In honor of Nonfiction November, I am sharing a list of five-star nonfiction books.
When I say five-star nonfiction books, I mean they were five-star reads for me. They might not be five stars for everyone, but these are all books that I consider five-star reads because they are books that I couldn’t put down.
I could share a long list of five-star nonfiction books I have read, but today I am focusing on books I don’t think received the attention they deserved.
These are books you probably won’t see all over social media, but I think more people need to read and talk about them because they are great books.
If you love great narrative nonfiction, I think you will enjoy this list.
Five Star Nonfiction Reads
Sister Sinner by Claire Hoffman is the story of Aimee Semple McPherson, who founded the Foursquare Church. This book is a great example of how fact is stranger than fiction. This book takes you on a wild ride.
It takes you to California in the early 1900s. It gives you a look at the early days of Hollywood, corruption in California, the start of America’s first megachurch, and how sermons became Hollywood productions.
If you love narrative nonfiction, I highly recommend this one.
Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn is another book where the facts are stranger than fiction. It was one of my favorite books of 2025.
Imagine growing up in a fairly normal American family, only to find out as an adult that your grandparents were German spies, working for Japan, while living in Hawaii during WWII.
That is the story of Christine Kuehn’s family.
In Family of Spies, Christine Kuehn shares her journey to discover her family’s hidden past.
If you like WWII, true crime, or espionage type books, I highly recommend this one.
Empire of Ice and Stone by Buddy Levy is an adventure story for fans of the book Endurance.
Set in 1913, it follows the Karluk and its voyage across the Arctic Ocean between Alaska and Siberia.
This book is the story of leadership, both good and bad. It is a book about human nature and survival. It is also about how the desire for fame can blind you to both common sense and care for others.
This book would be an excellent book to read alongside Endurance by Alfred Lansing. In many ways, Empire of Ice and Stone is the opposite of Endurance, so I think there would be some great conversation about leadership and teamwork after reading both books.
Devotion by Adam Makos is the Korean War story that the 2022 movie Devotion is based on. It is a story of heroism, friendship, and sacrifice. It is also on my list of top ten nonfiction books that I have ever read.
Devotion is about two Navy pilots, Tom, a white New Englander, and Jesse, the son of a sharecropper from Mississippi, and the Marines they fought to defend during the Korean War.
My family loves Adam Makos writing. He makes history come alive. His latest book, Tidalwave, is in my to-be-read stack to read soon.
Devotion, or really any Adam Makos book, is great for fans of historical fiction who want to read more nonfiction.
Syria’s Secret Library by Mike Thomson is a book unlike any other that I have read.
Would you risk your life for a book? That is exactly the story this book tells. In the middle of a city devastated by war, people risked their lives to save books.
Books change people. They give people hope. They educate and inspire. Books are important, and a group of people in war torn Syria knew that. They created a “safe” place, full of books, as a refuge for those fighting to survive.
No More Tears by Gardiner Harris is a look at the dark secrets of Johnson & Johnson, a company that has had a loyal following for years.
The story of Johnson & Johnson began with three brothers in the 1800s. It started when the brothers developed plaster, gauze, and sterile surgical dressings that changed medicine.
In the early 1900s, Johnson & Johnson developed Band Aids. They went on to invent and develop so many products that we still use today.
But along the way, they lost their focus, and it became more and more about money and less about the doctors prescribing the products and the people they prescribed them to.
This book is a mix between true crime and medical ethics. I read this back in February, and it will be one of my favorite nonfiction reads of 2026.
Forty Autumns by Nina Wilner is about a family living on both sides of the Berlin Wall. It is a story of the author’s family’s courage and survival while being separated by a wall they couldn’t cross.
I have recommended this book to so many people. It is such a well written book that more people need to read.
This book is also great for anyone who grew up in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s hearing about East and West Berlin in the news.
America’s Founding Son by Bob Crawford was a surprise five-star read for me. I love history, so I was definitely interested in this book, but I had no idea how much I would enjoy it.
This book is about John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the U.S. and the son of John and Abigail Adams.
John Adams is a well known figure in American history. He was a Founding Father, the first Vice President of the U.S., and the second U.S. President. But John Adams’ son, John Quincy Adams, is a much lesser-known historical figure.
I learned so much about John Quincy Adams reading this book.
After John Quincy Adams was president, he ran for a seat in the House of Representatives. He held that seat for seventeen years. And those seventeen years were when he did his most important fighting for America.
If you love U.S. history or presidential history, I think you will enjoy this one. It will be one of my favorite nonfiction books of 2026.
What five-star nonfiction books do you have to recommend?