The Best Nonfiction of 2024 for adults, chosen by Multcolib StaffLike this list

27 items

• A Bit Much

  Poems

  Rush, Lyndsay,

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  LOL! These poems are funny and so relatable. All I want is someone to eat chips with! -Sally L.

• A Black Girl in the Middle

  Essays on (allegedly) Figuring It All Out

  Golding, Shenequa,

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  Short, insightful, and humorous essays about being a Black woman in the U.S. as well as a first generation Jamaican American from an immigrant family. Talks about micro and macro aggressions with humor. -Alicia T.

• A Few Rules for Predicting the Future

  An Essay

  Butler, Octavia E.,

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  You have the power to change things! Short and cute-sized book about the importance of maintaining optimism and being hopeful. A good essay for anyone to read right now. -Jem J.

• Abortion

  Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win

  Valenti, Jessica,

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  Anyone who cares about health and healthcare will want to read this. -Sarah M.

• As Long as You Need

  Permission to Grieve

  Park, J. S. (Hospital chaplain),

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  Page after page of validation and gently embracing the unavoidable part of life--the grieving of loss as we grow. -Sally L.

• Bluff

  Poems

  Smith, Danez,

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  Danez is back after an artistic hiatus with another book of hard-hitting, beautiful poems. This collection feels timely and relatable, as we're all reckoning with our actions (or lack there of) in this war machine called America. -Jem J.

• CDMX

  the Food of Mexico City

  Cienfuegos, Rosa,

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  This cookbook written in English has classic Mexican recipes and beautiful photos. Even if you don't want to cook or are already familiar with the recipes, it's a lovely book to flip through. - Pablo S.

• Come Together

  the Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections

  Nagoski, Emily,

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  If only she was in charge of sex education. -Heather E.

• Crossings

  How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet

  Goldfarb, Ben (Environmental journalist),

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  When I think about ecology, roads don't usually come to mind, but this book changed that! While the subject may be heavy, this is written in a palpable and fun way. - Kyle T.

• Dark Wire

  The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever

  Cox, Joseph

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  A story full of twists, turns and texting: the one time the FBI started its own cell phone company for criminals. Dystopian, enthralling, and true. -Rachel T.

• Death Styles

  McSweeney, Joyelle

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  A haunting and devastating collection from a well-established poet at the height of her powers. This book is not for the faint of heart but delivers a meditation on grief full of dizzying imagery, humor, and stylistic flair. -Asher G.

• Everyday Watercolor Seashores

  a Modern Guide to Painting Shells, Creatures, and Beaches, Step by Step

  Rainey, Jenna, 1989-

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  Beautiful landscapes step by step! The author teaches you how to paint with a simple technique that's easy to follow. You will enjoy a magical moment with this modern, easy way of creating a beautiful painting. -Mara B.

• High Bias

  the Distorted History of the Cassette Tape

  Masters, Marc,

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  I think most people my age are nostalgic about cassette tapes. Masters explains why they were such a powerful medium and still are! -Larry L.

• How to Know a Person

  the Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen

  Brooks, David, 1961-

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  This is a profound book from a wonderful observer of American life. It's engaging and engrossing, and inspires us to to be better and happier humans. -Irene N.

• Management in a Changing World

  How to Manage for Equity, Sustainability, and Results

  Imani, Jakada,

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  Obsessed with this book! Even if you're not in a management role, there's so much that is applicable, if you run a group, do a project, delegate. -Lisa G.

• Night Magic

  Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark

  Henion, Leigh Ann,

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  This book is full of marvels - blue ghosts, foxfire, gargantuan cecropia moths, bats, glowworms, and more. It just might make you want to visit Appalachia... at night! -Erika B.

• Nuclear War

  a Scenario

  Jacobsen, Annie,

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  While it's not listed as a subject heading, Horror, would be appropriate. Jacobsen lays out how quickly and easily our world comes to an abrupt end. -Rod M.

• Relinquished

  the Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood

  Sisson, Gretchen,

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  Fixing a gap in the national conversations about reproductive justice and child welfare by speaking with mothers who have relinquished children. -Willa M.

• Rituals for Climate Change

  a Crip Struggle for Ecojustice

  Ortiz, Naomi,

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  Like air moving through desert brush, rustling the antennae of the resting grasshopper, the relationship of disability with ecojustice and climate precarity is intimate and inextricable. Visceral beauty and vivid description spring from each page in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Saving Ourselves

  From Climate Shocks to Climate Action

  Fisher, Dana, 1971-

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  We live in interesting times! We have all the answers to save ourselves from ourselves, but still have the hard choice to make it happen. Instead of focusing on the science, this book focuses on the social change we need to make be able to save…Read moreRead more of this annotation