2022 Staff Picks for Adults--Nonfiction

Updated January 6, 2023
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ADHD 2.0 : new science and essential strategies for thriving with distraction--from childhood through adulthood
Hallowell, Edward M.
Paper Book
A revolutionary new approach to ADD/ADHD featuring cutting-edge research and strategies to help readers thrive, by the bestselling authors of the seminal books Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction "An inspired road map for living...
Fine : a comic about gender
Ewing, Rhea
Paper Book
As graphic artist Rhea Ewing neared college graduation in 2012, they became consumed by the question: What is gender? This obsession sparked a quest in which they eagerly approached both friends and strangers in their quiet Midwest town for interviews to turn into comics. A decade later, this...
Animal joy : a book of laughter and resuscitation
Alsadir, Nuar
Paper Book
A Time Must-Read Book of 2022 A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2022 Aster(ix) Journal's 12 Best Nonfiction Books of 2022 An invigorating, continuously surprising book about the serious nature of laughter.<...
Slaying the dragon : a secret history of Dungeons & Dragons
Riggs, Ben
Paper Book
Role-playing game historian Ben Riggs unveils the secret history of TSR-- the company that unleashed imaginations with Dungeons & Dragons, was driven into ruin by disastrous management decisions, and then saved by their bitterest rival. "Ben Riggs manages to...
Between us : how cultures create emotions
Mesquita, Batja
Paper Book
"How are you feeling today?" We may think of emotions as universal responses, felt inside, but in Between Us, acclaimed psychologist Batja Mesquita asks us to reconsider them through the lens of what they do in our relationships, both one-on-one and within larger social networks. From an outside...
California soul : an American epic of cooking and survival
Corbin, Keith
Paper Book
JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE . A sharply crafted and unflinchingly honest memoir about gangs, drugs, cooking, and living life on the line-both on the streets and in the kitchen-from one of the most exciting stars in the food world today "Beautiful. Moving. Inspiring. Get it."-Chris...
Cashing out : win the wealth game by walking away
Saunders, Julien
Paper Book
Most of us are told to follow the same script: work hard, make money, save, and invest. Yet you end up making less than your White colleagues, routinely passed up for career opportunities, all while navigating racist hiring practices, and skewed wages. It's almost as if the corporate ladder is...
The church of baseball : the making of Bull Durham : home runs, bad calls, crazy fights, big swings, and a hit
Shelton, Ron
Paper Book
LA TIMES BESTSELLER * From the award-winning screenwriter and director of cult classic Bull Durham, the extremely entertaining behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film, and an insightful primer on the art and business of moviemaking. "This book...
How the word is passed : a reckoning with the history of slavery across America
Smith, Clint
Paper Book
This "important and timely" (Drew Faust, Harvard Magazine) #1 New York Times bestseller examines the legacy of slavery in America--and how both history and memory continue to shape our everyday lives. Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint...
Decluttering at the speed of life : winning your never-ending battle with stuff
White, Dana
Paper Book
You don't have to live overwhelmed by stuff--you can get rid of clutter for good! Decluttering expert Dana White identifies the emotional challenges that make it difficult to declutter and provides workable solutions to break through and make progress. While the world seems...
The devil's half acre : the untold story of how one woman liberated the South's most notorious slave jail
Green, Kristen (Journalist)
Paper Book
The inspiring true story of an enslaved woman who liberated an infamous slave jail and transformed it into one of the nation's first HBCUs  In The Devil's Half Acre, New York Times ...
Going there
Couric, Katie
Paper Book
This heartbreaking, hilarious, and brutally honest memoir shares the deeply personal life story of a girl next door and her transformation into a household name. For more than forty years, Katie Couric has been an iconic presence in the media world. In her...
Headstrong : 52 women who changed science--and the world
Swaby, Rachel
Paper Book
Fifty-two inspiring and insightful profiles of history's brightest female scientists. "Rachel Swaby's no-nonsense and neededHeadstrongdynamically profiles historically overlooked female visionaries in science, technology, engineering, and math."-Elle In...
Unprotected : a memoir
Porter, Billy
Paper Book
It's easy to be yourself when who and what you are is in vogue. But growing up Black and gay in America has never been easy. Before Billy Porter was slaying red carpets and giving an iconic Emmy-winning performance in the celebrated TV show Pose; before he was the groundbreaking Tony and...
Hunt, gather, parent : what ancient cultures can teach us about the lost art of raising happy, helpful little humans
Doucleff, Michaeleen
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The oldest cultures in the world have mastered the art of raising happy, well-adjusted children. What can we learn from them? "Hunt, Gather, Parent is full of smart ideas that I immediately wanted to force on my own...
I hope this finds you well : poems
Baer, Kate
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller What Kind of Woman returns with a collection of erasure poems created from notes she received from followers, supporters and detractors--an artform that reclaims the vitriol from online trolls and inspires...
The last slave ship : the true story of how Clotilda was found, her descendants, and an extraordinary reckoning
Raines, Ben
Paper Book
An NPR Best Book of the Year The incredible true story of the last ship to carry enslaved people to America, the remarkable town its survivors founded after emancipation, and the complicated legacy their descendants carry with them to this day--by the journalist who...
Mudlark : in search of London's past along the River Thames
Maiklem, Lara
Paper Book
Long heralded as a city treasure herself, expert "mudlarker" Lara Maiklem is uniquely trained in the art of seeking. Tirelessly trekking across miles of the Thames' muddy shores, where others only see the detritus of city life, Maiklem unearths evidence of England's captivating, if sometimes...
The puzzler : one man's quest to solve the most baffling puzzles ever, from crosswords to jigsaws to the meaning of life
Jacobs, A. J.
Paper Book
The New York Timesbestselling author of The Year of Living Biblicallygoes on a rollicking journey to understand the enduring power of puzzles- why we love them, what they do to our brains, and how they can improve our world. "Even though I've never attempted the...
Nurtureshock : new thinking about children
Bronson, Po
Paper Book
In a world of modern, involved, caring parents, why are so many kids aggressive and cruel? Where is intelligence hidden in the brain, and why does that matter? Why do cross-racial friendships decrease in schools that are more integrated? If 98% of kids think lying is morally wrong, then why do...
The facemaker : a visionary surgeon's battle to mend the disfigured soldiers of World War I
Fitzharris, Lindsey
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller Finalist for the 2022 Kirkus Prize | Named a best book of the year by The Guardian "Enthralling. Harrowing. Heartbreaking. And utterly redemptive. Lindsey Fitzharris hit this one out of the park." --Erik Larson, author of...
Pastoral song : a farmer's journey
Rebanks, James
Paper Book
The acclaimed chronicle of the regeneration of one family's traditional English farm NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Winner of the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing * Named "Nature Book of the Year" by the Sunday Times * New York Times Editors' Choice * Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the...
Search history
Lim, Eugene
Paper Book
Search History oscillates between a wild cyberdog chase and lunch-date monologues as Eugene Lim deconstructs grieving and storytelling with uncanny juxtapositions and subversive satire. Frank Exit is dead--or is he? While eavesdropping on two women discussing a dog-sitting gig over...
Secretariat's Meadow : the land, the family, the legend
Tweedy, Kate Chenery.
Paper Book
" On March 30, 1970, Secretariat drew his first breath in a little white foaling shed on a historic farm called The Meadow in Caroline County, Virginia. Three years later he would leave the nation breathless as he captured the Triple Crown, shattering records and rivals alike. At The Meadow, America...
She just wants to forget
Sin, R. H.
Paper Book
She Just Wants to Forget is the follow up to the New York Times bestselling poetry collection She Felt Like Feeling Nothing by r.h. Sin. 
South to America : a journey below the Mason-Dixon to understand the soul of a nation
Perry, Imani
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "An elegant meditation on the complexities of the American South--and thus of America--by an esteemed daughter of the South and one of the great intellectuals of our time. An inspiration." -...
The woman who smashed codes : a true story of love, spies, and the unlikely heroine who outwitted America's enemies
Fagone, Jason
Paper Book
National Bestseller  NPR Best Book of the Year "Not all superheroes wear capes, and Elizebeth Smith Friedman should be the subject of a future Wonder Woman movie." --The New York Times Joining the ranks of Hidden Figures and In the Garden of Beasts, the incredible true...
Finding me
Davis, Viola
Paper Book
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * A HARPERS BAZAAR BEST BOOK OF 2022 * A PARADE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK * A MARIE CLAIRE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK "It's clear from the first page that Davis is going to serve a more intimate, unpolished account than is typical of the average (often ghost-written)...
We were dreamers : an immigrant superhero origin story
Liu, Simu
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The star of Marvel's first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, tells his own origin story of being a Chinese immigrant, his battles with cultural stereotypes and his own identity, becoming a TV star, and landing the role of a...
Demystifying disability : what to know, what to say, and how to be an ally
Ladau, Emily
Paper Book
An approachable guide to being a thoughtful, informed ally to disabled people, with actionable steps for what to say and do (and whatnotto do) andhow you can help make the world a more inclusive place ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR- NPR, Booklist. "A candid,...

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