2022 Summer Reading Guide: Best Nonfiction Books
Discover the best nonfiction books from the 2022 Summer Reading Guide! From investigative journalism to memoirs, these true stories will inform and inspire.
The Best Nonfiction Books to Read This Summer
While summer is often associated with escapist fiction, nonfiction books have the power to move us, inform us, and expand our understanding of the world. If you love books that explore history, personal transformation, social justice, and powerful memoirs, this 2022 Summer Reading Guide Nonfiction Books Edition is for you! This list features deeply personal memoirs, gripping investigative journalism, and insightful reflections—books that will provoke thought, spark conversation, and leave a lasting impact.
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The Best Nonfiction Books from the 2022 Summer Reading Guide
We Carry Their Bones by Erin Kimmerle
A chilling true crime investigation into a notorious reform school.
For decades, boys vanished from the Dozier School for Boys in Florida, a state-run reform school with a dark history of abuse and death. Forensic anthropologist Erin Kimmerle led the team that unearthed dozens of unmarked graves, revealing the horrific truth. Through forensic science, DNA testing, and personal accounts, Kimmerle explores the struggle to reunite these boys with their families and seek justice for victims long ignored. A gripping, important nonfiction read about history, memory, and truth-seeking.
You can get a copy of We Carry Their Bones by Erin Kimmerle on Amazon.
The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser
A deeply personal, funny, and thought-provoking memoir in essays.
In 2019, CJ Hauser’s essay, “The Crane Wife,” went viral, striking a chord with readers who resonated with her exploration of love, expectations, and self-discovery. Expanding on that piece, this book is a collection of essays that redefine what it means to live life on your own terms, examining everything from love and relationships to loss, art, and belonging. With wry humor, sharp insight, and lyrical prose, The Crane Wife is a memoir unlike any other, challenging traditional ideas about how we should live and love in the modern world.
You can get a copy of The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser on Amazon.
Pretty Baby by Chris Belcher
A bold, fascinating memoir exploring gender, power, and self-determination.
Chris Belcher grew up as a working-class girl in Appalachia, but her path led her to academia and sex work—two worlds that seem entirely at odds but are deeply connected in her story. As a gender studies professor by day and a high-end dominatrix by night, she navigates class, gender, and power dynamics, offering a raw, unfiltered perspective on desire, identity, and autonomy. Pretty Baby is a brilliantly written, fearless memoir that asks who gets to define a woman’s power—and what it means to reclaim it.
You can get a copy of Pretty Baby by Chris Belcher on Amazon.
Which 2022 Summer Reading Guide Nonfiction Books Will You Read First?
Have you read any of these books? Which one are you adding to your summer reading list? Let’s chat in the comments!
