Thursday 7 July 2011

What I've Been Reading: Non-Fiction

I love non-fiction books, and have found myself of late reading a much higher volume of them than novels. Here is a list of the ones I think are especially amazing:

Hiroshima by John Hersey is one of the finest books I've ever read. Hersey was one of the first Americans allowed into Hiroshima after the bomb and Rolling Stone dedicated an entire issue to his reportage, this reportage is contained within the book and concerns six survivors and their stories. Incredibly moving, sad and perfect; this book gives you a side to a war story that you would never imagine reading. Direct Red by Gabriel Weston is an account of a surgical student's first years, covering everything from getting a bit too involved with patients, to accidental deaths. It's funny, honest and well worth a read. Homicide by David Simon covers the year the journalist spent with the Baltimore Homicide Department, which became the basis for both Homicide: Life on the Killing Streets and The Wire.

Others worth reading:

The True History of the Elephant Man by Howell and Ford
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
Supergods by Grant Morrison
Things the Grandchildren Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett
The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell
Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
Blockbuster by Tom Shone
Dispatches by Michael Herr
The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley