The Real Story: A Guide to Nonfiction Reading Interests

Nine of the best-selling books of all time are nonfiction, and countless readers turn to nonfiction when reading for pleasure today. Yet little has been done to classify nonfiction titles according to reading tastes. This is especially true in the library, where subject arrangements geared to information-seeking and scholarly research ignore the important characteristics and appeal features that readers seek out when reading for pleasure. It’s no surprise, then, that in recent years, nonfiction readers’ advisory has become one of the hottest topics with readers’ advisors. This groundbreaking guide offers readers and professionals who work with them a much-needed road map to the vast and previously uncharted (in terms of RA) terrain of recreational nonfiction. After defining the genre (often also referred to as creative nonfiction, verite, or true stories), and discussing its unique characteristics and appeals, the author classifies and describes more than 500 titles popular with nonfiction readers--everything from true adventure, true crime, and travel narratives to investigative nonfiction, environmental writing, and life stories. Focus is on the best titles published within the last decade, with key classics and benchmark titles also cited. Chapters are subdivided into subgenres and popular themes. For each title you’ll find a short list of nonfiction read-alikes.

Sarah Statz Cords works at the reference and circulation desks at Madison Public Library, Alicia Ashman Branch, Wisconsin and teaches Reading Interests of Adults at the School of Library and Information Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is also a book reviewer for Bookslut.com, as well as the creator of www.storiesthataretrue.com, a Web site devoted to nonfiction book reviews and booklists. She previously worked as a Reference and Instruction academic librarian at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and she is the author of Public Speaking Handbook for Librarians and Information Professionals (2003).

Robert Burgin is Professor at North Carolina Central University’s School of Library and Information Sciences. He has published numerous articles, is editor of Nonfiction Readers’ Advisory (Libraries Unlimited, 2004) and co-editor of The Readers’ Advisor’s Companion (Libraries Unlimited, 2002). He is currently Vice-President/President-Elect of the North Carolina Library Association.