When Breath Becomes Air

Paul Kalanthi

Paul Kalanthi – a neurosurgeon, husband and father – died of cancer when he was only 37. In this memoir, written while he was already ill, Kalanthi focuses on his search for meaning in life. Although literature was his first love, Kalanthi ultimately decided to study medicine. In this book, he describes his roles as both doctor and patient. Although the subject matter may sound grim, Kalanthi’s story is not.

Truth and Beauty

Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett and Lucy Grealy became best friends when they were both enrolled in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Over the years, they both became famous writers. But Lucy’s childhood cancer had left her with a damaged face, and over many years of failed surgeries, Lucy began to self-destruct. This history of a unique friendship is extremely moving and beautifully written.

strong language; sexuality; drugs/alcohol

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot

At the age of 31, Henrietta Lacks – a poor black woman who worked as a tobacco sharecropper – died of cervical cancer. Lacks was buried in an unmarked grave, but she left behind five children – and the HeLa cells which have transformed medical research in the 20th and 21st century. This book reads like a detective story, and it is a fascinating historical exposé of race, class, poverty and medical ethics in America.

This book features some strong language, sexuality and some emotionally disturbing material.

The Glass Castle

Jeannette Walls

This is the story of a uniquely dysfunctional American childhood. Perpetually on the run from debt and bad behaviour, the Walls family crisscross the USA until they run out money and end up back in the father’s dead-end hometown in West Virginia. It’s funny, tragic, sometimes unbelievable and a completely unputdownable good read.

emotionally disturbing; drugs/alcohol; strong language

Reasons to Stay Alive

Matt Haig

Author Matt Haig has been a lifelong sufferer of anxiety and depression; at 24, he seriously considered suicide. Drawing on the author’s own life, this memoir addresses the subject of mental health with great honesty and humour. Whether you suffer from depression, or know someone that does, this book could transform your life and way of thinking about mental health.

drugs/alcohol

Prisoners of Geography

Tim Marshall

In this analysis of politics, history and economics, the welltravelled author explains how it all boils down to geography. Oceans, rivers, mountains . . . these geographical features explain both the history and future possibilities for countries both great and small. This is the kind of nonfiction book which totally broadens the reader’s perspective of the world.

Quiet

Susan Cain

In this ground-breaking and influential book, former lawyer Susan Cain defines what it means to be introverted – and how that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Cain’s thesis is that introverts have a lot to offer, and indeed, that the qualities and skills associated with introverted personalities are badly needed in a world which tends to overvalue extroversion. This book will give the reader great insight into how our natural temperaments influence everything from learning styles to relationships to career choices.

Invictus

John Carlin

When Nelson Mandela became the leader of South Africa, he inherited a country divided by distrust and old hatreds: white against black, and Zulu vs Xhosa. Mandela’s struggles to unify South Africa, after the damaging decades of apartheid, finally found a positive focus in the game of rugby. Journalist John Carlin dissects the history of modern history of South Africa in this uplifting novel

Hillbilly Elegy

J.D. Vance

In this best-selling memoir, Vance takes a hard look at the white working class of Appalachia. The author examines his own family history as a way of understanding why the American Dream has become unachievable for so many.

strong language; violence

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Everest Disaster

Jon Kraukauer

The ambition to climb mountains, to pit one’s strength and wits against nature and the unpredictable elements, was an obsession with journalist Jon Krakauer. But when a 1996 expedition to climb Mount Everest ended in disaster for an unlucky few, Krakauer began to question his own actions and motivations. This adventure story is tense, gripping and totally unforgettable.