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What are the best non fiction books 2024?
We’re a few weeks into the New Year, which is always an exciting time. It’s that time when we reflect on the past year and make New Year’s resolutions.
Many of these resolutions are related to health and fitness, our careers, and spirituality.
And what other way to achieve these goals if not with books?
So let’s go to this list of the list of best non fiction books 2024.
This list includes books that I read in 2023. It primarily comprises spirituality, health and fitness, self-development, and history.
Have a look at the top 10!
Reading 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak was a spiritual reading experience. I was intrigued to learn more about Rumi and the concept of Sufism. That’s when I got my hands on The Essential Rumi. It is one of the best books to read in your 20s or any age.
The book is a poetry translation of a 13th-century Sufi Mystic Rumi. It explores themes of love, spirituality, and the nature of existence. The universality of these themes is why this book is quite popular among the masses.
However, reading translations alongside the Persian work is better if you want to understand Rumi and Sufism in-depth. It’s because many Western Rumi translators have erased Islam from the poetry of Rumi.
If you are just a beginner looking to understand Sufism, read The Essential Rumi. On the other hand, there are many Turkish authors whose work you can include in your best non fiction books 2024 list.
Suppose you want to listen to Rumi’s Persian poetry translation. You should listen to Sufi Qawwalis by Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, one of the best Pakistani singers in the Qwalli/Sufi genres.
Listen to Tu Kareemi Mun Kamina or Na Man Behooda Girde, Poetry by Rumi, Sung by one of the best Pakistani singers Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Conversations with God is a book series by Neale Donald Walsch. I didn’t like reading it the first few times because I’m always skeptical of people who say God is channeling through them. However, it suddenly hit home When I read the book for the third time.
Conversations with God are an exciting and different way of looking at who God is. The conversations also delve into questions about life’s purpose, the nature of good and evil, and the role of religion.
The purpose of life and the existence of God are questions that humans have always explored. Conversations with God remains one of the best selling non fiction books.
You can also read a poem, “Tum Ik Gorakh Dhanda Ho,” where the poet Naz Khialvi tries to find God in everything and complains to Him, unable to locate Him in anything. Hence, the poem’s title, ‘You are an artful enigma!’.
Read ‘Tum Ik Gorakh Dhanda Ho’ alongside the English translation to get intrigued. Once you are intrigued enough, order Conversations with God, one of the best selling non fiction books, to explore more.
Worry not if you have read spiritual books but cannot apply some teachings personally. Your Human Design should be on your list of best non fiction books 2024. After all, it perfectly balances spirituality, astrology, and personal development.
There are many self-development books that you can read for inspiration. However, sometimes, we need something different or deeper and that’s where spiritual books come in. It is no surprise that it was one of the best selling non fiction books of 2023.
Your Human Design is a book combining Western astrology, the Kabbalah tree of life, and biochemistry. When the book combines all the knowledge concepts, it reveals individual natural talents and life purpose. As a result, you identify your natural talents and life purpose. Once identified, the book equips you with strategies to navigate your unique life path.
Kelly and Juliet Starrett spent decades training athletes, Olympians, and Navy Seals. It’s not that they were together from the beginning; their shared passion made them fall in love. After spending a few years together, they released a book on their learnings.
I have always loved those books, which result from decades of hands-on learning experience. If you are conscious of your physical health, you should include Built To Move in your best non fiction books 2024 list.
The book is simple as it wants to make you durable without burdening your body. After all, we train like athletes these days but can’t perform basic movements.
That’s why Built to Move offers ten ways to have a base level of health & fitness. Some takeaways:
When I visited Mexico two years ago, I ran into Lance, an American who did a lot of work with the Maya (yes, they still exist!).
We discovered a common interest in indigenous wisdom, amongst others, and quickly became friends.
Lance recently recommended I read Think Indigenous by Doug Good Feather, a Native American from Standing Rock Lakota.
Through authors writing, we dig into indigenous thinking of modern life. It explores how, despite living in a hyper-connected world, we can spiritually connect with our fellow beings, Mother Earth, and the universe.
One of the best selling non fiction books of recent years, which is a well of wisdom. Some of my favorite quotes are:
You can find Think Indigenous on Amazon. Check out the best spiritual books worldwide in this post.
Sometimes, we find a role where we do not excel naturally. After all, no one is a born leader or manager. That’s precisely how Julie Zhuo felt when she became a 25-year-old rookie manager at Facebook. Did becoming a manager make her complacent? No, it worked the opposite. That’s why it’s no surprise that this is one of the best selling non fiction books with thousands of reviews.
As a manager, she made a list of logistics and day-to-day job requirements; all she saw were uncertainties. However, she didn’t let those uncertainties hold her. For the better part, she found a way around, and The Making of a Manager is the byproduct of those learnings.
The biggest lesson from her book is that great managers are made, not born. If you are also not a born manager, which no one is, you should include this gem in your best non fiction books 2024 list.
We all are so busy. We all are so busy, even if we are not. The reason lies in our obsession with doom-scrolling and then complaining about not being productive. The result? People are falling to diseases early.
Where does the solution to this problem lie? Don’t we want to live longer and, most importantly, healthily? Dr. Peter Attia answers our misunderstandings about uncertainties about the well-being of our lives.
The book is an expert’s work to deliver innovative nutritional interventions. It also outlines techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep and addressing emotional and mental health.
Dr. Attia is correct in arguing that mainstream medicine has failed to protect against the diseases of aging. The solution lies in a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, where we act now rather than wait.
After a tip from my Ethiopian friend Tsega, who shared his favorite Ethiopian gifts in a post, I started reading Ah This! by Osho. Listening to the audiobook with Osho’s voice-over is full of spiritual wisdom.
If you’re not into meditation but are looking for some drama, consider the Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country. But as Lord Farquaad in the movie, Sharek says, ‘Some of you may die (may not like including documentary in the books list!), but it’s the sacrifice I’m willing to make’. So, it’s time for a not-so-wild exception for Wild Wild Country.
Wild Wild Country is a Netflix documentary series about the controversial Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his assistant, Ma Anand Sheela. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, commonly known as Osho, had a cult following in the Rajneeshpuram community in Wasco County, Oregon.
Osho taught his followers a personal form of spirituality free from rituals and dogmas. Although American media and government portrayed him as unserious, the reality is otherwise. His teachings remain a profound look at the human psychological and spiritual experience.
I should refrain from indulging much in the story of Wild Wild Country. Instead, I leave it to you to explore his spiritual teachings and what became of his life. It is one of the best Netflix documentaries about spirituality that you should watch.
Latin America has a rich history, vibrant colors, food, and beaches. However, there’s another grey side, just like any other continent. If you want to learn about the resistance to the grey side of Latin America, read this book!
Through gripping stories, Eduardo Galeano takes you on a trip through the continent’s tumultuous past. Galeano analyzes the history of the Americas, from European settlement of the New World to contemporary Latin America. The book remains of the best selling non fiction books.
This history, starting with the Spanish colonization and destruction of indigenous civilizations, helps you understand South America’s economic, political, and social contexts. It’s especially helpful if you work with Latin America.
It also discusses the aftermaths of European and American economic exploitation and political dominance. Open Veins of Latin America remains one of the best non fiction history books, with millions of copies sold.
A friend recommended Training in Compassion as a great intro to Zen, as it’s much more accessible. The book has several important phrases; the idea is to read one and keep that in your mind.
When you keep the idea in mind, reflect on it in the coming weeks and months and see how it changes you and your life. Pick the one that resonates most. Some might stay with you for a week, some for months. You’ll feel when it’s time to move to the next one.
Training In Compassion is one of the best non fiction books 2024 if you want to learn about Zen teachings. While talking about Latin America, how about checking this newsletter to find rap music from Latin America?
There are many other books that I might include in the best non fiction books 2024 list as the year progresses. But for now, the list makes a compelling case for the books I enjoyed in 2023.
If you think any particular book is the best non fiction books of all time, or you know of the best books to read in your 20s, do comment. You are right if you are wondering why there’s no fiction book on the list. I will publish a list of best fiction books in the coming weeks.
