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All the Living and the Dead (2022) by Hayley Campbell was entertaining and informative yet hard to read sometimes because of the dark subject matter, because what is more dark than death? (Huge trigger warning for discussion of deceased children).

I'm new to actually enjoying nonfiction, but author Tori Telfer made it easy in Confident Women. I often get a crime bug in me, and I was looking for something longer and more substantial than an internet article, but I didn't want to feel like I was doing required reading on a subject that truly interests me.

What happens to the places ruined and left desolate by humans? Investigative journalist Cal Flyn travels around the world to find out. Focusing on the outrageous damage we have sustained on our world may seem to make for depressing reading, but Islands of Abandonment (2021) is surprisingly uplifting.

The Big Flower Fight (2020) is a British reality show in which teams of florists, artists, and garden designers compete to create stunningly ambitious sculptures matching the theme of each episode. Some of the challenges the contestants face include making a giant throne using only edible plants, making a dress entirely out of flowers, and recreating a scene from a fairytale.

SeinLanguage by Jerry Seinfeld is perfect for anyone who has sat there thinking, "Boy, nothing sounds better right now than reading the first 90 seconds of every Seinfeld episode in one sitting," which is what I said to myself right before checking out this book.

This conversational collection of essays is great reading or listening. In American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures (2018), 32 authors share their personal experiences growing up in America as 1st or 2nd generation Americans. Some vignettes cover a specific childhood incident; others reflecting, as the children of immigrants, on their parents’ choices; still others speak on current matters.

Unbroken (2014) by Laura Hillenbrand tells the remarkable story of Olympic runner Louis Zamperini.  Louis was made to run by his brother Pete, who saw the boy had talent but realized that it would also keep him out of trouble.  He eventually went on to compete in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where he shook Hitler's hand.

Peter Wohlleben, in his book, The Hidden Life of Trees goes to great length to show how important trees are.  Not only do they help with managing weather, they also help produce oxygen and provide food and homes for woodland creatures.  Forest trees also look out for each other and care for other trees that are sick or dying.  Trees also prevent top soil from

How often do you stop to think about commonplace urban sights like traffic lights, fire escapes, and manhole covers? After you read this book, your answer will probably be “all the time”. Written by the creators of the podcast '99% Invisible', The 99% Invisible City (2020) explores the history and purpose of frequently overlooked objects in the urban landscape.

The Curious Nature Guide by Clare Walker Leslie is a short and sweet read full of eye-catching illustration.

This thoughtful poetic writer is applicable for our times, opening the reader to compassion and a system understanding of oppressive systems. Their approach to social activism is inviting and ingenious. 

-Teen Reviewer

In 2021, poet, scholar, and Atlantic Magazine staff writer Clint Smith published his first major work of nonfiction,