Best Literary Nonfiction Books of 2023

Discover the Best Literary Nonfiction Books of 2023 at Barnes & Noble and find your next nonfiction read for your book list. From hard-hitting exposés to transformative memoirs, from stories of strength and perseverance to the newest theories in science, philosophy and economics, some of the most poignant and interesting examinations of life as we know it have been published in 2023. Find your next must-read nonfiction book on our list of the Best Nonfiction Books of the Year!

Poverty, by America takes a hard-hitting look at how 40% of the population of the wealthiest country in the world lives in poverty, answering difficult questions about how we got there and how we can get ourselves out.

Punished for Dreaming examines four decades of educational reform, scrutinizing how school reform in America harms Black children and offers solutions for change and healing.

American Ramble is a memoir of a man who took an unforgettable pilgrimage, walking 330 miles from DC to NYC, examining the kaleidoscope that is America’s past and present in the process.

Our Migrant Souls takes a closer look into the spirit of the Latinx population in America through this thought-provoking and powerful exposé on what it means to truly be the heart of America.

Looking for more popular and must-read nonfiction? Browse our complete selection of nonfiction books at Barnes & Noble today.

The 10 Best Literary Nonfiction Books of 2023 (in no particular order):

Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
Doppelgänger by Naomi Klein
Punished for Dreaming
American Ramble by Neil King Jr.
Monsters by Claire Dederer
Determined by Robert M. Sapolsky
Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe
Our Migrant Souls by Héctor Tobar
A Woman I Know by Mary Haverstick
To Free the Captives by Tracy K. Smith