Nonfiction Genre Primer
Nonfiction is the broadest category of literature. Essentially, anything that is not fiction, poetry, or drama lives in the nonfiction section. These books range widely from memoir to history to how-to. The following post is a short introduction to the primary categories within nonfiction.
Business
Books written by executives, entrepreneurs, journalists, and academics about everything related to business. Some categories include: small business, corporations, tech companies, startups, marketing, productivity, efficiency, success, failure, and advice.
Food & Travel
Food writing focuses on the topic of food, both widely and narrowly, and includes work by food critics and food historians. Travel literature encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. Sometimes the food and travel are combined in one book.
History
History writing focuses on historical events, people, and socially significant phenomena in the history of society. Subcategories include: United States, African American, War and Military, and Europe.
Memoirs & Biography
A memoir is a collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events, both public and private, that take place in a subject’s life.
A biography is detailed description of a life (belonging to someone other than the author.) Popular categories include: historical figures, arts and culture, relationships, sports, business, and politics.
Science & Nature
Science and nature writing includes: environmental issues, animal studies, medicine, biology and chemistry, engineering, math, and physics.
Society & Culture
Society & Culture writing is concerned with race, class, gender, education, violence and crime, and immigration.
True Crime
The true crime genre includes: historic crime, cold cases and unsolved mysteries, organized crime and gangs.
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Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!