Readers who think nonfiction is difficult to read or not very entertaining are in for a surprise. These nonfiction books are as captivating as they are informative and they’re available to borrow from the Lititz Public Library.
The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine Weiiss
An inspiring story begins in August 1920, when just one last state is needed to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment granting the vote to women.
Two Sisters: A Father, His Daughters and Their Journey into the Syrian Jihad by Asne Seierstad
Somali immigrants, raising a family in Norway, discover their teenage daughters have vanished and are bound for Syria to aid the Islamic State.
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and People Temple by Jeff Guinn
A northern California minister, who preached a curious blend of the gospel and Marxism, decided to move his congregation to a settlement in the jungles of South America, where more than nine hundred people died after being ordered to swallow a cyanide-laced drink.
Lucky 666: The Impossible Mission by Bob Drury
In 1943, a small contingent of US Army Airmen on Papua New Guinea volunteered for a 1,200-mile suicide mission into the Japanese Empire and, flying a rebuilt a dilapidated B-17 bomber, they engaged in the longest dogfight in history.
The Lost Tudor Princess: The Life of Lady Margaret Douglas by Alison Weir
Lady-in-waiting to four of Henry VIII’s six wives, the Countess of Lennox helped orchestrate the notorious marriage between her son, Lord Darnley, and Mary, Queen of Scots.
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City’s Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case that Captivated a Nation by Brad Ricca
A detective and lawyer turned her back on society life to fight crime and, after following a trail that led from New York to Italy, solved the cold case of a missing girl.
From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein
In 2012, working five part-time jobs and just scraping by, the author found a post on Craigslist that landed her in the Oval Office as one of Barack Obama’s stenographers.
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya
In 1994, the author and her sister fled the Rwandan massacre, spending the next six years migrating through Africa in search of safety and eventually moving to the US where their lives dramatically diverged.
Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of the Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
A member of Washington’s household, twenty-two-year-old Ona Judge glimpsed freedom first-hand in Philadelphia and, leaving everything she knew, escaped to New England, becoming the subject of an intense manhunt.
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Anne Boyd Rioux
Published in 1868, Little Women includes relatable themes and depictions of family resilience, community, and female resourcefulness that have inspired generations of writers.
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
Four months after his election, a deranged office-seeker tracked James A. Garfield down and shot him in the back, shattering a country recently fractured by civil war and leaving the president as the object of a bitter behind-the-scenes struggle for power.
Rise: How a House Built a Family by Cara Brookins
Escaping an abusive marriage with her four children, the author built her own house using YouTube instructional videos and a small bank loan.
The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber
In 2003, a celebrated caregiver was arrested in the deaths of as many as 300 patients in nine hospitals over sixteen years.
Educated by Tara Westover
A young girl, who never set foot in a school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University.
April 12, 2019