Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of June 28, 2012 June 29, 2012 • Erik Larson's true crime book, The Devil in the White City, is on the list for a 208th week.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For July 21 July 22, 2011 • When Colton, the 4-year-old son of a Nebraska pastor, loses consciousness during surgery, he sees a vision of heaven and meets Jesus' special horse. Todd Burpo retells his son's story in Heaven Is for Real, which enjoys its 27th week on the list.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For July 14 July 15, 2011 • Syrian-born Abdulrahman Zeitoun stays in New Orleans after Katrina and helps rescue neighbors with a small canoe. Dave Eggers tells a story of selflessness in the face of racial injustice in Zeitoun, which enjoys a 53rd week on the list.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For July 7 July 8, 2011 • After growing up in a poor and dysfunctional West Virginia home, four young siblings learn to fend for themselves. Jeannette Walls' memoir, The Glass Castle, returns to the list for its 211th week.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For June 30 July 1, 2011 • An architect plans for 1893's Chicago World's Fair, while a serial killer wreaks havoc at his nearby "hotel." The Devil in the White City enjoys its 195th week on the list.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For June 23 June 24, 2011 • A lioness nurses a baby oryx; an elephant befriends a sheep. National Geographic writer Jennifer Holland narrates some of nature's strangest pairings in Unlikely Friendships. It debuts at No. 10.
Donald Miralle/Getty Images Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For June 16 June 17, 2011 • Susan Casey collects stories from wave-chasing surfers and scientists — and experiences some massive swells firsthand — in The Wave. It debuts at No. 15.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For June 9 June 10, 2011 • Four Fish is Paul Greenberg's wide-ranging exploration of humankind's relationship with fish — the flesh that even many vegetarians eat. It debuts at No. 14.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For June 2 June 3, 2011 • Expanding on a segment from his late-night show, Jimmy Fallon expresses gratitude for everything from the light bulb he's too lazy to replace to the F12 button on his computer keyboard. Thank You Notes debuts at No. 10.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For May 26 May 27, 2011 • In a graphic account of the brutality of war, journalist Sebastian Junger chronicles the 15-month tour of duty of a U.S. army platoon in Afghanistan. Embedded with the troops, Junger offers on-the-ground insight into the camaraderie and bravery of soldiers. War debuts at No. 12.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For May 19 May 20, 2011 • In 1836, a 9-year-old pioneer girl was kidnapped during a Comanche raid in North Texas. She became the ward of the Comanche chief and later gave birth to Chief Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche leader. S.C. Gwynne's Empire of the Summer Moon debuts at No. 9.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For May 12 May 13, 2011 • In Life, Keith Richards recounts his epic rock and roll career in all its gory detail — from the Rolling Stones' ascension to fame and their drug-fueled antics to his undying love of blues music. His memoir debuts at No. 6.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For May 5 May 6, 2011 • Heidi Swanson, creator of the award-winning blog 101 Cookbooks, brings her style of wholesome and nutritious cooking to classic dishes with a collection of nearly 100 of her favorite go-to recipes. Her cookbook, Super Natural Every Day, debuts at No. 11.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For April 28 April 29, 2011 • In 1951, a woman died of cervical cancer, but her remarkably reproductive cells — taken without her knowledge — survived. Those cells have since led to countless medical breakthroughs. Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tops the list this week.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For April 21 April 22, 2011 • Science writer Mary Roach takes a practical look at space travel and examines its effects on the glitch-prone human body. Packing For Mars debuts at No. 13.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For April 14 April 15, 2011 • Operation Mincemeat tells the true story of a British World War II plot to distract the Germans by planting a floating corpse, which they had equipped with secret but misleading papers, off the coast of Spain. Ben Macintyre's account of the Allied machinations debuts at No. 10.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For April 7 April 8, 2011 • Christopher McDougall's new book on running takes us from Harvard's laboratories to Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, where the author learns the centuries-old techniques of the world's greatest long-distance runners, the reclusive and ultra-athletic Tarahumara Indians. Born to Run debuts at No. 4.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For March 31 April 1, 2011 • In Patti Smith's spellbinding memoir, Just Kids, she tells the story of her lifelong relationship with fellow artist Robert Mapplethorpe, from their meeting in New York in the 1960s to his death in 1989. Smith's aching elegy to her deceased friend is No. 2 on the list this week.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For March 24 March 25, 2011 • In one of the latest additions to the canon of parenting psychology books, journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman set out to debunk all the rest. They argue that many of the most popular strategies for raising children are wrong — and backfiring. NurtureShock enjoys its 10th week on the list.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For March 17 March 18, 2011 • Wendy Burden's memoir of growing up a Vanderbilt chronicles the decline of her eccentric and famously blue-blooded family with dark humor and wit. The Dead End Gene Pool debuts at No. 13.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For March 10 March 11, 2011 • In The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin takes a deliberate approach to a joyful life. She puts herself through a disciplined program to road-test the wisdom of the ages on achieving happiness in all areas — from work, marriage and money to fun and friendships. It debuts this week at No. 6.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For March 3 March 4, 2011 • Cultural historian Rebecca Solnit reinvents the atlas in her geographic exploration of the San Francisco Bay Area. With the help of artists, writers and cartographers, Solnit peels back the layers of the city, revealing its treasures and connections. Infinite City enjoys its second week on the list.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For Feb. 24 February 25, 2011 • Dogs may be man's best friend, but that doesn't mean we know that much about them. Psychologist and dog lover Alexandra Horowitz applies the science of animal behavior to discover what they know and how they think. Inside of a Dog spends its 20th week on the list.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For Feb. 17 February 18, 2011 • Malcolm Gladwell brings together a collection of his writings from The New Yorker, addressing subjects as various and sundry as varieties of ketchup, the hazards of statistical reasoning and the history of hair dye. What the Dog Saw enjoys its ninth week on the list.
