Nonfiction Book Gifts for Lifelong Learners

In 2024, award-winning reporters Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf bring us the definitive, inside story of the most tumultuous and consequential presidential campaign in our history. Gripping, revelatory, and deeply reported, 2024 is the shocking inside story of the election that tested American democracy and would go on to shape the future of the free world.

The beloved author of Lighter offers a blueprint for deepening your compassion, kindness, and gratitude so you can truly grow in harmony with another person and build stronger connections in all your relationships.

In November 1999, Joan Didion began seeing a psychiatrist because, as she wrote to a friend, her family had had “a rough few years.” She described the sessions in a journal she created for her husband, John Gregory Dunne. Didion’s journal was crafted with the singular intelligence, precision, and elegance that characterize all of her writing. It is an intimate account that reveals sides of her that were unknown, but the voice is unmistakably hers — questioning, courageous, and clear in the face of a wrenchingly painful journey.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and beloved former Today co-host Hoda Kotb comes her most personal, ambitious book yet — a guide to dealing with change and upheaval, even (and perhaps especially) when it’s unexpected.

In this much-anticipated final installment in the Stoic Virtues series, Ryan Holiday makes the case for the virtue on which all other virtues depend. Drawing on fascinating stories of the ancient and modern figures alike, Holiday teaches us how to listen more than we talk, to think with nuance, to ruthlessly question our own beliefs, and to develop a method of self-education. An absence of curiosity and prudence is a catastrophe for all of us, argues Holiday. This incredibly timely book both diagnoses the greatest problem of our current moment and offers solutions for the way forward. Wisdom is work — but it’s worth it.

From New Yorker writer Michael Luo comes a masterful narrative history of the Chinese in America that traces the sorrowful theme of exclusion and documents their more than century-long struggle to belong. Drawing on archives from across the country, Strangers in the Land is revelatory and unforgettable, an essential American story.

A guide to the art of journaling — and a meditation on the central questions of life — by the bestselling author of Between Two Kingdoms, with contributions from Hanif Abdurraqib, Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem, George Saunders, and many more. Whether you’re a lifelong journaler or new to the practice, this book gives you the tools, direction, and encouragement to engage with discomfort, ask questions, peel back the layers, dream daringly, and uncover your truest self.

From the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings: An intimate work on the mysteries, frustrations, and triumphs of being a writer, and an instructive guide to awakening the soul.

In Retribution, Jonathan Karl’s unparalleled access brings us behind closed doors deep inside the White House and presidential campaigns, revealing the extraordinary moments that ended one man’s presidency and brought another back to power. From President Biden’s shocking withdrawal and Vice President Harris’s historic run, to the multiple assassination attempts on President Trump, his election, and the changes he has brought to every corner of the country, this book reveals in surprising new detail how we got here, and what we can expect from American politics in the years to come.

The legendary sportswriter and the Hall of Fame, eleven-time NBA champion coach separate the music from the noise in the stories of the greatest who ever played and their impact on the game. Their spirit — sharp, wise, irreverent, honest, respectful of the lore and legacy of the game but never pious — and the clash of their different perspectives combine to make this book a joyous ride, a short course in greatness open to all students.

From one of our foremost psychologists, a trailblazing book that turns the idea of a good life on its head and urges us to embrace the transformative power of variety and experience. In this wise and delightful book, Oishi shows how anyone at any age can build a fuller, more authentic life.

A powerful, incisive reckoning with the impacts of school desegregation that traces four generations of the author’s family to show how the implementation of integration decimated Black school systems and did much of the Black community a disservice. Rooks’s deft hand turns the story of integration’s past and future on its head, and shows how we may better understand and support generations of students to come.

From the bestselling author and MSNBC and podcast host, a powerful wide-angle reckoning with how the assault from attention capitalism on our minds and our hearts has reordered our politics and the very fabric of our society. The Sirens’ Call is the book that snaps everything into a single holistic framework so that we can wrest back control of our lives, our politics, and our future.

From a brilliant longtime AI insider with intimate access to the world of Sam Altman’s OpenAI from the beginning, an eye-opening account of arguably the most fateful tech arms race in history, reshaping the planet in real time, from the cockpit of the company that is driving the frenzy.

From the founder of Wikipedia, a sweeping reflection on the global crisis of credibility and knowledge, revealing “the rules of trust” that transformed Wikipedia from a scrappy experiment into a global utility used by billions of people — and how those rules can help others build things that last.

From one of the definitive journalists of this era — acclaimed historian, Pulitzer finalist, staff writer at The New Yorker, and dean of Columbia Journalism School — comes a kaleidoscopic, real-time portrait of our last turbulent decade. Through a stunning melange of narrative journalism, criticism, and penetrating profiles, Cobb captures the crises, characters, movements, and art of an era — and helps readers understand what might be coming next.

From the bestselling author of Too Big to Fail, “the definitive history of the 2008 banking crisis” (The Atlantic Monthly), comes a spellbinding narrative of the most infamous stock market crash in history. With the depth of a classic history and the drama of a thriller, 1929 unravels the greed, blind optimism, and human folly that led to an era-defining collapse — one with ripple effects that still shape our society today.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown returns with an urgent call to reimagine the essentials of courageous leadership. In a time when uncertainty runs deep and bluster, hubris, and even cruelty are increasingly framed as acceptable leadership, Brown delivers practical, actionable insights that illuminate the mindsets and skill sets essential to reclaiming focus and driving growth through connection, discipline, and accountability.

An instant New York Times bestseller, this is the electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at sea: A mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits. Taut, propulsive, and dazzling, A Marriage at Sea pairs an adrenaline-fueled high seas adventure with a gutting love story that asks why we love difficult people, and who we become under the most extreme conditions imaginable.

From two of America’s most respected journalists comes an unflinching and explosive reckoning with one of the most fateful decisions in American political history: Joe Biden’s run for reelection despite evidence of his serious decline — amid desperate efforts to hide the extent of that deterioration. Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, Original Sin is essential reading.

The award-winning authors and podcasters Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle created We Can Do Hard Things — the guidebook for being alive — to help fellow travelers find their way through life.

No matter who you’re talking to, The Next Conversation gives you immediately actionable strategies and phrases that will forever change how you communicate. Jefferson Fisher, trial lawyer and one of the leading voices on real-world communication, offers a tried-and-true framework that will show you how to transform your life and your relationships by improving your next conversation. Your every word matters, and by controlling how you communicate every day, you will create waves of positive impact that will resonate throughout your relationships to last a lifetime.

From the award-winning historian and filmmakers of The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The Roosevelts, and others: A richly illustrated, human-centered history of America’s founding struggle — expanding on the landmark, six-part PBS series to be aired in November 2025.

From the author of the landmark bestseller Lawrence in Arabia comes a stunningly revelatory narrative history of the Iranian Revolution, one of the most momentous events in modern times. This groundbreaking work exposes the jaw-dropping stupidity of the American government and traces the rise of religious nationalism, offering essential insights into today’s global unrest.

The government is a vast, complex system that Americans pay for, rebel against, rely upon, dismiss, and celebrate. It’s also our shared resource for addressing the biggest problems of society. And it’s made up of people, mostly unrecognized and uncelebrated, doing work that can be deeply consequential and beneficial to everyone. This urgent and absorbing civics lesson from an all-star team of writers and storytellers shows how the essential business of government makes our lives possible, and how much it matters.

A profound and unparalleled literary voice, Zadie Smith returns with a resounding collection of essays. In this eagerly awaited new collection, Smith brings her unique skills as an essayist to bear on a range of subjects that have captured her attention in recent years. Throughout this thrilling collection, Smith shows us once again her unrivalled ability to think through critically and humanely some of the most urgent preoccupations and tendencies of our troubled times.

From the Palantir co-founder, one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025, and his deputy, a critically-acclaimed and sweeping indictment of the West’s culture of complacency, arguing that timid leadership, intellectual fragility, and an unambitious view of technology’s potential in Silicon Valley have made the U.S. vulnerable in an era of mounting global threats.

A stunning behind-the-scenes look into Alicia Keys’s hit Broadway musical, Hell’s Kitchen, featuring never-before-seen photographs, exclusive interviews, and insights from Keys herself.

John Green, acclaimed author and passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest infectious disease.

We all want a healthy and happy personal life, financial security, and to do meaningful work. But how do we do all these things, especially in today’s divisive times? In Lead Like You Mean It, Laysha Ward draws on her storied career as one of the nation’s top Black female C-suite executives to show readers the answer: Leading with meaning. As you learn to focus on self-care and total well-being, navigate the highs and lows of life and career, and shape a legacy that leaves people and things better off than you found them, you’ll discover that leading with meaning — at any age — is the key to a well-lived life.

A revolutionary playbook for building generational wealth, no matter where you grew up — from the founders of the explosively popular podcast and financial literacy platform Earn Your Leisure.

Beautifully illustrated with more than 200 photographs, including never-before-seen images, The Look is a stunning journey through Michelle Obama’s style evolution, in her own words for the first time. In The Look, Michelle Obama explores the joy and purpose of fashion and beauty and how — when wielded with grace and care — they can uplift and affirm the values one holds most dear. Confidence, she concludes, cannot be put on. But when you’re wearing something that’s intentional or beloved, clothing can make you feel like the best version of yourself.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Prairie Fires comes a terrifying true-crime history of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond — a gripping investigation of how a new strain of psychopath emerged out of a toxic landscape of deadly industrial violence.

Senator Bernie Sanders breaks down the unprecedented crises we face today in Trump’s America, as Trump undermines democracy at every turn — and how we can effectively fight back. With relentless optimism and focused energy, Sanders reminds readers that true power rests with the people — and he presents a path forward to a reinvigorated democracy.

“This book will transform the way you see this country.” —Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow. If all children could just get an education, the logic goes, they would have the same opportunities later in life. But this historical tour de force makes it clear that the opposite is true: The U.S. school system has played an instrumental role in creating and upholding racial hierarchies, preparing children to expect unequal treatment throughout their lives.