Largehearted Boy: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2020

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December 3, 2020

Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2020

Largehearted Boy's Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2020

Nonfiction surprised me more than any other genre this year. Writers of memoir, essays, and other nonfiction are exploding their forms in inventive and often unique ways.

Two of the finest nonfiction books I read this year aren't out yet, the essay collections Elissa Washuta's White Magic and Melissa Febos's Girlhood. Look for them on this list next year.

These are the nonfiction books I have most recommended to friends, family, and anyone else who has crossed my path this year (my personal metric for "favorite").

Born to Be Public by Greg Mania

The funniest book I have read all year, Greg Mania's Born to Be Public is a smart and engaging memoir.

A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt

Billy-Ray Belcourt's A History of My Brief Body is an essay collection, it's a prose poem cycle, it's a magnificent exploration of gender and identity and sexuality.

Miracle Country by Kendra Atleework

Kendra Atleework's memoir Miracle Country is as much about her own history as it is an ode to the California's high desert Eastern Sierra Nevada, a truly remarkable book.

Pass with Care by Cooper Lee Bombardier

Cooper Lee Bombardier's Pass with Care is one of the year's strongest essay collections. Bombardier examines gender, class, and identity with a compassionate and vulnerable eye.