EZ Non-Fiction Picks: 7 Must-Reads

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From memorable memoirs and illuminations on the writing life to a new approach to weight loss and much more, here are some of our top picks for non-fiction.

 

DEAR MR.YOU (Simon & Schuster) by Mary Louise-Parker

This unconventional memoir from award-winning actress Mary Louise-Parker takes the form of a series of letters written to men who have made a significant impact on her life, including a beloved priest, three bad boyfriends and a cab driver who she meets during a particularly difficult patch – yes, that would be her infamous breakup with actor Billy Crudup.

 

STARTLE AND ILLUMINATE: CAROL SHIELDS ON WRITING (Random House Canada) edited by Anne Giardini and Nicholas Giardini

This book of advice, ideas and reflections on the writing life from the late and much celebrated Canadian author Carol Shields is made all the more poignant since it is edited by her daughter and her grandson. (Publication date: April 30, 2016.)

IN OTHER WORDS (Knopf Canada) by Jhumpa Lahiri

This autobiographical work from Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author Jhumpa Lahiri is, at its heart, her love story with the Italian language. Presented in a dual language format (Italian and English), Lahiri recounts her journey to learn and write in a new language, and by doing so, find a new voice as a writer.

1924: THE YEAR THAT MADE HITLER (Little Brown) by Peter Ross Range

It’s the year that Hitler wrote Mein Kampf in a Landsberg prison cell and reinvented himself from rabble-rouser to self-proclaimed savior of Germany. Based on archival materials that have never before been translated into German, it’s the first book to focus exclusively on this single pivotal year of Hitler’s life. Interestingly, the publication of this book reportedly coincides with Mein Kampf being available in German bookstores for the first time in 70 years.

 

THEIR PROMISED LAND: MY GRANDPARENTS IN LOVE AND WAR (Penguin Random House) by Ian Buruma

Journalist Ian Buruma – and son of film director John Schlesinger – tells the story of his grandparents’ life through the terror of two world wars. As part of a German-Jewish émigré family, Winifred and Bernard Schlesinger led a prosperous and culturally assimilated life in Britain, and used their position to rescue twelve Jewish children from the Nazis and see to their upkeep in England.

THE MOVIE BOOK: BIG IDEAS SIMPLY EXPLAINED (DK Books)

For the film buff, the latest in the “Big Ideas Simply Explained” series profiles 100 of the world’s most influential movies ever made, from classic 1930s film noir and Hollywood romance to international art-house and 21st-century sci-fi.

EAT FAT, GET THIN: Why the Fat We Eat is the Key to Sustained Weight Loss and Vibrant Health (Little, Brown) by Mark Hyman, MD

In his new book, the Director of the Cleveland Clinic defends what has become the most feared food group – fat. Drawing on a growing body of research, Hyman says that eating more of the right fats can not only make you thinner, but also healthier. (Publication date: February 23, 2016.)