation and request, I'd appreciate your suggestions greatly.

Good Borgia histories?

asciident — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 22:25:06 -0800

Recommend to me biographies/histories of the Borgia Pope and family? I've really enjoyed reading biographies/histories surrounding the Tudor era of England, especially but not limited to Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The books were by Alison Weir, Antonia Fraser, David Starkey, etc. The best parts for me were that they were written by historians who were presenting research, i.e. sources cited, explanations of how they came to their conclusions, consideration of other historians' work while also being very readable.

So now I'm hoping to find recommendations for similar kinds of history/biography books on the Borgia family. I expect most such will focus on Pope Alexander VI, but books about his children, his mates, and so on are welcome too. I searched on this and am kind of surprised I came up empty-handed.

I need a history book!

kbanas — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 18:45:22 -0800

I need help with a book suggestion! All my particulars found within, within, within.. Started off with Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and With the Old Breed and Helmet for my Pillow and then had my fill of World War 2 for a little while. However, I was enticed to move backward, and so read The Guns of August about World War 1. And then I was compelled by history to go back even farther, so I could understand root causes and also because it was very interesting, so then I read The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune about the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. Well, now I've finished with that.

Shit.

So, I'd like to read a good history book (in similar vein to above) about the French revolution in 1848. Or, maybe, the history from the initial French Revolution in 1789 - 1799 through the two subsequent revolutions in 1830 and 1848.

It's getting harder to find books and know what's going to be over my head as I move backward. Any advice appreciated!

I've read the other AskMe on the topic, and answers weren't entirely inspiring. Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution doesn't appear to be available for Kindle (OH BOO HOO) and Mark Steel's Vive La Revolution makes me afraid. Is it good? I mean, really?

Recommend me some thoughtful military books

xchmp — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 03:49:58 -0800

Bookfilter: Recommend me thoughtful military memoirs / journalism I've been reading the Nathaniel Fick's autobiography One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer recently, which I picked up after reading Evan Wright's Generation Kill.

I'm not really interested in macho, gung-ho military stuff (which, rightly or wrongly is my impression of Bravo Two Zero and the like - but let me know if I'm wrong). If it has loving descriptions of guns, then it's probably not what I'm looking for. I'm interested in reading more like them, both on the journalistic and autobiographical side, or maybe similarly thoughtful accounts from civillians caught up in conflicts. I guess one of the key features I'm looking for is an awareness of (though probably not a direct focus on) the political context. I'm much more interested in accounts from recent conflicts, but anything post-WW2 would be acceptable.

Bonus points if it's available on the UK Kindle store or otherwise as an ebook in the UK. Thanks!

Chopping open the onion

Echobelly — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:42:05 -0800

I want to read about the dark side of the Internet, preferably in the form of a narrative. I just finished reading Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground in about 2 days and while I would have liked a little more fleshing out of the characters, the underground criminal world portrayed fascinated me. I'm looking for more books that have the cat-and-mouse element and the paranoia of the world of cybercrime.

I've browsed using Tor out of curiosity before, so I don't really have a threshold for how dark it gets. Books, longform journalism, even documentaries about hacking, trafficking, drugs, etc. involving the internet it what I'm after. I'd prefer nonfiction, but obviously I'd be open to any suggestions of fictitious portrayals. Bonus points for great characterization.

Basically I want anything that will make my mother want to stay off the Internet forever.