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Short Nonfiction Books You Can Read in a Day or Two

Nonfiction does not have to be long to be important. In fact, many of the titles I've listed below are the absolute best nonfiction books I've ever read. All of the books (except one) are under 300 pages, and the books closer to the 300 page mark are so absorbing and fast-paced they can be read in a single sitting. I've also included graphic memoirs and other graphic nonfiction that can be read quickly. Nonfiction can be just as fun as fiction as long as you find a subject that interests you, and don't feel bogged down by an endless number of pages.
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Africa's Tarnished Name (Achebe)
Africa's Tarnished Name
1
Achebe
Ain't I a Woman (Bell Hooks)
Ain't I a Woman
2
Bell Hooks
America (Jean Baudrillard)
America
3
Jean Baudrillard
Arbitrary Stupid Goal (Tamara Shopsin)
Arbitrary Stupid Goal
4
Tamara Shopsin
The Architecture of Happiness (De Botton)
The Architecture of Happiness
5
De Botton
The Art of Always Being Right (A C Grayling)
The Art of Always Being Right
6
A C Grayling
The Art of War (Sun Tzu)
The Art of War
7
Sun Tzu
The Beast (Oscar Martinez)
The Beast
8
Oscar Martinez
The Beekeeper (Dunya Mikhail)
The Beekeeper
9
Dunya Mikhail
Belonging (Nora Krug)
Belonging
10
Nora Krug
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Between the World and Me
11
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Beyond Good and Evil (Friedrich Nietzsche)
Beyond Good and Evil
12
Friedrich Nietzsche
Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott)
Bird by Bird
13
Anne Lamott
Birds Art Life Death (Kyo MacLear)
Birds Art Life Death
14
Kyo MacLear
Black Skin, White Masks (Frantz Fanon)
Black Skin, White Masks
15
Frantz Fanon
A Brief History of Time (Stephen Hawking)
A Brief History of Time
16
Stephen Hawking
Can You Tolerate This? (Ashleigh Young)
Can You Tolerate This?
17
Ashleigh Young
The Character of Physical Law (Richard Feynman)
The Character of Physical Law
18
Richard Feynman
The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings & Islamic Militancy in Nigeria (Helon Habila)
The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings & Islamic Militancy in Nigeria
19
Helon Habila
Civilization and Its Discontents (Sigmund Freud)
Civilization and Its Discontents
20
Sigmund Freud
Cockroaches (Scholastique Mukasonga)
Cockroaches
21
Scholastique Mukasonga
Common Sense (Thomas Paine)
Common Sense
22
Thomas Paine
The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels)
The Communist Manifesto
23
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
The Conquest of Bread (Peter Kropotkin)
The Conquest of Bread
24
Peter Kropotkin
The Cost of Living (Deborah Levy)
The Cost of Living
25
Deborah Levy
Crapalachia (Scott McClanahan)
Crapalachia
26
Scott McClanahan
Days of Reading (Marcel Proust)
Days of Reading
27
Marcel Proust
The Descent of Man (Grayson Perry)
The Descent of Man
28
Grayson Perry
Difficult Women (David Plante)
Difficult Women
29
David Plante
Discourse on Inequality (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)
Discourse on Inequality
30
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Doors of Perception (Aldous Huxley)
The Doors of Perception
31
Aldous Huxley
The Double Helix
The Double Helix
32
Endurance (Alfred Lansing)
Endurance
33
Alfred Lansing
The Ethics of Ambiguity (Simone De Beauvoir)
The Ethics of Ambiguity
34
Simone De Beauvoir
Everything Lost Is Found Again (Will McGrath)
Everything Lost Is Found Again
35
Will McGrath
Existentialism Is a Humanism
Existentialism Is a Humanism
36
Experience and Education (John Dewey)
Experience and Education
37
John Dewey
Fear and Trembling (Soren Kierkegaard)
Fear and Trembling
38
Soren Kierkegaard
The Fire Next Time (James Baldwin)
The Fire Next Time
39
James Baldwin
First They Killed My Father (Loung Ung)
First They Killed My Father
40
Loung Ung
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