Books are a great way to learn. Because this site is focused mostly on nerdy subject matter, we tend to emphasize fiction over other kinds of literature. However,fantasy novels that transport you to other worldsaren’t the only worthwhile books out there. Books are also a great way to learn!
Unfortunately, it can sometimes be tough to find the time to read. Fortunately, there’s a great way to turn more of your time into reading time: Audiobooks! There are a lot of situations where you aren’t in a position to read a physical book, but are in a position to listen to something on your phone. Audiobooks allow you to use those stretches of time to get reading done. The largest platform for audiobook sales is Audible. So, here are the best non-fiction books currently available on it.
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
What an astonishing thing this book is
This recounting of all that is or was or ever will be by perhaps the greatest science communicator ever to live represents a complete marriage of two things often thought of as opposites: the wondrously spiritual and the skeptically scientific.
The spiritually inclined sometimes accuse the scientifically minded of lacking a sense of wonder and mysticism, but they would not do so if they had read the works of Carl Sagan. Perhaps the greatest science communicator ever to live, Carl Sagan’s entire bibliography is full of some of the profoundest works ever written.
In this, his magnum opus, he recounts the history and nature of the cosmos as revealed by modern science, and in this recounting, he findsbeauty, joy, wonder, and purpose. He shows us the vastness of the universe and teaches us to be awestruck, not intimidated. He tells us the story of the world and our place in it, and makes these truths as wonderful as any religious or political doctrine could ever be. This is among the greatest books ever written, and you should read it immediately.
The Demon-Haunted World
If only he hadn’t been so right about where the world was heading
Another book by Carl Sagan, this work expounds on many of the same ideas in Cosmos, while stressing the importance of scientific and skeptical thinking. His warnings have proven far more prophetic than we’d wish.
Where Cosmos contains Sagan’s account of the world that exists, as revealed by science, The Demon-Haunted World gives us his critique of worlds that do not exist. The fantasy realms of pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. Of magical thinking, and the intellectual vices from which it flows.
The most impressive, and most distressing, thing about this book is how prophetic it is. Decades after it was written, we find ourselves in a world of fake news, where AI-generated images can be passed off as real and political polarization ensnares our minds. In such a world, this book is more relevant, its message more urgent than ever before.
Culture And Imperialism
Sheds light on major aspects of western culture
From Edward Said, one of the most noted literary critics in history, comes an analysis of how europe’s imperial projects shaped and were shaped by then-contemporary literature.
Edward Said is one of the most famous literary critics in history. He’s best known for his seminal workOrientalism, which would be on this list if its follow-up, Culture and Imperialism, weren’t even better. Culture and Imperialism is an analysis of European literature, with a focus on the height of the colonial era. It seeks to unveil how the imperial projects of those cultures shaped and were shaped by their literature.
That paragraph is going to have some of you thinking this book is a preachy, judgmental, west-bashing screed, but it is far more thoughtful than that. Said is great because he comes from a place of affection for the works he analyzes. His objection to imperialism comes from a place of genuine fascination for every culture on earth, including every one that he talks about, and that respect prevents even his harshest analysis from coming off as hateful or preachy.
The Dawn of Everything
A radical rethinking of the human story
Deeply founded in archaeological and historical evidence, The Dawn of Everything exists to re-examine many of our most foundational conceptions of human history and nature.
The popular imagination gives us a very clear image, both historical and ideological, of pre-history, and its implications about human nature. This image is harsh, painting humankind as inherently savage, and suggesting that many of the worst elements of our everyday lives are necessary concessions to material practicality. This book exists to question those ideas, and present a more complex and hopeful account of human history, and, with it, human nature.
This book is as much about politics as it is about history, and it has a definitive ideological point of view, but the discussions that emerge from it are still fascinating, directing us toward evidence which forces us to re-examine ideas we’ve spent our whole lives taking for granted, and asking us to consider if a better world might be more possible than we’ve been led to believe.
Man’s Search for Meaning
A life-changing meditation on humanity’s deepest questions
Written by a holocaust survivor, this book recounts its author’s experiences in a series of Nazi concentration camps, and relays his observations on how human life retains its meaning even in such awful circumstances.
Written by a Jewish psychiatrist and psychotherapist who spent years being shuffled between Nazi concentration camps, this book is divided into two parts. The first section recounts many of the author’s experiences as a concentration camp prisoner, which are as brutal and affectingas any horror novel. The second outlines the therapeutic method he derived from those experiences, which focuses on overcoming one’s circumstances by finding your life’s purpose, and making it the center of your existence.
This is a brutally difficult read, but extremely worthwhile. Though it recounts dark events, its core insight is incredibly inspiring, teaching us how to overcome suffering without falling into the trap of sugarcoating or glorifying it.
Atomic Habits
Real, practical help
This practical guide to self-control and habit formation teaches you how to make concrete changes to your life through actionable advice.
There are a lot of self-help books out there, and most of them are complete garbage. Many people are scared away from such works by the quite reasonable fear that reading them will do more to make us self-concious of our flaws than help us overcome them.
What makes this one different from most of its competitors is that its advice is directly actionable. Rather than giving you a list of moralistic precepts to judge yourself against, this book gives actionable advice on how to make and break habits. It’s not going to change your whole life overnight, because nothing can do that, but it will give you improvement that is real and can stick.
Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)
An exploration one some of the most important, and frustrating, features of the human mind
This witty little psychology book explores the human inclination to self-justify in the aftermath of both good and bad decisions, and the lengths people will go to to convince themselves they’ve been right all along.
This charming little psychology book explores the human capacity, and overwhelming inclination, to self-deceive and rationalize our existing beliefs rather than question them or accept evidence that we’re wrong. It recounts the numerous psychological experiments that prove this behavior is deeply embedded in human nature, and explores the consequences that various spirals of self-delusion have had throughout history.
This is another book whose relevance has only increased as we have proceeded into the current moment in history. Though the book provides great insights helpful in the understanding of why people do the things they do, the ones who gain the most from it will be those with the humility to apply its analysis to their own lives, and their own minds, and use it as an opportunity to learn better behavior.
FAQ
What is the best non-fiction book ever written?
As with all questions of this form, there is no single objective answer. It depends on what you’re looking for. Of the books on this list, Cosmos is likely the most enjoyable read. Atomic Habits is the most pragmatically useful, and Man’s Search For Meaning is the most profound.
What is the top-selling nonfiction book of all time?
This is harder to determine than we would wish, because both which books have sold the most and what books count as non-fiction are in dispute. However, one likely answer is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Rosa Lee Beeland. Published in 1937, this book is an early example of a popular genre of non-fiction, namely, books of financial advice.
