Nonfiction Best Sellers

Nonfiction Best Sellers: Week of June 18, 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. THEFT BY FINDING by David Sedaris. Excerpts from the writer’s diaries, 1977-2002.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. THE AMERICAN SPIRIT by David McCullough. A collection of speeches by the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, focused on American values.
  7. THE VANISHING AMERICAN ADULT by Ben Sasse. The Nebraska senator’s advice on how to raise resilient, responsible children.
  8. 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.
  9. SHATTERED by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes. An examination of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
  10. BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah. A memoir about growing up biracial in apartheid South Africa by the comedian, now the host of “The Daily Show.”
  11. CHURCHILL AND ORWELL by Thomas E. Ricks. A dual biography of two independent thinkers.
  12. THE BOOK OF JOY by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams. Two spiritual leaders discuss how to find joy in the face of suffering.
  13. THE OPERATOR by Robert O'Neill. The 400-mission career of a SEAL Team operator.
  14. BLACK PRIVILEGE by Charlamagne Tha God. The radio personality presents his life story and offers advice for success.
  15. WRITTEN OUT OF HISTORY by Mike Lee. Early Americans who warned against a central government, by the Republican senator from Utah. 

 Excerpted from The New York Times Best Seller lists