26.) Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman

"It will kill him, but it will take another eleven years, six months, and nineteen days to do so."

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman (Sandpiper, 2004)

Genre: Non-Fiction, Science, Anatomy

Honors: Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2005) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: When Phineas was 19 he worked in a mine with explosives. In a freak accident the spear like tool that he used with packing the gun powder shot through his skull. He returned to work just weeks later, but was not the same person. Phineas lived for another 11 years. His case became a text book study for the study of the brain. This book goes into detail about how far science has come in brain research. 

Opinion: I was a little worried when I went to the juvenile section to check this book out, I was afraid that it would be too young for teens. In reality it's just the size of the book that makes it look too young. It's almost a picture book size, so I can't imagine a teen wanting to read it because it would look like they were reading a children's picture book. I think they should make a smaller version and release it for teens. 

Ideas: This book has great information about science, the history of science, and anatomy. This would be a good book for anyone interested in non-fiction because it's a very interesting story that is not bogged down with medical terms, and if there are medical terms they are explained. It's pretty gruesome, but pretty cool all the same. 

18.) Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich

“What you don't necessarily realize when you start selling your time by the hour is that what you're really selling is your life.”
 
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich (Picador; 10 Anv edition, 2011)(Originally published in 2001)

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Honors: ALA Alex Award (2002) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: Just how hard is it to live off of minimum wage in America? Barbara Ehrenreich decided to find out first hand. She lived in Florida, Maine, and Minnosota living the most inexpensive lodgeing and working as a maid, a waitress, and even a Wal-Mart sales person. A very real look at the difficulty of getting by, or rather, not getting by in America. 

Opinion: I really like this book, it reads almost like a novel. I love Enhrenreich's attitude and how she describes the jobs she works. Having worked those kinds of jobs myself I know she speaks the complete truth.  Though the book is over ten years old now, and many things have changed, but most have not. The only thing that has changed is the wage amounts that she talks about.

Ideas: This is a good book for someone who is trying to break into the non-fiction genre, or for someone who likes non-fiction. If anyone who is doing any sort of economic research this is definitely a good book for them to read.

17.) My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf (Abrams ComicArts, 2012)

Genre: Non-fiction, Biography, Graphic Novel 


Honors: ALA Alex Award (2013) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: Written by someone who went to high school and was even somewhat friends with Dahmer, Backderf writes an almost humanistic side to the serial killer. Even how the murderer inside the Dahmer could have been subdued if he was helped during his troubled teenage years. 

Opinion: Well written, but creepy. The book freaked me out in parts and made me a little sad for what Dahmer went through. 

Ideas:This would be good for anyone who is really into graphic novels. I would also recommend to anyone who likes crime, or true crime kind of stories. It might help certain people break into the graphic novel world. Might also be good for a reluctant reader.

16.) Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

“I now walk into the wild.”

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (Anchor, 1997)

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography


Honors: Though highly reviewed, no honors were found for the book.

Review: Chris McCandless graduated college and then drove out west where he fell off the radar for almost two years until his body was discovered in the Alaskan wilderness. Jon Krakauer investigated McCandless's life for the two years and wrote the story titling it with some of Chris's last words, "into the wild."

Opinion: I read Into Thin Air by Krakauer and I really enjoyed it, but I think that the McCandless story was not as enjoyable to me. I could not relate to his story so he just seemed like an irresponsible spoiled boy to me., though I still like how Krakauer can write a non-fiction book that reads like novel.

Ideas: Young men who like real life adventures stories would certainly be interested in reading this book. Also a good book for teens who are interested in non-fiction.

9.) A Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

“I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.”

A Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (The Definitive Edition) (Everyman's Library; Reprint edition, 2010) (first published in 1947)

Genre: Non-fiction 

Honors: Luisterboek Award (2008) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: This is the famous diary kept by a young teenage girl about her and her family who went into hiding during the occupation of The Netherlands by Germany at the beginning of WWII. She kept the meticulous and detailed diary in hopes of turning it into a book after the war. Unfortunately Anne did not make it out of the war alive, but her father went on to publish the diary. It's a breath taking look at the turmoil and fear her family faced on a daily basis along with dealing with the claustrophobic monotony of eight people living in a confined space for over two years. 

Opinion: I wanted to read this story because I had never had the chance to read it. It's very real in that you Anne can relate to every teenager. She discusses her feelings very openly to her diary. It's also nice to read before or after The Fault in Our Stars by John Green because the characters in that book visit Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam (I have been to the house as well and it's an incredibly emotionally moving experience!).

Ideas: Good book for teens who like memoir or diary books. Also a great book for anyone studying WWII. The book is good for young readers all the way up to adults.

Anne Frank