Best Non-Fiction book you've read?

the west wing

gaf1983 wrote: »

"Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar" - Simon Sebag Montefiore - gripping account of what life was like for the family, friends and associates of Stalin during his reign of tyranny, a fascinating insight into his what made him tick.

This is my one of my favourite books of all time! It really was an in-depth insight into his personal and professional life. I couldn't put the book down. It should be mandatory reading for anyone with an interest in Russia during Stalin's reign.

Ken.

A walk in alien corn -lar redmond
I read it 15 years ago and loaned it to someone. Would love to read it again.
Its a story of an irish guy going to work in england during the war.

patff

The Executioners Song by Norman Mailer. Mailer recounts the sordid life of murderer Gary Gilmore, and in particular his trial and execution. Written in two parts, the first examines "small town" America and its shaping of the killer. The second part, looks at the ability of the media in america to make a "star" out of just about anybody. Written in the 1970's but still relevant.

The Fight by Norman Mailer. Fabulous depiction of the "rumble in the jungle".

Ciaran_B

You Got Nothing Coming by Jimmy Lerner

The story of a middle-class white guy who ends up doing 12 years in the federal pen. It's funny, sad and kind of uplifiting at the same time. A lot of it has been disputed by the man since the author died but it's a fine read.

connor2nz

Enkidu wrote: »

Mother Tongue is an awful book in my opinion. It's full of gross factual errors, urban myths and exaggerations. It's as if he wrote down a bunch of half remembered "facts" he heard from other people. A much better book on linguistics is Nicholas Ostler's Empires of the Word.

Another excellent linguistics book is Bad Language by Lars Anderrson and Peter Trudgill. It's an excellent support of dialects in language and how they should be cherished.

dr gonzo

Bobby42 wrote: »

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon.

I just could not put that book down.

Is this one better then "The Corner"?

Paddy Samurai

By David Simon

crummymummy

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

By David Simon

Is this by an ex-cop or something? (Homicide)

Cavehill Red

The Great War for Civilisation by Robert Fisk.

It's nearly 1000 pages long, incredibly detailed and fully annotated, yet not one page is boring, turgid or superfluous.

A full and gripping explanation by the world's best reporter (and a history doctorate holder from TCD) on why the Middle East is as it is, and the full extent and responsibility the West holds for making it that way.

SuperInfinity

crummymummy wrote: »

Is this by an ex-cop or something? (Homicide)

It's by journalist David Simon. It's one of the most famous non-fiction books of all time. He even made tv series about it and wrote more books... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Simon I somehow haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

Cavehill Red wrote: »

The Great War for Civilisation by Robert Fisk.

It's nearly 1000 pages long, incredibly detailed and fully annotated, yet not one page is boring, turgid or superfluous.

A full and gripping explanation by the world's best reporter (and a history doctorate holder from TCD) on why the Middle East is as it is, and the full extent and responsibility the West holds for making it that way.

My paperback version is 1288 pages long (not counting index/bibliography) and personally I think parts of it are superfluous. I found parts of it to be prose and stories, not that that's always a bad thing but I do think this is too long.

Cavehill Red

SuperInfinity wrote: »

My paperback version is 1288 pages long (not counting index/bibliography) and personally I think parts of it are superfluous. I found parts of it to be prose and stories, not that that's always a bad thing but I do think this is too long.

He's a journalist first and a historian second. Personally, I found the recounting of the many stories he himself has covered in this arena to be of immeasurable benefit to the book as a history.
Sure, it's a long book. I did say that. But personally, I was thankful that it was so authoritative and comprehensive in its approach. It's a definite classic.

JamJamJamJam

I don't read a whole load (and I should - *ashamed*) but one book I could not stop reading was A Brief History of Time. It's so thought-inspiring! Then again, I'm a dork

George83

Rebels by Peter de Rosa.

Andre80Johnson

I'm not much into books but been reading Herzog on Herzog and Star, The Life & Wild Times of Warren Beatty both such an amazing read. I enjoyed Herzog more, a fascinating mind.