Top nonfiction books 2024: what to watch out for this year

A new year has already come back round, and it still amazes us that it has been 24 years since the Millennium (let that sink in!) But with a new dawn comes a treasure trove of works by veteran writers and some debut authors. There are some exciting 2024 nonfiction books from the likes of Salman Rushdie, who will be releasing his new memoir after surviving a horrific attack in 2022. Not to mention, any fans of thoughtful critique from the likes of Olivia Laing, Maggie Nelson, and Hanif Abdurraqib.

With that in mind, here’s our selection of nonfiction books for 2024:

Top nonfiction books to look out for in 2024:

• Not The End Of The World by Hannah Ritchie (January 9). Data scientist Ritchie talks about the incredible progress made on challenges across the globe like poverty, hunger, and climate change. Using facts and visuals, she believes we’re not doomed, but actually on track for a sustainable future. This book empowers readers to understand what works and how we can all build a better world. Check out our review of “Not the End of the World.”
• Our Moon by Rebecca Boyle (January 18). For some reason, we seem to take our Moon for granted, after all, it’s been there since the dawn of our Earth. We’ve spent centuries using it to study our universe and tried to make one giant step for mankind. “Our Moon” talks about how it influenced and transformed life as we know it, sparked changes, and holds the ability to provide us with more answers.
• Survivors: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade by Hannah Durkin (January 18). This is an immersive and enlightening account of the survivors of the Clotilda, the final vessel involved in the Atlantic slave trade, whose life journeys intertwined and diverged in profound and meaningful ways. Read about the lasting legacy of the Clotilda in our review.

Our review: Hannah Durkin: the Clotilda slave ship and its lasting legacy

• Filterworld by Kyle Chayka (January 23). We won’t be escaping books about tech any time soon, and “Filterworld” takes us on an uncomfortable journey of algorithms and how they seep into our culture. He asks: is personal freedom ever again possible on the Internet?
• Gathering: Women Of Colour On Nature edited by Durre Shahwar & Nasia Sarwar-Skuse (February 15). These personal, imaginative, and fiercely written essays will expand the scope of discussions and horizons regarding our living world, inspiring readers to reflect on their own encounters with nature and their role within it.

Read: Top nonfiction books we read in 2023: 26 mini reviews of our favourites

• Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg (February 22). Supercommunicators are the people who can steer a conversation to a successful conclusion. In this book, Duhigg unravels their secrets to reveal the art and the science of successful communication through case studies and cutting-edge research.
• Splinters by Leslie Jamison (February 22). Jamison dissects the jagged terrain of post-divorce life, weaving motherhood’s fierce joys with love’s fractured edges. Her sharp prose navigates art, longing, and self-invention, illuminating the splintered beauty of rebuilding a woman’s world.
• Languishing by Dr Corey Keyes (February 22). Keyes, unmasks a hidden state between happiness and depression: stagnant dissatisfaction. A zone of emptiness, devoid of meaning or purpose, where life feels flat and directionless. Keyes argues this widespread malaise, though not clinical illness, erodes well-being and sparks a call for proactive mental health beyond mere symptom-fighting.
• Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley (February 27). Witty and raw, Crosley grapples with the loss of her best friend to suicide, weaving in a parallel mystery of stolen family heirlooms. Grief becomes a detective story, searching for meaning amid heartache, humour, and the messy beauty of living on.
• The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul (March 5). This intimate memoir peeks behind the curtain, revealing a childhood marked by poverty, strained family dynamics, and navigating a world that didn’t understand his queerness. Yet, from these struggles blossoms an icon.

Read: Are memoirs still important? Top books and why we love them

• You Get What You Pay For by Morgan Parker (March 12). In “You Get What You Pay For,” a Black woman’s journey through therapy becomes a lens to dissect America’s racial complexities. It’s a tapestry of personal anecdotes, sharp cultural critiques, and introspective musings, woven with wit and vulnerability. Imagine Serena Williams dissected alongside anxieties of Black womanhood, Bill Cosby’s fall as a metaphor for shattered trust, and all laced with the intimacy of a therapist’s couch.
• Who’s Afraid of Gender? by Judith Butler (March 19). Butler tackles the weaponization of the term “gender” by rising right-wing and exclusionary feminist movements. She argues that these groups, fuelled by anxieties and a desire to maintain power structures, demonise the concept and use it to scapegoat marginalised communities like trans and queer people.
• There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib (March 26). A lyrical slam-dunk through 90s Columbus, Ohio. Abdurraqib’s love affair with basketball becomes a lens on race, legacy, and chasing elusive dreams, like watching LeBron rise while yearning for your own unachieved shot. It’s a bittersweet ode to hometown heroes, missed baskets, and the eternal, flickering hope of “next year.”
• Somehow: Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott (April 11). Lamott explores the transformative power that love has in our lives: how it surprises us, forces us to confront uncomfortable truths, reminds us of our humanity and guides us forward.
• Sociopath by Patric Gagne (April 11). This memoir is a captivating story that seamlessly brings together a life lived on the fringes of the law, a redemptive love story, and a poignant depiction of one woman’s struggle to carve out a space for herself and the 5% of the population who, like her, are sociopaths.

Read: Publishing Wrapped: notable book industry moments of 2023

• Knife by Salman Rushdie (April 16). In a remarkable and unforgettable account, Rushdie, for the first time, shares the harrowing events of August 12, 2022. He demonstrates how, in the face of violence, art becomes his response, showcasing the enduring strength of words in helping us comprehend the unimaginable.
• Disability Intimacy edited by Alice Wong (April 24). This new anthology by the formidable activist looks at how people with disabilities experience, sex, love, closeness, as well as caregiving.
• The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (April 30). Larson’s latest plunges you into the electrifying five months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the Civil War’s first shots. Through vivid portraits of key figures from Lincoln to hotheaded Southerners, Larson illuminates the tragic miscalculations, personal dramas, and simmering rage that ignited a nation.
• The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing (May 2). Through history, art, and literature, Laing meditates on gardens as sanctuaries, battlegrounds, and hopeful visions of a shared future. From Milton’s Eden to Derek Jarman’s defiant seaside plot, the book delves into the beauty and burden of seeking earthly paradise.
• With Love, Grief and Fury by Salena Godden (May 2). The brilliant poet returns with a collection poems, for people and the planet – all with a massive dollop of honesty.
• Like Love by Maggie Nelson (May 23). Another book on love – what does this say about the times? A genre-bending exploration of the mysteries of attraction, obsession, and the boundaries of self, “Like Love” mixes personal essays, literary criticism, and philosophical inquiry into a melding pot as vibrant and enigmatic as love itself.

As you can imagine, this list is not exhaustive, as there are many books yet to be announced. Therefore, we will continually update this list as we discover noteworthy works. Happy reading!

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