Non Fiction You Can't Miss

The Demon of Unrest

A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

By: Erik Larson
Narrated by: Will Patton & Erik Larson
Length: 17 hours 17 minutes

“I haven't read non-fiction since Chernow's Hamilton. THIS was the book that has brought me back to it. Thanks to Larson's artful story-telling, I am about to go down a Civil War rabbit hole. Mary Chestnut, James Henry Hammond, Edmund Ruffin...if you don't know these names, you need to. The narration performance by Will Patton is sublime, and... Read more

The Anxious Generation

How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

By: Jonathan Haidt
Narrated by: Sean Pratt & Jonathan Haidt
Length: 10 hours 32 minutes

“Raising kids in the digital age is no easy feat. For current or aspiring parents, this book provides some absolutely essential information on the current crisis with kids and how to get out of it. Read more

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent

By: Judi Dench & Brendan O'Hea
Narrated by: Barbara Flynn, Brendan O'Hea & Judi Dench
Length: 12 hours 4 minutes

“If you are a fan of live theater or Shakespeare, or just acting culture in general, get thee to the Libro.fm app as soon as possible to download this little gem. It's presented as a conversation between Judi and her friend Brendan O'Hea as they sit in her kitchen, remembering Judi's 70 years with Shakespeare. That time there was a snake in her... Read more

Round Here and Over Yonder

A Front Porch Travel Guide by Two Progressive Hillbillies (Yes, that’s a thing.)

By: Trae Crowder & Corey Ryan Forrester
Narrated by: Trae Crowder & Corey Ryan Forrester
Length: 7 hours 11 minutes

“Forget the print version and go for the Libro.fm audio. These guys can wag a jaw! Two comedians from red states take to the road and tell us what they've found. Starting in the South, they first examine their own complicated backyards, waxing on topics like poverty, race, politics, and foodways and just weird stuff in the South that just doesn't... Read more

A Fever in the Heartland

The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them

By: Timothy Egan
Narrated by: Timothy Egan
Length: 10 hours 29 minutes

“Some pride themselves on knowing historical facts and hidden histories, and yet, Egan, with his horror story about the KKK, will stop you in your tracks. Wasn't this just a 19th century Southern phenomenon? Who knew American Terror happened literally in our own backyard. Read more

The Gulf

The Making of An American Sea

By: Jack E. Davis
Narrated by: Tom Perkins
Length: 20 hours 45 minutes

Winner of the 2017 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction—the tragic collision between civilization and nature in the Gulf of Mexico becomes a uniquely American story in this environmental epic.

When painter Winslow Homer first sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, he was struck by its "special kind of providence." Indeed, the Gulf presented itself as America's... Read more

Paved Paradise

How Parking Explains the World

By: Henry Grabar
Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
Length: 10 hours 53 minutes

“I would not have thought that a book about the history and future of parking could be genuinely entertaining and thought provoking, but this one is! An important read for anyone interested in the future of city life or small town historic downtowns. Decisions urban planners and city leaders are making today about where and how cars should be... Read more

The Art Thief

A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

By: Michael Finkel
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini & Michael Finkel
Length: 5 hours 39 minutes

“Fascinating and devastating. Excellent on audio. Read more

Waco

David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage

By: Jeff Guinn
Narrated by: Jacques Roy
Length: 11 hours 17 minutes

“Impressively researched and written with storytelling verve” (The Wall Street Journal), this is the definitive account of the disastrous siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, featuring never-before-seen documents, photographs, and interviews, from former investigative reporter Jeff Guinn, bestselling author of Manson and The... Read more

An Immense World

How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us

By: Ed Yong
Narrated by: Ed Yong
Length: 14 hours 17 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “thrilling” (The New York Times), “dazzling” (The Wall Street Journal) tour of the radically different ways that animals perceive the world that will fill you with wonder and forever alter your perspective, by Pulitzer Prize–winning science journalist Ed Yong
 
“One of this year’s finest works of narrative... Read more

The Beauty of Dusk

On Vision Lost and Found

By: Frank Bruni
Narrated by: Frank Bruni
Length: 8 hours 46 minutes

From New York Times columnist and bestselling author Frank Bruni comes “a book about vision loss that becomes testimony to human courage, a moving memoir that offers perspective, comfort, and hope” (Booklist, starred review).

One morning in late 2017, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni woke up with strangely blurred vision. He wondered at first... Read more

On Animals

By: Susan Orlean
Narrated by: Susan Orlean
Length: 10 hours

“Listening to the audiobook was like listening to a podcast on animals, episodic and entertaining. New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean writes about animals in such a loving way. The personalities of each creature shines through. Highly recommend if you love creatures big and small. Read more

Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

An American History

By: Ada Ferrer
Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
Length: 23 hours 13 minutes

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE IN HISTORY
WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE IN HISTORY

“Full of…lively insights and lucid prose” (The Wall Street Journal) an epic, sweeping history of Cuba and its complex ties to the United States—from before the arrival of Columbus to the present day—written by one of the world’s leading historians of... Read more

Seven Games

A Human History

By: Oliver Roeder
Narrated by: William Sarris
Length: 9 hours 11 minutes

Checkers, backgammon, chess, and Go. Poker, Scrabble, and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable.



Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as... Read more

Taste

My Life Through Food

By: Stanley Tucci
Narrated by: Stanley Tucci
Length: 6 hours 50 minutes

“Taste is a perfect blend of food nerdiness and family memoir all tossed together with wonderful recipes, history, hardship, and a whole lot of love. I liked Tucci before I read this book. I absolutely adore him now (especially after hearing Tucci read the audio version on Libro.fm!) Read more

Stolen Focus

Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again

By: Johann Hari
Narrated by: Johann Hari
Length: 10 hours 21 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Our ability to pay attention is collapsing. From the author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections comes a groundbreaking examination of why this is happening—and how to get our attention back.

“The book the world needs in order to win the war on distraction.”—Adam Grant, author of Think Again

“Read this book to... Read more