Texas Topaz Nonfiction List for Adults

Here are some recommendations for adults from the 2025 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List! The purpose of the Texas Topaz Reading List is to provide children, teens, and adults with recommended nonfiction titles that stimulate reading for pleasure and personal learning. Visit txla.org/topaz for the full list and lists from previous years.


Updated January 8, 2025
Lewisville Public Library
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A walk in the park : the true story of a spectacular misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Ebook
A New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the 2024 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature * Winner of the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Named a Best Book of the Year by the New York Times, Air...
The swans of Harlem : five Black ballerinas, fifty years of sisterhood, and the reclamation of a groundbreaking history
Valby, Karen
Paper Book
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW NOTABLE BOOK * The forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas and their fifty-year sisterhood, a legacy erased from history--until now. "This is the kind of history I wish I learned as a child dreaming of the stage!" --Misty...
Twelve trees : the deep roots of our future
Lewis, Daniel
Paper Book
A compelling global exploration of nature and survival as seen via a dozen species of trees, offering "extensive insight into the ways in which humans and trees are interconnected" (BookPage), revealing the challenges facing our planet and how scientists are working urgently to save our...
Chamber divers : the untold story of the D-day scientists who changed special operations forever
Lance, Rachel
Paper Book
The previously classified story of the eccentric researchers who invented cutting-edge underwater science to lead the Allies to D-Day victory In August 1942, more than 7,000 Allied troops rushed the beaches of Normandy, France, in an all but-forgotten landing. Only a small...
One in a millennial : on friendship, feelings, fangirls, and fitting in
Kennedy, Kate (Podcaster)
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNATIONAL BESTSELLERFrom pop culture podcaster and a voice of a generation, Kate Kennedy, a celebration of the millennial zeitgeistOne In a Millennial is an exploration of pop culture, nostalgia, the millennial zeitgeist, and the life lessons learned (for better and...
A man of two faces : a memoir, a history, a memorial
Nguyen, Viet Thanh
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD The highly original, blistering, and unconventional memoir by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer, which has now sold over one million copies worldwide With insight, humor, formal invention, and lyricism,...
Birdgirl : looking to the skies in search of a better future
Craig, Mya-Rose
Paper Book
British-Bangladeshi birder, environmentalist and activist Mya-Rose Craig is an international force. In her moving memoir, Birdgirl, she chronicles her mother's struggle with mental illness, and shares her passion for social justice and fierce dedication to preserving our planet.
Four thousand paws : caring for the dogs of the Iditarod : a veterinarian's story
Morgan, Lee (Veterinarian)
Paper Book
Four Thousand Paws on the 2025 Texas Topaz Nonfiction reading list An intimate account--the first from a trail veterinarian--of the canines who brave the challenges of the Iditarod. Few sporting events attract as much attention, or create as much spectacle, as the...
Hidden potential : the science of achieving greater things
Grant, Adam
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller "This brilliant book will shatter your assumptions about what it takes to improve and succeed. I wish I could go back in time and gift it to my younger self. It would've helped me find a more joyful path to progress." --Serena Williams, 23...
Making it so : a memoir
Stewart, Patrick
Paper Book
THE NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER The renowned and bestselling memoir--written with "insight, truth, and passion" (Sir Ian McKellen)--from iconic, beloved actor and living legend Sir Patrick Stewart. From his...
The serial killer's apprentice : the true story of how Houston's deadliest murderer turned a kid into a killing machine
Ramsland, Katherine M.
Paper Book
Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. was only fourteen when he first became entangled with serial rapist and murderer Dean Corll in 1971. Fellow Houston, Texas, teenager David Brooks had already been ensnared by the charming older man, bribed with cash to help lure boys to Corll's home. When Henley...
The Wager : a tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder
Grann, David
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager...
Walking with Sam : a father, a son, and five hundred miles across Spain
McCarthy, Andrew
Paper Book
An intimate, funny, and poignant New York Times bestseling travel memoir following award-winning author and actor Andrew McCarthy as he walks the Camino de Santiago with his son Sam.    When Andrew McCarthy's eldest son began to take his first steps...
Fear is just a word : a missing daughter, a violent cartel, and a mother's quest for vengeance
Ahmed, Azam
Paper Book
A riveting true story of a mother who fought back against the drug cartels in Mexico, pursuing her own brand of justice to avenge the kidnapping and murder of her daughter--from a global investigative correspondent for The New York Times "Azam Ahmed has written a page-turning...
How to be perfect : the correct answer to every moral question
Schur, Michael
Paper Book
From the creator of The Good Place and the cocreator of Parks and Recreation, a hilarious, thought-provoking guide to living an ethical life, drawing on 2,400 years of deep thinking from around the world. Most people think of themselves as "good," but it's not...
Rogues : true stories of grifters, killers, rebels and crooks
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the award-winning author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing--and one of the most decorated journalists of our time--twelve enthralling true stories of skulduggery and intrigue "An excellent collection of Keefe's detective...

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