Nonfiction Books Published in 2025

If you love nonfiction, this list of nonfiction books published in 2025 is for you.

Last week I shared my list of historical fiction books published in 2025. This week I am sharing the list of nonfiction books published in 2025 that I am looking forward to reading.

This list is not a complete list of nonfiction books that will be published this year. It is more of a list of nonfiction books that caught my attention and that I am looking forward to reading.

This list is also different than most of our other lists because these are all books that we have not read, but look forward to reading.

There are sixteen books on this list, which only covers through May of this year. They all sound great, but I doubt I will get them all read this year.

When you add the thirty books on my list of historical fiction books released in 2025 to these sixteen books, I am pretty sure some of them will still be on my to-be-read list at the end of the year. However, these books all look great, so I will have trouble deciding which ones to read.

This list contains books about China, WWII, true crime, shipwrecks, and more. If you love nonfiction, I think you will find at least a book or two that you want to read.

Nonfiction Books Published in January 2025

The Sinners All Bow by Kate Winkler Dawson was published on January 7, 2025. This sounds like a great book for fans of true crime, which I am. It is the story of the murder that inspired Nathanial Hawthorne’s Scarlett Letter.

House of Hauwei by Eva Dou was published on January 14, 2025. This book is about one of the world’s most influential technology companies, the man who built it, and why it concerns Western policymakers.

Eva Dou is a Washington Post reporter, so this book should be good. Reporters almost always do a great job writing deep dive books like this.

Blood and the Badge by Michael Cannell was published on January 14, 2025. This is one that I preordered a while ago. I can’t wait to read it.

This is the story of two cops who become double agents for the mafia. I love true crime books, and this one sounds different from anything that I have read before.

Wise Guys and the White House by Eric Dezenhall was published on January 14, 2025. This book is about organized crime and U.S. Presidents. Yes, another true crime book. I truly love true crime books, so I can’t wait to read this one.

Save Our Souls by Matthew Pearl was published on January 14, 2025. This is the true story of a castaway family, treachery, and murder.

In 1887, a shark fishing boat disappeared in a storm. Their ship was cut in two in the storm, and the castaways found themselves on an island where a man called Hans lived. At first Hans appeared helpful, but is he helpful, or is there more to it than that?

I love books about shipwrecks, so I am looking forward to reading this one.

The Survivor by Josef Lewkowicz will be published on January 27, 2025. In The Survivor, ninety-seven years old. Josef Lewkowicz shares his story of surviving six concentration camps and becoming a Nazi hunter.

We are losing those who fought in or survived WWII, so stories like this are important to know about.

Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy will be published on January 28, 2025. I read Empire of Ice and Stone by Buddy Levy and loved it, so when I saw that he had a new book out, I knew I had to read it. I pre-ordered this book months ago.

I love books about shipwrecks and/or adventures to the North and South Poles, so the subtitle for this book, “Triumph, Tragedy, and History’s Greatest Arctic Rescue.” makes it sound perfect for what I like.

Nonfiction Books Published in February 2025

Source Code by Bill Gates will be published on February 4, 2025. This is not a book about Microsoft or a book about business or technology. This book is Bill Gates sharing the story of how he became who he is. It is about his childhood, his grandmother, his parents, and how events during his childhood helped him become who he is and accomplish what he has.

I love to read biographies of all kinds of people from all sorts of backgrounds, so I will probably pick this one up to read. I know there might be some controversy over this book, but I think we can benefit from reading books about all kinds of people, even if we don’t agree with everything they do or some of the choices they have made.

Killers Story by Claire St.Amant will be published on February 18, 2025. As I mentioned above, I love to read true crime books. This book, written by a journalist reporting on true crime for years, sounds very interesting.

This is the story of what goes into true crime stories that make it on shows like 60 Minutes and 48 Hours.

Nonfiction Books Published in March 2025

Let Only Red Flowers Bloom by Emily Feng will be published on March 18, 2025. There seems to be a theme with fiction and nonfiction books being published this year; quite a few are about China.

This is a look into the personal stories of resistance and survival in China. This one fits into my goal of learning through books in 2025.

Nonfiction Books Published in April 2025

The Determined Spy by Douglas Waller will be published on April 8, 2025. This book is about an early CIA officer who greatly influenced Cold War policy. He was also a prominent figure in the CIA who also struggled with bipolar disorder.

This one sounds like a fascinating read that several in my family would enjoy.

No More Tears by Gardiner Harris will be published on April 8, 2025. This book is described as an expose of Johnson and Johnson and how they went from a trusted source of baby products to corporate practices that have harmed millions.

No More Tears sounds like an interesting look into the pharmaceutical world.

Medicine River by Mary Annette Pember will be published on April 22, 2025. This is a book about Native American boarding schools and the horrors that happened in many of them. The author’s mother attended one of these schools in Wisconsin, so I think the research will be well done on this one.

I live in Oklahoma, so I think this is a must-read for me. I already preordered this one.

Strangers In the Land by Michael Luo will be published on April 29, 2025. This is the story of Chinese people in America. How they came here, how they were treated as their numbers grew, especially on the Pacific Coast, and how they are now over twenty-four million people of Asian descent in the United States.

This book fits in with my goal of learning through books in 2025.

Nonfiction Books Published in May 2025

Spitfires by Becky Aikman will be published on May 6, 2025. This book is about the American women who piloted aircraft during WWII. These women risked their lives doing one of the war’s most dangerous jobs.

I love WWII stories that are different than anything I have read before. I have not read much about the women they called Spitfires, so I hope to read this one.

Mark Twain by Ron Chernow will be published on May 13, 2025. This book is about Mark Twain, who was born Samual Clemens in 1835 and became one of America’s most well known authors. It is the story of his childhood on the Mississippi River and how the Civil War changed his career, but it is also about the years he spent in exile in Europe and his eccentric behavior.

No one does biographies quite like Ron Chernow, but at 1300 pages long, I am not sure this is one I will tackle, at least not for now. If you read it, I would love to hear your thoughts.

What nonfiction books are you looking forward to reading in 2025?