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THE 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2020 • NONFICTION
150 Glimpses
of the Beatles
CRAIG BROWN
Dozens of books
about the Beatles
are released every
decade, but this
one—which weaves
oral histories, rote
facts, dubious myths
and Brown’s own
stories—should
interest novices and
experts alike.
Can’t Even
ANNE HELEN
PETERSEN
Petersen expands
her viral essay on
millennial burnout
in this book, which
serves as an
essential balm
for young people
blaming themselves
for economic
circumstances
beyond their control.Golden Gates
CONOR DOUGHERTY
How can a city with
so much prosperity
see so many citizens
struggle with
homelessness? That
is what Dougherty
seeks to answer in
his striking book
about the history and
politics of the dire
housing shortage in
San Francisco.Begin Again
EDDIE S.
GLAUDE JR.
In this powerful study,
Princeton professor
Glaude traces
James Baldwin’s
complicated journey
to understand racism
in the U.S., and to
wrestle with the
hope and despair
of the civil rights
movement.
Conditional
Citizens
LAILA LALAMI
What does it mean
to be an American
citizen? In striking
prose, Lalami
explores the U.S.
history of questioning
who belongs,
revealing the gap
between the dream
and the reality of
American life.Hidden
Valley Road
ROBERT KOLKER
Crime journalist
Kolker’s best seller—
about a seemingly
picture-perfect
American family in
the 1960s—deftly
depicts mental
illness and violence
as it interrogates
the nature of
schizophrenia.Brown Album
POROCHISTA
KHAKPOUR
In this collection of
essays, Khakpour
uses sharp
observations and
biting wit to delve
into what it means
to be Iranian,
Middle Eastern,
an immigrant, a
woman and, yes,
brown in America.Entangled Life
MERLIN
SHELDRAKE
Sheldrake’s
wondrous tour of
fungi is eye-opening
and full of details
on why humans
should consider
these diverse and
extraordinary life
forms among the
greatest of earth’s
marvels.Culture Warlords
TALIA LAVIN
Lavin, a proudly
leftist journalist,
posed as an
“incel”—an
involuntarily celibate
man—in a chat room
rife with misogyny
for this book, a
withering exposé
of what extremists
say when they think
they’re alone.The Address Book
DEIRDRE MASK
Why do we have
addresses? The
question is at the
center of Mask’s
book, which
examines the
origins of street
names around the
world and takes a
damning look at the
intersection of place,
power and identity.
The End of
White Politics
ZERLINA MAXWELL
Maxwell’s witty,
piercing book
addresses everything
from “Bernie bros”
to the influence
of billionaires as
she argues that
Democrats’ failures
are rooted in their
unending focus on
whiteness.The Book of Eels
PATRIK SVENSSON
For centuries, eels
have baffled the
world’s greatest
minds: no scientist
has seen them
procreate or give
birth. Svensson
mines scientific
history and explains
his personal
fascination with the
creatures.Nerve
EVA HOLLAND
In her deep study
of fear, Holland
interviews
scientists
seeking solutions,
considers an
interesting form
of therapy, speaks
with people
who have a rare
immunity to the
emotion and
challenges her
own terrors.The Splendid
and the Vile
ERIK LARSON
Larson tells the
story of London
facing the Blitz
during World War II
through Winston
Churchill, his family
and his advisers.
It’s an indelible
portrait of a nation
coming together in
crisis under wise
and empathetic
leadership.