In an age where time spent trying new things and meeting new people was still a rare privilege, the best books served to indulge our wandering minds. By well-known writers and exciting new voices, these works explore a range of topics, from the history of black performance in America to the value of the 19th-century Russian short story to the intimate pain of losing a father. they are sweeping stories and bold collections of essays, powerful memoirs and brilliant literary criticism. its diversity is a virtue in itself, a means to explore and satisfy our curiosities. here, the top 10 non-fiction books of 2021.
10. the kissing bug, daisy hernández
When Daisy Hernández was a child, her aunt traveled from Colombia to the United States. she in search of a cure for the mysterious illness that caused her stomach to become so distended that people thought she was pregnant. while she was growing up, ella hernandez believed that her aunt had gotten sick from eating an apple; It wasn’t until decades later that she learned more about Chagas disease. As Ella Hernandez describes in Ella’s cleverly informed book, Chagas, transmitted by “kissing bugs” that carry the parasite that causes it, is an infectious disease that sickens hundreds of thousands of people in the US. USA, many of whom are poor immigrants from Latin America. She traces the history of Chagas and the lives most affected by it, offering a nuanced and empathetic look at the intersections of poverty, racism, and America. uu. health system.
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buy now: the kissing bug in the bookstore | Amazon
9. finding the mother tree, suzanne simard
In her first book, pioneering forest ecologist Suzanne Simard combines her personal story with that of the trees she has researched for decades. finding the mother tree is as comprehensive as it is deeply personal, especially as ella simard explores her curiosity about trees and how she has been working as a woman in a field dominated by men. her passion for the book’s central theme is palpable on every page, coalescing into an urgent call to embrace our connection to the earth and do everything we can to protect it.
buy now: find the mother tree in the bookstore | Amazon
8. the copenhagen trilogy, tove ditlevsen
Originally published as three separate books in Danish between 1967 and 1971, the copenhagen trilogy, now presented in a single translated volume, is a harrowing portrait of one artist. In precise and brutally self-aware terms, Tove Ditlevsen reflects on her life, from her turbulent youth during Hitler’s rise to power to his discovery of poetry and later to the dissolution of her multiple marriages. . Though the story was written decades ago, the intricacies of womanhood ditlevsen captures are timeless.
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7. swimming in a pond in the rain, george saunders
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george saunders is deeply familiar with the 19th century russian tale: he has been teaching a class on the subject at m.f.a. students for two decades. Here, he opens his curriculum, analyzing seven iconic works by authors like Chekhov and Tolstoy to highlight the importance of fiction in our lives. In a world full of distractions, swimming in a pond in the rain demands the reader’s attention. saunders begins by breaking down a story line by line: in less thoughtful hands, this exercise would be tiresome, but saunders infuses so much heart into the practice that it’s just plain fun instead.
buy now: swimming in a pond in the rain at bookstore | Amazon
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6. empire of pain, patrick radden keefe
from the author of the 2019 bestseller say nothing, who plunged into northern ireland during the riots, the empire of pain is a moving investigation into three generations of looters. family. Patrick Radden Keefe explores the looters and the source of their infamous fortune, earned by producing and marketing a painkiller that became the driving force behind the opioid crisis. is a sweeping account of one family’s enormous impact on the world, and a tenacious piece of reporting that shows the horrific implications of greed.
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5. aftershocks, nadia owusu
born in tanzania and raised all over the world, from england to italy to ethiopia, nadia owusu never felt like she belonged anywhere. In Ella’s painful memoir, she embarks on a tour de force examination of her childhood, marked first by her mother’s abandonment when she was a little girl and then by the death of her beloved father. through evaluating the people and places that shaped her, ella owusu picks up the pieces of her life to make sense of it all. In lyrical and exuberant prose, she creates an intimate and penetrating exploration of identity, family, and home.
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4. how to pass the word, clint smith
In the midst of a discussion about what students should learn about history, poet and journalist clint smith takes readers across the united states, from the monticello plantation in virginia to a maximum security prison in louisiana, to highlight the legacy of slavery. and how it has shaped the country. The result, shortlisted for the National Book Award, is an insightful dissection of the relationship between memory, history, and America’s current reckoning with its past.
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3. invisible child, andrea elliott
for nearly a decade, reporter andrea elliott watched the coming of age of a girl named dasani, who has lived in and out of new york city’s shelter system for most of her life. Dasani’s existence is fraught with contradictions: Her Brooklyn hideaway is just blocks from some of the district’s most expensive real estate, and Elliott strives tirelessly to capture them all. In exacting and trenchant detail, she places Dasani’s story alongside the larger issues of inequality, homelessness, and racism in the city and, more broadly, in the US. uu.
buy now: childon invisible bookcase | Amazon
2. crying at h mart, michelle zauner
When Michelle Zauner, founder of the indie-rock band Japanese Breakfast, was 25, her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. That illness and the eventual death of her mother shattered Zauner’s sense of identity and forced her to reassess her relationship with her Korean culture. In her memoir, Ella Zauner seeks answers about the influences that shaped much of her life, often reflecting on the food her mother prepared for her. the memories associated with these dishes (jatjuk, gimbap, galbi) drive her narrative, and it is her food that becomes such a harrowing marker of her mother’s decline, particularly when chemotherapy makes it difficult for her. too hard to eat. remarkably honest and written in spirited terms, crying at h mart is a powerful and devastating portrait of a mother and daughter and the life they shared.
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1. a little devil in america, hanif abdurraqib
a national book award finalist, hanif abdurraqib’s work of cultural criticism is an astonishing account of black performance. In essays packed with snappy prose, Abdurraqib discusses everything from Whitney Houston’s rise to a schoolyard fistfight. the author, also a poet, perfectly combines the references of pop culture with that of the United States. history and stories of his own upbringing. the connections he makes between these stories, both small and large, intimate and collective, point to the enduring influence of black art. he covers a lot of ground with ease and wit, an impressive balance for a book that is as bold as it is essential.
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write to annabel gutterman at annabel.gutterman@time.com.
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