10 Classic Nonfiction Books

[@DearReaders_thisisJess]

I had no idea A Room Of One’s Own was a classic nonfiction! I’m going to pick it up this month! It’s been sitting on my shelf for a while now! Thank you Olive!

[@abookolive]

I'm reading it this month, too! 😁

[@DearReaders_thisisJess]

@@abookolive can’t wait for your review!

[@launchedathousand]

My grade 12 literature class made shirts with the slogan "where my peypes at" in honour of him! For missing classics I recommend The Story of My Life By Helen Keller and A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft.

[@abookolive]

LOL I love that t-shirt slogan!

[@claraocabrera]

I’d say Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir could be added to this list I also just finished Know My Name as my first NonFiction November read and I hope it’ll be remembered as a classic from our times in the future. So powerful!

[@abookolive]

I would definitely agree with that. And it's always so interesting speculating on what books will become classics in the future!

[@InfiniteText]

I would say Walden by Thoreau, Guns Germs and Steel, Night by Elie Wiesel, Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl, The Second Sex and The Feminine Mystique, if Wealth of Nations counts, then Das Kapital or the Communist Manifesto should too, The Golden Bough by Frazer, The Power of Myth by Campbell, something by Freud or Jung, Okay I am getting way to excited about making lists now.

[@abookolive]

Yes to all of these! A good number of these I considered including but didn't want any one subject to be too dominant in this list of 10 books (Walden was particularly hard to exclude 😔).

[@MarilynMayaMendoza]

Man’s search for meaning was phenomenal and affects me to this day

[@secretbookcase3082]

Love that you are highlighting non-fiction classics! I would add to that Hannah Arendt's Eichman in Jerusalem, the classics in political philosophy (John Locke, Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, Jurgen Habermas, John Stuart Mills, Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract etc.), Nan Shephard's The Living Mountain, Stephen Hawkin'gs A Brief History of Time, Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth, John Hersey's Hiroshima, George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia or Down and Out in Paris and London, Audre Lorde's Sister Outsider, Angela Davis' s Women Race and Class, Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, Naomi Klein's No Logo, Elie Wiesel's Night Trilogy, Frantz Fanon's Black Skin White Masks, Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations and Robert Graves' Goodbye to All That. Hhhmm, I realise it is probably very easy to guess from my list what I studied at uni ;-)

[@abookolive]

Thank you for all these wonderful additions!!

[@marybarnhill7003]

My great grandmother wrote under a male pen name. Because women could not get published at the time. So I will be putting Virginia Woolf A room of one’s own on my TBR!

[@MLLatUtube]

I have read four of these - should look at the Diary of Samuel Pepys

[@Dreamhunter333]

El mejor no fiction channel ever! I read a lot of Fantasy and Sci-Fi but now I add one or two non fiction books to my monthly tbr 😃

[@abookolive]

That's so nice, thank you! I think it's wonderful to regularly add some nonfiction to your reading life, but then again, I'm biased! 😂

[@LaurieInTexas]

I read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass this year and it is compelling. It is incredible to know that he essentially taught himself to read and write in his spare time as a slave when you see how well he wrote.

[@abookolive]

I need to read that!

[@merletwowildsymphonies1836]

I'd like to make a pitch for Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem as a classic nonfiction

[@dreamthosedreams]

Haven’t finished watching yet but I am here to say: THANKS, PITTSBURGH. 😏😏😏

[@Georgesmomsu]

Indeed!

[@abookolive]

I could not be more proud of my city (and my state)! Also: THANK YOU FOR REMEMBERING TO ADD THE "H"! I've seen so many "Pittsburg" spellings over the past week and it drives me NUTS even though I don't want to be rude and correct people 😓

[@dreamthosedreams]

@@abookolive 😂 I have family in the Pittsburgh area so I learned a long time ago to remember the “h” at the end! I have a lot of love for PA from growing up in NYC and going there often. I couldn’t be more thrilled to see the state show up for us the way it did. F’ing love you guys 💜💜💜

[@abookolive]

@@dreamthosedreams LOVE YOU TOO!! 💙💙💙

[@dreamthosedreams]

@@abookolive 🥰🥰🥰

[@someonerandom8552]

What a fun idea! I had to read Diary of a young girl in high school for history class. Should reread I’d add Down and out in Paris by Orwell. I love Orwell. Very straightforward and easy to read

[@PaulHoffman-sy4xp]

A fantastic list. I have some target reads for nonfiction November. Thank you.

[@mame-musing]

Once again you have done a great job of presenting us with concise and focused synopses of all the books on your list. I read “In Cold Blood” as a 10th grade reading assignment for American lit. It was a real engaging page turner for the entire class. In retrospect, I’m surprised it was assigned, but then again Shakespeare’s plays are full of violence. “The Diary of Anne Frank”, another page turner, I read on my own as an 8th grader. It was recommended to me by a friend. As for The Wealth of Nations, I read portions of it for an economics course. I am now more interested in picking it up for it’s own sake than as a course assignment.

[@douglassasser4731]

I would add "On Writing" by Stephen King, "Unsafe at Any Speed" by Ralph Nader and "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" by Harold Kushner. Thanks for your list.

[@mc63404]

I love this list! Thank you for all you do to highlight the wonderful world of nonfiction.

[@sarahstager8450]

don't forget the essays of michel de montaigne! they may be a bit heavy to read, but they were really important in forming the modern conception of the essay

[@beckyjohnston2688]

Thank you so much for this great video!! I’ve never heard of “Ten Days...” or “ The Diary of Samuel Pyps” and I’m so excited to check out both!

[@abookolive]

Thank YOU for watching! 😄

[@alexlanious3248]

Ageee that Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl is qualified for this list, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky, Becoming Myself by Irvin Yalom, also any books by Nasim Taleb and Yuval Noah Harari.

[@ryannabrown8467]

I recently read the novel Evicted by Matthew Desmond and it's amazing. They were her property by Stephanie rogers was really good too :)

[@Tinahgirl83]

I may try to pick up A Room of One’s Own this month. I’ve always wanted to read In Cold Blood as well. I have just finished “A Plum Assignment,” a collection of papers on P. G. Wodehouse and I LOVED it.

[@chrisreadingcorner3816]

Great video and great recommendations definitely a few more books to add to my TBR.

[@kimtracy754]

I so enjoyed watching this! So many great suggestions. Thanks for such concise and highly engaging reviews

[@abookolive]

I'm really glad you enjoyed watching it!!

[@AnniesBookNook]

The only one I’ve read of these is The Diary of a Young Girl... Thank you for this list, I really want to read more classic books and these all will go high on my tbr!!

[@anne-marie339]

Love this list! Some are already on my TBR, but I’ve only read (and loved) Diary of a Young Girl and On the Original of Species! I might pick up A Room of One’s Own this month since it’s sitting on my shelf ☺️ I wouldn’t mind seeing a part 2 of this video one day! 😁 Maybe next November...

[@abookolive]

Part 2 of this video next November is a real possibility! 😉

[@MrAmritbhagat]

Wonderul Recommendations. Can also include The Black Swam by Nassim Taleb + The story of my experiments by Gandhiji

[@N_Garamond]

Thanks for this, Olive! I have either read or heard of most of these, but I didn't know about 10 Days That Shook the World or The Diary of Samuel Pepys. They both sound fascinating and things I'd totally be interested in. I also appreciate the context you give for each book regardless of whether I'd heard of it or not. Oh, and I would add The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley as another highly influential classic. And though historians like Manning Marable have helped us understand that Malcolm X did change or omit various aspects of his life in the Autobiography, I still would classify it as nonfic and definitely worthy of classic status.

[@abookolive]

The Autobiography of Malcom X sounds fascinating! I've actually recently done some research on him recently since it related to a review I was writing (I was reviewing a Muhammad Ali micro biography - Malcolm X was briefly his mentor), so I'm putting his autobiography on my wishlist immediately. Thank you!

[@N_Garamond]

@@abookolive Fantastic. The book changed my life and no doubt the lives of countless others. And the subsequent scholarship around him enriches his life for me even more (Marable's book, and I just saw a new book came out about him which I haven't read).

[@kirsten0929]

I would add Kay Redfield Jamsion's An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness (1995 - too recent to be a classic?) to the list. I think she was one of the first to write about dealing with her own mental illness while also a practicing clinical psychologist herself. So good. I just recently read A Room of One's Own and *loved* it. I'd also like to read The Fire Next Time.

[@leemac]

Great video Olive. Very much appreciated 💝 I feel like we’re going to need a part 2, 3, 57...

[@abookolive]

I'll happily make more parts!!

[@jeremyfee]

Great list. I realize now I need to read Silent Spring and In Cold Blood.

[@ThatsSoPoe]

What an interesting topic! I think I might add Maus by Art Spiegelman, which is a graphic memoir/biography of the author and his father, who lived through the Holocaust. It is the only graphic novel to have won a Pulitzer Prize, and I think was influential in the nonfiction graphic memoir movement (which I am a huge fan of!).

[@abookolive]

That's a great suggestion!!

[@kaitlanlouviere9963]

Just ordered In Cold Blood to read for nonfiction November. I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but you make it seem interesting, so I wanted to try some out.

[@abookolive]

Why, thank you! I hope you do give some nonfiction a try - I can almost guarantee you that there will be a style of nonfiction out there for you!

[@byronsbrain]

What a fantastic idea, I have read a few of these, but I really want to read Pepys diary.....

[@saintdonoghue]

This was fantastic!

[@JoshsBookishVoyage]

There's a range of philosophical works as well. Bertrand Russel is one such writer that comes to mind for me. Although, I still need to read most of his work.

[@abookolive]

Wonderful, thank you!!

[@monaedoyle3631]

Good morning. I have read The Diary of a Young Girl probably a thousand times. I read Night by Elie Wiesel and I felt that it was just too sad for me. I am not a huge fan of nonfiction books. I don’t pick up nonfiction books.

[@abookolive]

Nonfiction books aren't all sad! I'd be willing to bet that there's at least one nonfiction book out there that you'd fall head-over-heels in love with! Let me know if you ever want a recommendation! 😁

[@distilledlaw34]

How The Other Half Live by Riis, Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche and A Walk In The Woods by Bryson are possibly classics in one way or another.

[@abookolive]

Wonderful additions! Of the three, I've only read A Walk in the Woods, and I would say it is pretty much a classic by this point - definitely Bryson's most popular book.

[@sorenkrane]

I read and enjoyed 'Ten Days in a Mad-House' which was an article by Nellie Bly who had herself committed to a mad-house in order to report on conditions. Very insightful.

[@abookolive]

Ah, yes! Nellie Bly!

[@catotoa6122]

Would you consider The Guns of August by Tuchman a nonfiction classic? Relatedly, have you done a review of Dreadnought by Robert K. Massie?

[@abookolive]

I don't know much of anything about The Guns of August, unfortunately so I couldn't say! And I've only read Massie's books on Russia - war histories aren't my kind of thing, normally.

[@LiteraryStoner]

The Diary of a Young Girl is what i'm currently reading for my first Nonfiction November book! I haven't read it before.

[@maryhinkle1756]

Great video, perfect for this month. You look especially beautiful today!

[@abookolive]

Oh, thank you! Makeup helps 😂

[@labeba]

That was so amazing thank you

[@abookolive]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@crazybooklady8682]

I have read The Diary of Anne Frank but I was actually more impressed by the story of one of her best friends Hanneli, who also told a lot about Anne Frank and how she saw Anne for the last time on the other side of the fence in the camp... Her story is written by Alison Leslie Gold under the title Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend. At this very moment I'm reading The Histories by Herodutus which is viewed as the very very first work of history non-fiction EVER :)

[@catotoa6122]

Thank you for sharing this list Olive. Would be able to expand on the contrast between ‘Quiet’ by Cain versus ‘How to Win Friends...’ by Carnegie. Got into a colorful discussion with a yoga classmate that Carnegie’s book fetishizes insincerity. Thoughts?

[@catotoa6122]

Hi dad did they fix the phone?

[@abookolive]

What contrast between Quiet & How to Win Friends do you mean specifically? And I think you could argue both ways about whether Carnegie's tips encourage insincerity. Obviously, if someone just wanted to get over on people and manipulate others, his tips would be helpful, but on the other hand, people who legitimately need help with those social skills would probably find the advice useful as well. Seems like it may boil down to what a person's motives are when they pick up the book.

[@bookwalk1]

I didn’t know about this book by Virginia Woolf. I have only read one of her books and it was a stream of consciousness novel which I don’t care for. However, this one sounds wonderful! I think someone mentioned Thoreau’s Walden which I would definitely add to this list. Thanks for starting this conversation! People have added many books I am interested to read!

[@abookolive]

Walden is amazing!!

[@angelaluz405]

...and now I added Pepys to my wish list. Watching your videos can get expensive! LOL

[@a_bookish_gemini]

I would like to add Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl to this list. ❤️

[@abookolive]

A great suggestion - thank you!

[@imalahakhund]

This was such an interesting video!!

[@LisaDeviYoga]

Fantastic list!

[@abookolive]

Thanks!

[@TheNovelSanctuary]

Loved this!

[@Rickybobby1130]

I’m so excited for this

[@MargaretPinard]

I'm good with your first half, second half more difficult to imagine reading! Except for The Fire Next Time--that's definitely on my list!

[@abookolive]

They're definitely not all equally readable in the modern day! The Wealth of Nations in particular is difficult to get through (speaking from personal experience lol).

[@donaldmartineau8176]

Man's Search for Meaning My favorite

[@lindaharrison3240]

Hi Olive. I love your make-up today.

[@abookolive]

Thank you! Still trying to figure out the whole eyeshadow thing (a necessary adjustment for a lipstick-lover in these mask-wearing times)!

[@myreadinglife8816]

I would add Walden and Sand County Almanac to the list of environmental classic nonfiction.

[@buzzselous3757]

Whoa, how could you have not included history of the Peloponnesian War and the Origin of Species? Amazing books both. And world-changing. History of the Peloponnesian War was really the first history as we know it. And the Origin of Species was the beginning of the theory of evolution. Sorry, just a little dry humor; your choices are great.

[@abookolive]

I love dry humor, but I'll admit to being confused about what you mean because I did include The Origin of Species...

[@buzzselous3757]

@@abookolive wow, how did I miss that? Sorry about that.

[@MarilynMayaMendoza]

I’m happy that you started with a holocaust Memoir, the diary of Anne Frank. I have a collection of Holocaust nonfiction that I started collecting in the 60s. I’m Jewish, But my mother discouraged talk or reading about the Shoah So I found a book in the 60s called the house of dolls that horrified me. I’ve since found out that this might not be total nonfiction but instead A collection of Different people stories with some imagination thrown in. It was translated in 1953 Hebrew.May I suggest A train in winter. I don’t recall the author offhand but it’s about women in the French resistance who were sent to concentration camps and their heroism and The memories of the few that survived. I have many more suggestions but This one, about French women who Believed that friendship between women helped them survive was A wonderful book. I read many of the books you mentioned. I still own some of them like Dale Carnegie‘s book. What I remember about that book is how he said to always call a person by their name as it’s precious to them. I also remember the silent spring because I’m pretty sure I was alive when that controversy came out about DDT. I’ve read so many more nonfiction books that I didn’t keep but want to re-read. One is diet for a small planet. That was big in the 60s. Keep the nonfiction coming. I’m here for it. Aloha Maya

[@melisalilos]

İove to see more nonfiction content 🙏🏻😌

[@shubhangipai5362]

Don’t forget the end of nature by bill mckibben. I read this in college. Then there is gorillas in the mist and the uninhabitable earth. And while we are on the subject what about the dictionary, the Bible, the Torah, the Quran, the Gita... I guess those last few are a stretch.

[@abookolive]

I'd be hesitant to include a book like The Uninhabitable Earth because it's a new release and a classic needs to prove it can stand the test of time.

[@shubhangipai5362]

I didn’t think about that. Good point. But it can become one

[@abookolive]

@@shubhangipai5362 It certainly could become one! I love thinking about what books might become classics in the future. 😊

[@Rickybobby1130]

So I’ve only read 2/10 on this list and I’m excited to read the others. I’m not sure what defines a classic but I was thinking that Hot Zone by Richard Preston might be considered one, or maybe it’s more of a modern classic

[@jujunorman4695]

I would definitely add Sigmund Freud. I knew Darwin was going to be in the list.

[@abookolive]

I agree! I'm not his biggest fan, but his influence cannot be denied.

[@vasan6956]

What makes u sooo obsessed with Russian history and culture ..??

[@abookolive]

Because it's an interesting place with resilient people, a gorgeous language, a complex history...and so on and so forth! I often don't know how to answer this type of question because our interests are just kind of our interests. 🤷‍♀️ I don't think there's always a good reason or source for our interest in any given topic.

[@lusomarga]

Evolution is not a controversial topic. Just because there are some deniers it doesn't make a scientific theory controversial. E.g. the fact that there are some idiots like 'flat earthers' doesn't make our theory about Solar system and celestial bodies controversial.

[@abookolive]

I used the word controversial since by definition it means that there is disagreement about a topic. Though I agree with you that you can't argue a scientific theory, the fact that there has been a debate about it since Darwin published makes it a controversial topic, hence why I described it that way. There's no logic behind deniers' arguments against evolution, of course, but they've certainly been trying to "prove" it's not real for a long time.