[operatingthetan]

I've been struggling to read nonfiction lately because so much of the content seems to be rehashed from other sources and leans heavily into persuasion of some greater point that gets bashed into your brain for 400 pages. It's like every book copied Malcolm Gladwell's style and it's too much for me. Am I just reading the wrong books?

[pphysch]

If every book reads like Malcolm Gladwell (or Harari, et al), you probably are reading the wrong nonfiction books.

[operatingthetan]

Could you give me an example of one that for you is the "right kind" and I'll see if I feel the same way about it? Just as a check for myself.

[pphysch]

Something by, say, Stephen Walt. Or autobiographies.

The trouble with nonfiction is that the really informative stuff tends to be radical or dry or otherwise challenging to read, which makes it unpopular compared to the vibes-based stuff that will end up on Obama's and Gates' annual lists.

[rolltopdesk]

You might be. There is a fun podcast called “If books could kill” that shreds this genre. Give their episode list a look.