14 of Summer’s Top Nonfiction Books

Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed British History by Tracy Borman (June 20)

Atlantic Monthly Press

Yes, Boleyn was one of King Henry VIII’s famously doomed wives, but she was also a mom — for less than three years before her violent death — to the future Queen Elizabeth I. Respected Tudor scholar Borman makes a case for both women’s political and cultural influence, while detailing how they were shaped by the traditions of their day (Anne was frowned upon for wanting to breastfeed her daughter, for example). And, despite their short time together, the author writes, Elizabeth spent her life trying to rehabilitate her mother’s reputation “as the great queen that she was.”

President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier by C.W. Goodyear (July 4)

Simon & Schuster

How much do you know about James A. Garfield? If you’re like me, probably not much more than the fact that he was the second American president to be assassinated: He was shot in 1881, just 120 days into his presidency, by a disappointed job applicant, then took “80 agonizing days to die,” as Goodyear puts it. But there was more to Garfield than his death, the author argues: He was a teacher, abolitionist and Civil War general, as well as one of the youngest congressmen to serve in Washington (he’d serve nine terms). He was also responsible for a range of progressive policies, including the establishment of a program to help educate ex-slaves — he called slavery a “monstrous injustice” — before his famous passing.

Simon & Schuster

August Wilson: A Life by Patti Hartigan (Aug. 15)

As theater critic for The Boston Globe, Hartigan actually met and interviewed the renowned playwright August Wilson several times before his death from cancer in 2005 at age 59. She writes about his beginnings in Pittsburgh, where he faced racism as a biracial boy (his father was a White man from Germany, his mother African American), and his rise to become one of the most significant 20th-century playwrights in the U.S. He received Pulitzer Prizes for his plays The Piano Lesson and Fences, which was the basis for a 2016 film adaptation starring Denzel Washington (a movie version of another Wilson play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, hit screens in 2020). 

Other notable nonfiction summer releases, in brief:

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel (June 27)

Stephane Breitwieser was responsible for more than 200 art heists, recounted by Finkel, author of the excellent 2017 bestseller The Stranger in the Woods.

Bogie & Bacall: The Surprising True Story of Hollywood’s Greatest Love Affair  by William J. Mann (July 11)

Mann describes the relationship between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, who was just 19 when she met the 45-year-old Bogart.

Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America’s Legendary Racehorse  by Kim Wickens (July 11) 

Wickens tells the story of the stallion who captivated 19th-century America and was considered the fastest racehorse in the world.

Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud by Ben McKenzie and Jacob Silverman (July 18)

Actor McKenzie (The O.C.) and journalist Silverman explain the wild, inscrutable, scam-friendly world of crypto.  

The Many Lives of Mama Love  by Lara Love Hardin (Aug. 1)

Hardin has received positive early reviews for this colorful memoir that includes her heroin addiction and experience in prison.

The Measure of Our Age: Navigating Care, Safety, Money & Meaning Later in Life by M.T. Connolly (July 18)

The founder and former head of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative discusses the current caregiving crisis and how we might improve life for older adults.  

Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II by Lena S. Andrews (Aug. 1)

CIA military analyst Andrews highlights the remarkable accomplishments of and challenges faced by the 350,000 women who served in uniform during the war.