Top 5 Wednesday

Hi bookish fans!

Today’s Top 5 Wednesday is: Hidden Gems in Your Favorite Genre “What are some of your favorite books in your favorite genre that don’t get a lot of hype?”.

I thought this would be a difficult topic, but as I’m lying here on my bed staring at one of my bookshelves I realized I’ve read a lot of a certain genre that rarely gets read or discussed: Nonfiction. So, this list will be my top 5 nonfiction books that don’t get read by nearly enough people! Pick one of these up!!

1. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
–> I had to read this for a class last fall and I fell so in love with it I listened to it on audiobook (amazing, by the way) and then re-read the physical book to enjoy the pictures that went with the story. I LOVED this book. 10/10!

2. Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead by Christian Picciolini
–> I also read this for a class last year and was worried I would find it boring, though, I actually ended up loving it and I still think of its contents often. There are hard parts in here to stomach, though, just from a personal viewpoint.

3.Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
–> I picked this up at random in high school in the library thinking I’d “give it a shot”. Though, I ended up not only enjoying it but finding it has stuck with me for years and years since leaving high school. The topic of female genital mutilation left a lifelong topic for my brain to dwell on and remember – Waris’ story is absolutely fantastic.

4. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
–> This is yet another sad story that somehow ends with a positive outlook despite the unimaginable things that happen in this girl’s life. I learned about Cambodian genocide which I hadn’t known was a reality until picking this up.

5. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
–> Many people were asked to read this in school (at least, back when I was in school in what seems like 8,000 years ago). I read it several times and like some of the other nonfiction stories I’ve read it was difficult to get through at times. Another story that has never left my mind or heart.

I am clearly obsessed with history (what I am going to school for) and books such as the ones mentioned above bring me a sense of the world I cannot get simply from existing here on my bed. I have learned unimaginable tragedies and faces of hope in dark places of the world. My bookshelf currently has over 15 other nonfiction reads waiting to be picked up. They are the ones I usually glance at first when looking for something to read next.

» Has anyone read any of these OR have any of you read an amazing historical nonfiction story that you’d recommend? I’m 100% about those recommendations in this area of reading and would love to hear if anyone has one or two ideas! «

♥♥