Check it out

From the time I learned to do it, my love of reading has focused around fiction. In this space I'd like to write about nonfiction books that are every bit as gripping as the novels I've always preferred.

Fiction lovers are drawn to novels because they find one of several tantalizing elements there: first, words--a delicious turn of phrase, a lovely image that instantly turns the world inside out, or the pure lyricism of a well-written sentence. Second, the element of escape. In order for a book to become a mental destination, it needs to offer a plot or a sense of suspense, or capture a time or place so powerfully that we are drawn in unaware. Third, a journey--everyone loves a quest. Fourth, brilliant characterization. Because at the core, when we read literature we are trying to unite with humanity: to share the experience of living with all those who join us in the written sphere of the heart. If a nonfiction work offers up one of these elements richly enough, it can capture the attention of even the most diehard fiction devotee.