Non-Fiction Titles and Subtitles Quiz

Answer: The Devil in the White City

Known primarily for his historical non-fiction, Erik Larson has presented a number of books pertaining to unique events, often in American and European history, all of which unfold as though written like a novel. "The Devil in the White City", published in 2002, may be his most-celebrated work. Examining the period of time surrounding Chicago's build-up and hosting of the 1893 World's Fair, half of the book follows the significant advancements in technology and the spectacle that followed while the other half tracks the events that occurred in the H. H. Holmes murders that unfolded concurrently within the city.

Other books in Larson's bibliography include "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin" (2011), "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania" (2015), and "The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz" (2020).

Answer: The Body Keeps the Score

Written by Dutch psychologist Bessel van der Kolk, "The Body Keeps the Score" was released in 2014 as one of the most digestible works ever created about how the mind deals with post-traumatic stress disorder. While a popular best-seller, many in the field have spoken out against the book due to the way that it approaches a mental health topic that still has strides to be taken due to its complex nature; some have even gone so far as to say that Van der Kolk's writings amount to pseudoscience.

Despite this, Van der Kolk was, at one time, the President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies in Washington D.C., creating the National Child Traumatic Stress Network in this role.

Answer: On Tyranny

Perhaps one of the foremost scholars on Holocaust studies and the history of Eastern Europe, Timothy Snyder has published numerous works that recontextualize eras of not-so-distant historical shifts for a modern audience, and the short non-fiction book "On Tyranny" is perhaps his most important. In twenty brief chapters, Snyder lists ways that people can push back against encroaching authoritarianism-- succinct instructions from 'Do not obey in advance' to 'Defend institutions' to 'Make eye contact and small talk'-- and all of this, published in 2017, was laid out in order to reestablish Snyder's point that history should not be forgotten, but reflected upon, to prevent strife in the future.

"On Tyranny" has been at the top of the bestseller lists, internationally, several times over, notably during its initial release in 2017 (until 2021), but also in the wake of the 2024 U.S. elections.

Answer: Careless People

The memoir of Sarah Wynn-Williams, "Careless People" was released in early 2025 and acted both as a personal recounting of events that occurred during the author's time working in a high-level position at Facebook/Meta and a break-down of just some of the transgressions the social media giant made over the years she was employed with them. Wynn-Williams, who worked as Director of Public Policy from 2011 to 2017, was let go from the company on account of alleged poor performance, a justification she claimed was a result of her allegations against former Meta President of Global Affairs, Joel Kaplan.

In its exposé, "Careless People" also discusses Facebook/Meta's attempts to curry favour with the Chinese government, its influence in the Myanmar genocides, and its spotty internal approach workplace HR policy.

Answer: Nexus

Although Yuval Noah Harari's Oxford-by-way-of-University-of-Jerusalem education doesn't seem like it would lend itself to his literary output, Harari has been the author of several colossal non-fiction works that have become international bestsellers since he started publishing them in the 2010s. "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind", which released in 2014, tracked humanity from the Stone Age onward in a sweeping way, giving a digestible overview of the history of man while his follow-up to this, "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow" (2016), extrapolated on man's tendency to find meaning in its own nature and build for an uncertain future.

"Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI", released in 2024 and took a similar course through history, tracking the way that people have communicated, tracked, and disseminated info starting with oral storytelling and ending with what lies beyond modern technology.

Answer: I'll Be Gone in the Dark

Published in 2018, two years after her passing, Michelle McNamara's "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" was a best-selling true crime work following the then-unsolved case of the Golden State Killer, who operated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s and 1980s. McNamara, who had gotten two-thirds of the way through her book before she passed away, had her work picked up by several people in her orbit, notably her husband (Patton Oswalt), investigative journalists, and fellow true crime writer Paul Holes.

Interestingly, two months after the book was published and topped international bestseller lists, the Golden State Killer was caught as a result of genetic testing done via genealogy services performed by distant family members. Joseph James DeAngelo would be caught at his home in Sacramento in 2018 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Answer: Tuesdays with Morrie

After years of working as a sports journalist, Mitch Albom gained the attention of Oprah Winfrey with his 1997 memoir, "Tuesdays with Morrie", chronicling a series of discussions he had with his former university professor, Morrie Schwartz, who was dealing with the final weeks of his life afflicted with ALS. Across fourteen visits, Albom has Morrie open up about his life and the lessons he's learned about it, culminating in broad ways to make profound meaning for oneself.

Albom's book became a colossal hit in the 1990s leading him to write several inspirational fictional works including "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" (2003) and "The Time Keeper" (2012).

Answer: Into Thin Air

Already a writer of his non-fiction experiences in the wilderness with his mountaineering memoir "Eiger Dreams" (1992) and his famous recounting of Christopher McCandless' journey into Alaska in "Into the Wild" (1996), Jon Krakauer planned to tackle Everest with "Into Thin Air", and what he was presented with was one of the deadliest climbing seasons in Everest history in 1996, which he experienced along with a tour led by Rob Hall (who perished on the peak).

Originally planning to write on the commercialization of the Everest climb, he was drawn into completing the ascent only to be stuck, along with a group of other climbers, in a devastating blizzard during the final push to the summit.

Answer: Neither Here nor There

While much of Bill Bryson's bibliography pertains to his travelogues, recounting stories about places he's encountered with a comedic flair, the future Chancellor of Durham University would also end up writing a number of non-fiction classics like "A Short History of Nearly Everything" (2003), "Shakespeare: The World as Stage" (2007), and "The Body: A Guide for Occupants" (2019).

Although many may know him for titles like "A Walk in the Woods", about his traversal of the Appalachian Trail with a friend of his, and "Notes from a Small Island", about his trip around the UK, "Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe", was published before all of these, tracking Bryson's 1990 trip around the continent and reflections on visits he'd made twenty years earlier (with the same friend from "A Walk in the Woods", no less).

Answer: The Tipping Point

A writer for "The Washington Post" in the 1990s, and then "The New Yorker", Malcolm Gladwell was already a big name in journalism when he extrapolated on some of his popular articles to make the 2000 non-fiction book "The Tipping Point", which focused on the idea that, at some point in a big change, there would always be a small pivot point at which a consequence would extrapolate. While the book, which primarily focused on New York City's rapid decrease in crime and how it reached that point, would inevitably be criticized for oversimplifying the sociopolitical factors that went into the drop, it would lead Gladwell to become a major name in 'pop psychology' non-fiction.

Besides creating the popular "Revisionist History" podcast, Gladwell would also publish "Blink" (2005), "Outliers" (2008), and even a sequel to "The Tipping Point", "Revenge of the Tipping Point", in 2024 (amongst other books).