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Short Nonfiction Books You Can Read in a Day or Two

Nonfiction does not have to be long to be important. In fact, many of the titles I've listed below are the absolute best nonfiction books I've ever read. All of the books (except one) are under 300 pages, and the books closer to the 300 page mark are so absorbing and fast-paced they can be read in a single sitting. I've also included graphic memoirs and other graphic nonfiction that can be read quickly. Nonfiction can be just as fun as fiction as long as you find a subject that interests you, and don't feel bogged down by an endless number of pages.
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Africa's Tarnished Name (Achebe)
Africa's Tarnished Name
Achebe
2
Ain't I a Woman (Bell Hooks)
Ain't I a Woman
Bell Hooks
3
America (Jean Baudrillard)
America
Jean Baudrillard
4
Arbitrary Stupid Goal (Tamara Shopsin)
Arbitrary Stupid Goal
Tamara Shopsin
5
The Architecture of Happiness (De Botton)
The Architecture of Happiness
De Botton
6
The Art of Always Being Right (A C Grayling)
The Art of Always Being Right
A C Grayling
7
The Art of War (Sun Tzu)
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
8
The Beast (Oscar Martinez)
The Beast
Oscar Martinez
9
The Beekeeper (Dunya Mikhail)
The Beekeeper
Dunya Mikhail
10
Belonging (Nora Krug)
Belonging
Nora Krug
11
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates
12
Beyond Good and Evil (Friedrich Nietzsche)
Beyond Good and Evil
Friedrich Nietzsche
13
Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott)
Bird by Bird
Anne Lamott
14
Birds Art Life Death (Kyo MacLear)
Birds Art Life Death
Kyo MacLear
15
Black Skin, White Masks (Frantz Fanon)
Black Skin, White Masks
Frantz Fanon
16
A Brief History of Time (Stephen Hawking)
A Brief History of Time
Stephen Hawking
17
Can You Tolerate This? (Ashleigh Young)
Can You Tolerate This?
Ashleigh Young
18
The Character of Physical Law (Richard Feynman)
The Character of Physical Law
Richard Feynman
19
The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings & Islamic Militancy in Nigeria (Helon Habila)
The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings & Islamic Militancy in Nigeria
Helon Habila
20
Civilization and Its Discontents (Sigmund Freud)
Civilization and Its Discontents
Sigmund Freud
21
Cockroaches (Scholastique Mukasonga)
Cockroaches
Scholastique Mukasonga
22
Common Sense (Thomas Paine)
Common Sense
Thomas Paine
23
The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels)
The Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
24
The Conquest of Bread (Peter Kropotkin)
The Conquest of Bread
Peter Kropotkin
25
The Cost of Living (Deborah Levy)
The Cost of Living
Deborah Levy
26
Crapalachia (Scott McClanahan)
Crapalachia
Scott McClanahan
27
Days of Reading (Marcel Proust)
Days of Reading
Marcel Proust
28
The Descent of Man (Grayson Perry)
The Descent of Man
Grayson Perry
29
Difficult Women (David Plante)
Difficult Women
David Plante
30
Discourse on Inequality (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)
Discourse on Inequality
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
31
The Doors of Perception (Aldous Huxley)
The Doors of Perception
Aldous Huxley
32
The Double Helix
The Double Helix
33
Endurance (Alfred Lansing)
Endurance
Alfred Lansing
34
The Ethics of Ambiguity (Simone De Beauvoir)
The Ethics of Ambiguity
Simone De Beauvoir
35
Everything Lost Is Found Again (Will McGrath)
Everything Lost Is Found Again
Will McGrath
36
Existentialism Is a Humanism
Existentialism Is a Humanism
37
Experience and Education (John Dewey)
Experience and Education
John Dewey
38
Fear and Trembling (Soren Kierkegaard)
Fear and Trembling
Soren Kierkegaard
39
The Fire Next Time (James Baldwin)
The Fire Next Time
James Baldwin
40
First They Killed My Father (Loung Ung)
First They Killed My Father
Loung Ung
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