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Books that prove fact is scarier than fiction
Nonfiction that rivals sci-fi, thriller, horror, and other fiction genres.
Published on June 12, 2023
Curated ByLanie Pemberton
Lanie is a San Diego-based freelance writer who loves reading crime thrillers and nonfiction about animals and the natural world. When not writing and reading (or writing about what to read), Lanie spends as much time as possible at the beach with her husband and pampered pittie, Peach.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
Michelle McNamaraEvery aspect of this case sounds too horrifying to be true: A depraved murderer and rapist eludes capture for over 40 years until a true crime journalist throws herself into the mystery. McNamara succeeded where everyone else failed, with her research leading to the arrest and conviction of the Golden State Killer. But her borderline obsession with the case was a contributing factor in her accidental death by overdose. “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” published posthumously, is a masterful portrait of a serial killer plus a memoir of a woman who stopped at nothing to find the truth.
Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men
Harold SchechterOnly a small percentage of known serial killers are women, and even fewer adopt an excessively brutal modus operandi. Belle Gunness, dubbed “Lady Bluebeard,” defied these stats as she lured men to her country property and viciously butchered them. Schechter covers Gunness’ shocking murders while also exploring psychopathy and the media’s role in sensationalizing violent crime.
The Stranger Beside Me
Ann RuleThe idea that we never truly know the people around us is a fact scarier than fiction. Rule, who worked with Ted Bundy for years, discovered this firsthand. Her portrait of Bundy, the seemingly genial and sensitive colleague who turned out to be one of the most notorious serial killers in history, is jarring and intense. This book covers their in-person encounters as well as written correspondence that continued until shortly before his death.
Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation
170 podcast episodes
Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation
170 podcast episodesFrom Jonestown to the Manson Family, cults are at the root of some of the most unbelievable true crimes in history. “Trust Me,” a podcast hosted by Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth (both cult survivors), explores a new cult in each episode, revealing the intense power of manipulation and religious fanaticism.
The Great Boston Molasses Flood: January 15, 1919. Boston PD receives a call: “Send all available rescue personnel...there's a wave of molasses coming down Commercial Street." The bizarre flood decimated Boston's North End. How did it happen? And why does it still affec...
The Great Boston Molasses Flood: January 15, 1919. Boston PD receives a call: “Send all available rescue personnel...there's a wave of molasses coming down Commercial Street." The bizarre flood decimated Boston's North End. How did it happen? And why does it still affec...
HISTORY This WeekThis episode of “HISTORY This Week” covers a historical disaster that truly defies all sense of reason. On January 15, 1919, a storage tank full of molasses burst in Boston’s North End, releasing a wave of molasses roughly 160 feet wide and up to 40 feet high. The sludge destroyed nearly everything in its path, killing 21 people and injuring far more.
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883
Simon WinchesterNatural disasters have occurred periodically since our planet’s formation, but only some cause devastation to a degree that reminds us of a dark sci-fi novel. The biggest volcanic eruption in history killed nearly 40,000 people on an Indonesian island in August of 1883. Winchester offers interesting facts about the Krakatoa eruption and the subsequent tsunamis. He also links the disaster to more recent political unrest in the region.
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
Piers Paul ReadLearn about the shocking 1972 Andes flight disaster, when a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team (among others) crashed in the snow-covered Andes Mountains. In a remarkable, traumatic feat, 16 of the 45 passengers survived for over two months in extreme conditions. Based on interviews with the survivors, “Alive” reveals the horrors they faced, including avalanches and being forced to eat their dead co-passengers for survival.
127 Hours Movie Tie- In: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Aron RalstonRead the true story of a solo hike that went terribly wrong. After an accident left him pinned by a boulder for five long days, Ralston bravely amputated his own arm to escape. This memoir moves between Ralston’s childhood and that fateful hiking trip, showing how his love of the outdoors developed and how his experience as an adventurer prepared him to do the unthinkable. Ralston’s story inspired a 2010 film starring James Franco.
Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea
Steven CallahanCallahan’s survival story rivals “10,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and other similar fantastical adventures set in the open water. While sailing solo through the Caribbean Sea, Callahan’s boat sank, forcing him to take refuge in an inflatable life raft. He drifted for 76 days, surviving on fish, birds, and rain water, before being rescued.
When I Fell From the Sky
Juliane KoepckeIn yet another story that sounds too implausible to be true, Koepcke shares her experiences as the sole survivor of a plane crash when she was 17 years old. The author fell nearly 10,000 feet, still strapped to her airline seat, and hiked through the Peruvian jungle for 11 days before finding help. Koepcke’s story reveals that her courage and fortitude are as incredible as her unlikely survival.
No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Man-Eater in History
No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Man-Eater in History
Dane HuckelbridgeBeginning in the late 19th century, a tiger began stalking the territories along the India-Nepal border. The beast would go on to kill and eat 436 people. No, this isn’t a Stephen King novel. It’s the true story of the Champawat Man Eater and acclaimed hunter Jim Corbett, who finally killed the tiger and, ironically, went on to become a wildlife conservationist.
Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control
Stephen KinzerAs fears soared during the Cold War, the CIA conducted a covert human experimentation operation called MK-Ultra, which included dosing patients with high amounts of LSD and other mind-altering drugs. Those tested were considered “expendable” human beings, including prisoners, mental health patients, addicts, and sex workers. In this book, Kinzer (“The True Flag”) reveals the horrific story of MK-Ultra, led by chemist Sidney Gottlieb, and its failed attempts to create mind control drugs. Gottlieb never faced consequences for his actions.
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women (Harrowing Historical Nonfiction Bestseller About a Courageous Fight for Justice)
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women (Harrowing Historical Nonfiction Bestseller About a Courageous Fight for Justice)
Kate MooreDuring the early 20th century, radium was praised for its beautiful firefly-esque glow. Many young women were employed to paint watches with the substance, often moistening their brushes in their mouths. Then the ghastly side effects began, and many workers died from radium poisoning as early as their 30s. Moore captures the horror of this little-known history in “Radium Girls,” covering the victims’ stories, the employers who refused to take responsibility, and the subsequent workers’ rights movement that followed.
Unit 731: Testimony
Hal GoldGold educates readers on yet another 20th-century atrocity. Unit 731 was a sector of the Imperial Japanese Army dedicated to “researching” chemical weapons, the effects of untreated disease, and more. Prisoners were subjected to grisly torture, including vivisection without anesthesia. Many of the human experiments served no medical purpose at all, but merely satisfied sadistic curiosity. Gold moves between detailed research and first-person accounts from those who worked in the unit.