Top 100 Non-Fiction Books of the 2020s So Far

"Delving into the truths of our times through impactful non-fiction."

The 2020s have been a significant period for non-fiction, with authors delivering powerful insights on a range of topics from politics and society to science and personal development. This list aims to highlight the most influential and compelling non-fiction books that have emerged in this decade.

Topics

• Top 100 Non-Fiction Books of the 2020s So Far
  • Topics
  • Overview
  • Cheat
  • Social and Cultural Commentary: Reflecting on Society and Culture
  • Biographies and Memoirs: Personal Journeys that Inspire
  • Science and Technology: Understanding Our World
  • History and Politics: Lessons from the Past and Present
  • Self-help and Personal Development: Guides for Personal Growth
  • Conclusion
  • Top 100 List
  • Combined List

Overview

• Title: "Top 100 Non-Fiction Books of the 2020s So Far: Insightful Explorations of Reality"
• Subtitle: "Insightful Explorations of Reality"
• Tagline: "Delving into the truths of our times through impactful non-fiction."
• Description: "A selection of 100 non-fiction books that have shaped our understanding of the world in the early 2020s, featuring a mix of biography, science, and cultural commentary."
• Keywords: Non-Fiction, 2020s, Biographies, Science, Culture, Society

Cheat

# Top 100 Non-Fiction Books of the 2020s So Far
- Subtitle: Insightful Explorations of Reality
- Tagline: Delving into the truths of our times through impactful non-fiction.
- Description: A selection of 100 non-fiction books that have shaped our understanding of the world in the early 2020s, featuring a mix of biography, science, and cultural commentary.
- 5 Topics

## Topics
- Social and Cultural Commentary: Reflecting on Society and Culture
- Biographies and Memoirs: Personal Journeys that Inspire
- Science and Technology: Understanding Our World
- History and Politics: Lessons from the Past and Present
- Self-help and Personal Development: Guides for Personal Growth

Social and Cultural Commentary: Reflecting on Society and Culture

"Examining the nuances of our evolving societal landscape"

Books like "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson and "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi offer profound insights into social structures and racial issues that define contemporary society.

1. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
2. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
3. The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
4. Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
5. Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
6. The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask
7. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
8. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
9. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
10. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
11. White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
12. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
13. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
14. Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad
15. This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science Is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
16. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell
17. The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity by Douglas Murray
18. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
19. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
20. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Biographies and Memoirs: Personal Journeys that Inspire

"True stories of remarkable individuals"

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama to "Greenlights" by Matthew McConaughey, these biographies and memoirs provide an intimate look at the lives of influential figures and their contributions to the world.

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama
2. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
3. Educated by Tara Westover
4. The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom
5. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
6. The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper
7. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
8. Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump
9. Open Book by Jessica Simpson
10. The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
11. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
12. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
13. Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden
14. The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
15. Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld
16. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
17. Spare by Prince Harry
18. The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant
19. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
20. Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller

Science and Technology: Understanding Our World

"Exploring the frontiers of scientific discovery and technological innovation"

This section includes works like "Breath from Salt: A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever" by Bijal P. Trivedi, highlighting breakthroughs in medical science and technology.

1. Breath from Salt: A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever by Bijal P. Trivedi
2. The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson
3. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
4. The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
5. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
6. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
8. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
9. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
10. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates
11. The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis
12. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
13. The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac
14. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
15. The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee
16. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
17. The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson
18. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
19. Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking
20. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff

History and Politics: Lessons from the Past and Present

"Navigating the complexities of history and its impact on today's politics"

Books such as "The Splendid and the Vile" by Erik Larson delve into historical events to provide context for current political landscapes and decisions.

1. The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
2. The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir by John Bolton
3. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
4. The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy by Michael Lewis
5. Rage by Bob Woodward
6. Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa
7. The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis
8. Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham
9. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
10. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
11. The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman
12. The War That Ended Peace: How Europe Abandoned Peace for the First World War by Margaret MacMillan
13. The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company by William Dalrymple
14. The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson
15. Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin
16. The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser
17. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
18. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
19. The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough
20. The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Self-help and Personal Development: Guides for Personal Growth

"Empowering readers to improve themselves and their surroundings"

Titles like "Atomic Habits" by James Clear offer strategies for building better habits and achieving personal goals, resonating with a wide audience looking for practical advice in an increasingly complex world.

1. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
2. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
3. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
4. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown
5. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
6. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson
7. Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty
8. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
9. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
10. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
11. The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman
12. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
13. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
14. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
15. Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! by Tony Robbins
16. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
17. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
18. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
19. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
20. The Art of War by Sun Tzu (translated for modern applications in leadership and strategy)

Conclusion

This curated list of non-fiction books provides a window into the various aspects of human experience in the 2020s, offering knowledge, inspiration, and tools for better understanding and navigating our world.

Top 100 List

Combined List

1. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (2020)
2. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (2019)
3. The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee (2021)
4. Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall (2020)
5. Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong (2020)
6. The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask (2020)
7. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake (2020)
8. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (2010)
9. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (2014)
10. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (2018)
11. White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (2018)
12. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (2020)
13. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2015)
14. Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad (2020)
15. This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science Is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (2021)
16. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell (2019)
17. The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity by Douglas Murray (2019)
18. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho (2020)
19. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge (2017)
20. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013)
21. Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018)
22. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (2020)
23. Educated by Tara Westover (2018)
24. The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom (2019)
25. Untamed by Glennon Doyle (2020)
26. The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper (2020)
27. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2020)
28. Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump (2020)
29. Open Book by Jessica Simpson (2020)
30. The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson (2020)
31. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (2016)
32. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance (2016)
33. Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden (2017)
34. The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger (2017)
35. Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld (2020)
36. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016)
37. Spare by Prince Harry (2022)
38. The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant (2018)
39. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight (2016)
40. Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller (2019)
41. Breath from Salt: A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever by Bijal P. Trivedi (2020)
42. The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson (2021)
43. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker (2017)
44. The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson (2019)
45. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly (2016)
46. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (2010)
47. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (2011)
48. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari (2016)
49. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates (2021)
50. The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis (2021)
51. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (2014)
52. The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac (2020)
53. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (1988)
54. The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee (2016)
55. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee (2010)
56. The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson (2014)
57. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson (2017)
58. Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking (2018)
59. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff (2019)
60. The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson (2020)
61. The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir by John Bolton (2020)
62. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2020)
63. The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy by Michael Lewis (2018)
64. Rage by Bob Woodward (2020)
65. Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa (2021)
66. The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis (2021)
67. Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham (2019)
68. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (2015)
69. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (2017)
70. The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman (1962)
71. The War That Ended Peace: How Europe Abandoned Peace for the First World War by Margaret MacMillan (2013)
72. The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company by William Dalrymple (2019)
73. The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson (2020)
74. Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2018)
75. The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser (2020)
76. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (2004)
77. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005)
78. The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough (2019)
79. The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2013)
80. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (2018)
81. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson (2016)
82. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins (2018)
83. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown (2018)
84. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz (1997)
85. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson (2018)
86. Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty (2020)
87. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle (1997)
88. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo (2011)
89. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero (2013)
90. The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman (1995)
91. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck (2006)
92. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth (2016)
93. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (2009)
94. Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! by Tony Robbins (1991)
95. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey (1989)
96. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink (2009)
97. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (2008)
98. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries (2011)
99. The Art of War by Sun Tzu (translated for modern applications in leadership and strategy) (~5th century BCE)
100. The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama XIV and Howard C. Cutler (1998)