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December 8, 2014

These are the nonfiction books I have most recommended to family, friends, and everyone who has crossed mypath this year (my personal metric for "favorite").

Where applicable, I have reposted my original short review.

What was your favorite nonfiction book of 2014?





Demon Camp by Jennifer Percy

Jennifer Percy's Demon Camp is a poignant work of narrative nonfiction, and one of the year's most important books.





The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison

Leslie Jamison's essay collection The Empathy Exams is one of the most thought-provoking books I have read in years, a book both daring and profound.





Excavation by Wendy C. Ortiz

Wendy C. Ortiz's memoir Excavation is as beautifully written as it is powerful, and is one of the most moving books I have read in years.





Man Alive by Thomas Page McBee

Bravely told with refreshing humility, Thomas Page McBee's Man Alive is one of the year's finest memoirs.





Preparing the Ghost by Matthew Gavin Frank

Matthew Gavin's Preparing the Ghost is a marvelously told book-length essay, one that skillfully melds fact, myth, and fiction about the giant squid and its first photographer. One of the year's finest nonfiction books.





Songs Only You Know by Sean Madigan Hoen

Sean Madigan Hoen's Songs Only You Know is a candid and skillfully told memoir of dysfunctional family, addiction, and the power of music.



also at Largehearted Boy:

online "best of 2014" book lists

Largehearted Boy favorite nonfiction of 2013

Largehearted Boy favorite nonfiction of 2012

Largehearted Boy favorite nonfiction of 2011

Largehearted Boy favorite nonfiction of 2010

Largehearted Boy favorite nonfiction of 2009

Largehearted Boy favorite nonfiction of 2008

Largehearted Boy favorite comics of 2014

Largehearted Boy favorite food and drink books of 2014

Largehearted Boy favorite novels of 2014

Largehearted Boy favorite short story collections

previous lists at Largehearted Boy

Antiheroines (interviews with up and coming female comics artists)

Book Notes (authors create playlists for their book)

Note Books (musicians discuss literature)

guest book reviews

musician/author interviews

52 Books, 52 Weeks book reviews

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