New Nonfiction Roundup – May 2025

Welcome to May! In addition to this month’s Peak Picks, there are a lot of excellent new nonfiction books to consider.

In biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature, Mark Twain; Christopher Clarey examines the influence of Rafael Nadal and his kingdom of clay in The Warrior; Brendan O’Meara considers the life of American track and field icon Steve Prefontaine’s on the 50th anniversary of his tragic death in The Front Runner; Sue Prideaux reconsiders the scandalous reputation of transgressive artist Paul Gauguin in Wild Thing; Laurance Leamer profiles the artists, misfits, and superstars destroyed by Andy Warhol’s Factory fame machine in Warhol’s Muses; and Edward Luce presents an intimate and perceptive biography of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s great power prophet, in Zbig.

In memoir, “13 Reasons Why” star Tommy Dorfman pens a memoir of art, addiction and transformation in Maybe This Will Save Me; stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze collects personal stories, opinions, and confessions from a simpler mind in Big Dumb Eyes; Hilaria Baldwin reveals the highs and lows and unpredictable outtakes from her different and not-so-different life in Manual Not Included; Kelsey Grammer discusses how the rape and murder of his sister has affected him and the hope and healing he has found in the decades since in Karen; Cristina Jiménez shares her inspiring story of a young Latina’s journey to pride, power, and belonging in Dreaming of Home; MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart shares lessons from a Black man’s search for home in Yet Here I Am; Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and professional wiseass Dave Barry reveals how he went 77 years without growing up in Class Clown; and beloved author Richard Russo reflects on work, culture, love and family in Life and Art.

In history, Michelle Young tells the extraordinary untold tale of World War II resistance hero Rose Valland in The Art Spy, while Becky Aikman follows nine American Women who flew in the face of danger during WWII in Spitfires. Historian Jay Winik pens a gripping account of the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s decision to go to war against the Confederacy in 1861; Kate Summerscale mines archives to reveal details about the famous murders at Rillington Place in postwar London in The Peepshow; and Lizzie Wade considers how catastrophe has transformed our world, from the rise of Homo sapiens to the climate instability of our present, in Apocalypse.

In current events, Claudia Rowe explores the long shadow of American foster care in Ward of the State, while Leah Lipman shines a light on how the Supreme Court runs on conservative grievance, fringe theories, and bad vibes in Lawless. New Yorker staff writer John Cassidy presents a history of critical responses to capitalism from the Industrial Revolution to AI in Capitalism and Its Critics, and Bridget Read unveils how the pyramid scheme shaped America in Little Bosses Everywhere. Mariah Blake’s landmark investigation of the chemical industry’s decades-long campaign to hide the dangers of forever chemicals is revealed in They Poisoned the World. And CNN anchor Jake Tapper reckons with one of the most fateful decisions in American political history: Joe Biden’s run for reelection despite evidence of his serious decline in Original Sin.

In self care, Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle team up to provide answers to life’s 20 questions in We Can Do Hard Things, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar takes a sweeping look back at his journey through social justice movements from the 1960s to today in We All Want to Change the World. Real Housewives of Dallas star Tiffany Moon reveals how she learned to stop chasing perfection and embrace connection in Joy Prescriptions; six-time Superbowl winning coach Bill Belichick shares lessons from a life in football in The Art of Winning; and Suzy Welch discusses her proven method for crafting an authentic life and career in Becoming You. KC Davis (How to Keep House While Drowning) helps readers create boundaries to start, strengthen, or end any relationship in Who Deserves Your Love; Amy Larocca provides guidance on navigating our self-care epidemic, one dubious cure at a time, in How to Be Well; and Tiffany Ward Smith blends memoir, history, and cultural critique about the complexity of female friendship in Bad Friend. From Melinda Wenner Moyer comes science-based strategies for raising terrific kids in terrifying times in Hello, Cruel World! while Sarah Ruhl meditates on the life-altering bonds between teacher and student in Letters From My Teachers.

And in health and wellness, Aly Cohen exposes the everyday toxins harming your immune system and how to defend against them in Detoxify; Eric Topol presents an evidence-based, detailed guide to a revolution transforming human longevity in Super Agers; David Kessler empowers readers to overcome our modern food addiction in Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine; and Kevin J. Tracey reveals the new science of the vagus nerve and how to harness its healing reflexes in The Great Nerve. Finally, Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir helps readers heal, revive and reset with the Icelandic art of intuition in Inssaei.

~All descriptions provided by publishers. Posted by Frank

  Welcome to May! In addition to this month’s Peak Picks, there are a lot of excellent new nonfiction books to consider. In biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature, Mark Twain; Christopher Clarey examines the influence of Rafael Nadal … Continue reading “New Nonfiction Roundup – May 2025” 

Read MoreShelf Talk