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Historical Nonfiction: 30 of the Best Books in the Genre

The following books are some of the best books in the genre. But I've divided them into categories to make it even easier to find your next favorite historical nonfiction read. Choose your poison: general historical nonfiction, historical biographies, historical memoirs, microhistories, historical graphic novels, or even historical true crime.
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Midnight in Chernobyl (Adam Higginbotham)
Midnight in Chernobyl
1
Adam Higginbotham
Black and British: A Forgotten History (David Olusoga)
Black and British: A Forgotten History
2
David Olusoga
American Rebels (Nina Sankovitch)
American Rebels
3
Nina Sankovitch
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World (Jack Weatherford)
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
4
Jack Weatherford
Square Haunting (Francesca Wade)
Square Haunting
5
Francesca Wade
Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (Ibram X. Kendi)
Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
6
Ibram X. Kendi
For All Humankind (Tanya Harrison and Danny Bernard)
For All Humankind
7
Tanya Harrison and Danny Bernard
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments (Saidiya Hartman)
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments
8
Saidiya Hartman
Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution (Helen Zia)
Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution
9
Helen Zia
Rivers of Power (Laurence C.Smith)
Rivers of Power
10
Laurence C.Smith
You Never Forget Your First (Alexis Coe)
You Never Forget Your First
11
Alexis Coe
Butch Cassidy: The True Story of an American Outlaw (Charles Leerhsen)
Butch Cassidy: The True Story of an American Outlaw
12
Charles Leerhsen
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States (Sarah Vowell)
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
13
Sarah Vowell
Parting the Waters (Taylor Branch)
Parting the Waters
14
Taylor Branch
1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare (James Shapiro)
1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare
15
James Shapiro
Driving While Black: African American Travel & the Road to Civil Rights (Gretchen Sorin)
Driving While Black: African American Travel & the Road to Civil Rights
16
Gretchen Sorin
My Vanishing Country: A Memoir (Bakari Sellers)
My Vanishing Country: A Memoir
17
Bakari Sellers
The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family (Bettye Kearse)
The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family
18
Bettye Kearse
The Woman Warrior (Maxine Hong Kingston)
The Woman Warrior
19
Maxine Hong Kingston
Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage (Stephanie Coontz)
Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage
20
Stephanie Coontz
Heaven and Hell : A History of the Afterlife (Bart D. Ehrman)
Heaven and Hell : A History of the Afterlife
21
Bart D. Ehrman
The Black Death: A Personal History (John Hatcher)
The Black Death: A Personal History
22
John Hatcher
Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. (John C. Jeffries Jr.)
Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
23
John C. Jeffries Jr.
Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb (Jonathan Fetter-Vorm)
Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb
24
Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
The Golden Thread: the Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjoeldl (Ravi Somaiya)
The Golden Thread: the Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjoeldl
25
Ravi Somaiya
The Trial of Lizzie Borden (Cara Robertson)
The Trial of Lizzie Borden
26
Cara Robertson
Truevine (Beth Macy)
Truevine
27
Beth Macy
England's Other Countrymen: Blackness in Tudor Society (Onyeka Nubia)
England's Other Countrymen: Blackness in Tudor Society
28
Onyeka Nubia
American Sherlock (Kate Winkler Dawson)
American Sherlock
29
Kate Winkler Dawson
The Plaza (Julie Satow)
The Plaza
30
Julie Satow
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