While we love the information, advice and factual accuracy of a nonfiction book, certain reads can be a little hard to get through—especially if you’re a fiction lover. However, there are a plethora of uplifting non-fiction books that read like fiction where true stories are told with the page-turning qualities of a novel, and that have the power to inspire, motivate and entertain you.
From celebrity memoirs to impactful historical events to emotional journeys and more, these books will captivate you from beginning to end. Here, we’ve compiled our favorite uplifting non-fiction books. Feeling inspired to try new things? Learn how Tara Westover did that in her memoir, Educated. Still want to travel to other worlds? Get a glimpse into outer space with Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. Keep scrolling for all of our captivating true story recommendations.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has lived a life full of accomplishments and purpose, making her one of the most compelling women of our era. In her memoir, a combination of reflection and narrative storytelling, she pulls readers into her world. From her childhood to her years as an executive balancing work and motherhood and everything in between, she describes her experiences with honesty, wit and passion.
What readers are saying: “Michelle’s writing is so descriptive and intimate that you feel like you’re sitting across from her while she flawlessly reveals her life story. I laughed out loud and sobbed throughout the book. There are so many poignant and heartfelt moments.”
Tara Westover’s gripping memoir recalls her childhood living in the mountains of Idaho, where her survivalist parents kept her and her 6 siblings isolated from mainstream society. They don’t attend school; they work in their father’s junkyard and they’re taught to distrust the government and be prepared for the end of days. But after a childhood filled with trauma, doubt and fear, 17-year-old Tara decides she wants a different life, so she takes the ACT, passes and is accepted to Brigham Young University.
What readers are saying: “What an interesting read! I could not put this down. It only took me two days to read it in its entirety. Tara, what an inspiration you are!”
Jeannette Walls tells the story of growing up with her nonconformist nomad family as they struggle to make ends meet. Jeannette and her siblings must learn to fend for themselves and eventually find the means to start a better life.
What readers are saying: “The Glass Castle is a moving memoir written in the creative nonfiction genre. Jeannette Walls’ life struggle from poverty to the time she became a journalist is a story of resilience and redemption. Walls is a brilliant writer who vividly assembles her bittersweet childhood memories—with a pair of dysfunctional parents—in a wonderfully written and inspiring book.”
This New York Times Bestseller and major motion picture tells the true story of the Black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space. Beginning in World War II and moving through the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the space race, Margot Lee Shetterly details the legacy of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden and their impact on NASA.
What readers are saying: “I did not expect to become tearful upon finishing a history book, especially one about mathematicians and engineers, but I did. The book is an excellent history of NASA, and an even better history of some of the Black women who quietly went about their work as mathematicians and engineers without recognition or appropriate pay or titles despite having the same college degrees and work expectations (many hitting glass ceilings quickly) when hired at the same time as the men.”
After her mother dies of cancer, Cheryl Strayed spends four years falling apart—her marriage crumbles and her immediate family becomes more and more estranged. She finally decides to hike from the Mojave Desert to Washington State alone, though she has no hiking experience.
What readers are saying: “Wild is a fearlessly told, wildly fantastic and entertaining story. The author, Cheryl Strayed, exceeded any and all expectations I had when Wild arrived in my mailbox. This is a memoir, but reads like a novel. All human behavior, interaction, and communication, I think, is best understood via the narrative, in other words–a story.”
Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany on a city bus of all places: “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” That’s when she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project. Rubin chronicled her findings over 12 months with a combination of scientific research, narrative storytelling and lessons from pop culture on how to be happier.
What readers are saying: “This book was fantastic. This is one of the best ‘concentrate on what’s important’ books that I’ve read in a long time. I felt a connection with the narrator as I noticed many of the same tactics used by her appeal to me.”
Elizabeth Gilbert digs into her creative process and offers up easy-to-follow tips for finding magic and joy every day by uncovering the “strange jewels,” or hidden gifts, that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work or embark on a dream long deferred, her simple strategies infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion.
What readers are saying: “Words will probably never be able to describe the beauty that is Big Magic. People have fawned over it high and low, but it’s one of those things you just need to experience for yourself. Whether you’re a writer, a painter, a quilter, a pottery maker, a dancer, a singer, a circus artist, or anything else that could be considered even remotely creative, you need to pick up this book. You need to read it carefully, slowly, fully, and let it seep into your core. Trust the words. Trust the Magic.”
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but to scientists, she’s known as HeLa. She worked as a tobacco farmer, and her cells—taken without her knowing—became one of the most important tools in medicine. That’s because they were the first “immortal” cells grown in culture and they’re still alive today even though Lacks has been gone for years. Her family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, either. Here, Rebecca Skloot enmeshes herself with Lacks’ family and captures the beauty and drama involved with scientific discoveries.
What readers are saying: “I put off reading this for years, even tho’ it was recommended to me numerous times. I expected the science to be too in-depth and, therefore, more textbook like. Boy, was I wrong! This book brings Henrietta to life along with her family and the struggles they’ve had. It addresses issues that I’ve never considered with respect to ownership of one’s own body. It made me think beyond the obvious and I still am pondering the complexities of it all.”
While John Grisham is typically known for his bestselling fiction novels, his passion for justice is what led him to Framed. With the help of Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries—the first organization dedicated to exonerating innocent people who have been wrongly convicted—the two dive into 10 true stories of those who were innocent but found guilty. Full of research and page-turning suspense, Framed is the story of winning freedom when everything is stacked against you,
What readers are saying: “I absolutely love John Grisham and he is unapologetic in his brutal, honest storytelling. I have had to put the book down a couple of times, not because it’s slow or boring, but because I can’t believe how despicable some of the people in the judicial system are. I’m so glad that JG decided to shine a light on the underhanded and criminal tactics that those in power have used to get convictions.”
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