10 of the Best New Nonfiction Book Releases of August 2024
This summer, I spent a couple of weeks back home at my parents’ house in Kentucky. My Corgis ran around the yard as I sat with a cold drink on the back porch. The rain came in and cooled off the warm summer evening. I grabbed my book and started to read. There’s nothing like reading a good book while a chorus of cicadas sing around you.
Of course, true stories hold a special place in my book-loving heart, and there’s still time to catch up on your TBR before the school year gets into full swing. Options abound! You could read a true crime book about the underground market for young eels. Or, you could read about the lives of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson. Or perhaps you’ll want to pick up a book about how harmful the beauty industry is to women. Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong.
In celebration of true stories, I’ve collected ten of some of the most exciting nonfiction titles hitting shelves in August. You might be new to nonfiction or a true stories pro, but whatever the case, there’s sure to be something on this list that catches your eye.
All publication dates are subject to change.
Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels by Ellen Ruppel Shell (August 6)
Microhistory and true crime lovers will both love this fascinating story of the history of eels and the black market fueled by selling them illegally. Eels cannot be bred in captivity, and Ellen Ruppell Shell describes the extremely lucrative black market industry that has risen up around selling young eels illegally.
Pixel Flesh: How Toxic Beauty Culture Harms Women by Ellen Atlanta (August 6)
In Pixel Flesh, Ellen Atlanta pushes back against the false narrative that toxic beauty culture is actually empowering. She uses extensive research and her personal experience to tackle ideas around plastic surgery, impossible beauty standards, and the difficulties young women face today.
Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence by Sara Imari Walker (August 6)
Physicist and astrobiologist Sara Imari Walker tackles some of our biggest questions: What is life? And what is the origin of it? Walker proposes a whole new paradigm for how we understand life and what that new understanding might mean for humanity.
On a Move: Philadelphia’s Notorious Bombing and a Native Son’s Lifelong Battle for Justice by Mike Africa Jr. with D. Watkins (August 6)
In May of 1985, Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on a residential neighborhood. Mike Africa Jr. chronicles how the police were pushing back against MOVE, a Black-led organization seeking liberation for people under all forms of oppression. Africa Jr. details his parents’ involvement in MOVE and the childhood he spent witnessing the aftermath of the bombing.
The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller (August 6)
In The Boys of Riverside, journalist Thomas Fuller follows the football team from the California School for the Deaf during their undefeated 2021-2022 season. The all-Deaf team, led by Deaf coach and former athlete Keith Adams, went from the underdogs to undefeated champions.
A Wilder Shore: The Romantic Odyssey of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson by Camille Peri (August 13)
There’s nothing like a book that delves into the life of a beloved author. Camille Peri brings to life the lives of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island. She shares a portrait of two incredibly fascinating people who lived vibrant, adventurous lives.
Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans by Bill Schutt (August 13)
Zoologist Bill Schutt, the author of Cannibalism, argues that the success of vertebrate species all depends on their teeth. From tusks to fangs, teeth come in all shapes and sizes, but they all help a species survive, and even thrive. Schutt believes that the continued study of teeth can help us better understand the human body.
Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home by Chris La Tray (August 20)
Chris La Tray was always told he was Indigenous, but it wasn’t until he was at his father’s funeral that he seriously began looking into his family’s past. Becoming Little Shell follows La Tray’s experience finding and learning more about his tribe, the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and its 150-year history of seeking federal recognition.
Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs (August 20)
In this new biography, Alexis Pauline Gumbs explores the life of Audre Lorde. Gumbs is the first biographer to take full advantage of Lorde’s archives, making Survival Is a Promise a stunning portrait of this monumental writer.
Latin-Ish: More Than 100 Recipes Celebrating American Latino Cuisines by Marisel Salazar (August 20)
Marisel Salazar presents 100 American dishes based on diaspora Latino cuisine. Through her research, travel, and personal experience, Salazar has written a one-of-a-kind cookbook that celebrates the unique fusion of Latin culinary traditions that were created through migration and blending of cultures.
There are so many good books — I don’t know where to start! If you’re looking for even more nonfiction book recommendations, check out 10 New Nonfiction Book Releases of July and 10 New Nonfiction Book Releases of June.
As always, you can find a full list of new releases in the magical New Release Index, carefully curated by your favorite Book Riot editors, organized by genre and release date.
