Books like Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
12 books with a reading profile close to Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. Contemplative and clear-cut; a moderate read.
-
1
Columbine
by Dave Cullen
Also contemplative · history, analytical
Dave Cullen reconstructs the 1999 high school massacre by synthesizing police records, journals, and survivors' accounts.
-
2
-
3
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town
by Jon Krakauer
history, analytical
Jon Krakauer documents several sexual assault cases occurring between 2010 and 2012 in Missoula, Montana, focusing on the experiences of female students at the University of Montana.
-
4
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
by Ronan Farrow
Also clear-cut · history, analytical
In 2017, Ronan Farrow began investigating allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein, a pursuit that uncovered a coordinated system of suppression.
-
5
The Ghost Map
Also clear-cut · history, analytical
In 1854, a severe cholera outbreak decimated the Soho district of London, challenging the prevailing medical belief that diseases spread through foul air, known as miasma.
-
6
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
Also contemplative · history, analytical
Michael Pollan argues that plants manipulate human cravings to ensure their own evolutionary success.
-
7
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story
history, analytical
The 1619 Project argues that the arrival of the White Lion privateer in the Virginia colony, carrying enslaved Africans, represents the foundational moment of the United States.
-
8
Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic
by Sam Quinones
Also clear-cut · history, analytical
Sam Quinones tracks the simultaneous rise of prescription painkillers and black tar heroin in the United States.
-
9
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
by Sheri Fink
history, analytical
Sheri Fink documents the medical crisis at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans during the five days following Hurricane Katrina.
-
10
All the President’s Men
history, analytical
In 1972, a botched burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex triggered an investigation by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
-
11
How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
by Clint Smith
Also clear-cut · history, analytical
In this narrative nonfiction work, Clint Smith travels to nine distinct locations to examine how each site remembers or distorts its connection to the transatlantic slave trade.
-
12
The Right Stuff
by Tom Wolfe
Also clear-cut · history, analytical
In 1959, the United States selected seven military test pilots to become the first astronauts for Project Mercury.
Get picks matched to your own reading on papr.
Get papr
