Andy: We are living in a golden age of creative non-fiction. Here are some
favorites of mine, all readily available.
Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm (want to know how it feels to
drown?)
Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air (Mount Everest disaster--makes students cry)
Mary Karr, The Liar's Club (best of the disfunctional family genre)
John Berendt, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (don't judge by
the movie)
Euroda Welty, One Writer's Beginnings
Ann Rule, Everything She Ever Wanted (good example of the true crime
genre)
Carl Hiassen, Team Rodent (attack on Disney World)
Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill
Geoffrey O'Brien (The Phantom Empire)
Primo Levi
Leonardo Sciascia, Open Doors (a personal favorite)
Garry Wills, the books on Lincoln or John Wayne
John McPhee, anything he writes
Calvin Trillin, ditto
Peter Matthiessen, ditto
Alice Walker, her nonfiction is weird and provocative
Three others whom I personally don't much like, but all important:
V.S. Naipaul
Lillian Hellman
Gore Vidal
I also don't go for the travel genre, but there's some good writing
there:
Jonathan Raban, Old Glory
Jan Morris
Bruce Chatwin, The Songlines or In Patagonia
Happy reading!
GJ
Andrew J Hoffman wrote:
> I'm looking for recommendations for books to include in a creative
> non-fiction course. I'd prefer short works published in the last twenty
> years. Has anyone on the Forum read anything they just couldn't wait to
> share? I figured the Forum would be a good place to ask this question;
> we've already proved our good literary taste by cherishing The Man.
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Andy Hoffman
>
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