Nonfiction Best Sellers

Nonfiction Best Sellers: Week of August 20, 2017


  1. AL FRANKEN, GIANT OF THE SENATE by Al Franken. A memoir by the Democratic senator from Minnesota and former “Saturday Night Live” writer and performer.
  2. ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY by Neil deGrasse Tyson. A straightforward, easy-to-understand introduction to the universe and the forces and laws that govern it.
  3. HILLBILLY ELEGY, by J. D. Vance. A Yale Law School graduate looks at the struggles of America's white working class through his own childhood in the Rust Belt.

  4. CONSCIENCE OF A CONSERVATIVE by Jeff Flake. The Arizona senator defends traditional conservative values, says the movement has lost its way and calls for a return to principle.

  5. DEVIL'S BARGAIN by Joshua Green. A deeply reported account of the relationship between Donald Trump and his chief strategist.

  6. OPTION B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant. Sandberg’s experience after her husband’s sudden death and Grant’s psychological research combine to provide insight on facing adversity and building resilience.

  7. THE BIG LIE by Dinesh D'Souza. The conservative commentator argues that the American left is a fascist threat.

  8. REDISCOVERING AMERICANISM by Mark R. Levin. The radio host argues that the founding fathers would be shocked by the expansion of modern government.

  9. UNDERSTANDING TRUMP by Newt Gingrich. The former House speaker explains the president’s philosophy and political agenda.

  10. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by David Grann. The story of a murder spree in 1920s Oklahoma that targeted Osage Indians, whose lands contained oil. The fledgling F.B.I. intervened, ineffectively.

  11. BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates. A meditation on race in America.

  12. WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR by Paul Kalanithi. A memoir by a physician who received a diagnosis of Stage IV lung cancer at the age of 36.

  13. DANGEROUS by Milo Yiannopoulos. The alt-right provocateur criticizes political correctness.

  14. GRIT by Angela Duckworth. A psychologist says passion and perseverance are the keys to success.

  15. I CAN'T MAKE THIS UP by Kevin Hart with Neil Strauss. The comedian’s personal and professional life.

Excerpted from The New York Times Best Seller lists