Libro.fm’s Picks: The Best Nonfiction Audiobooks of All Time

“This book was so informative and a joy to listen to. Jason Reynolds has such a way with words, and with him narrating the book as well, you’re swept up in the history being told. This is a perfect audiobook for high schoolers to listen to with their parents.”

Lizzy, Books & Company

“Instead of reading this important book outright, Gladwell uses a podcast-style format to really engage the listener. Thoroughly engaging, interesting, and enlightening, audio is definitely an excellent way to read this book.”

Melissa, Watermark Books

“Hilarious and full of heart, this audiobook, read by the fabulous author Stanley Tucci, will make you laugh, make you hungry, and make you not want to stop listening until the very end. This book will be one I recommend to anyone and everyone.”

Olivia, Author’s Note

“Lawson speaks to all of us who are weird, wacky, and unafraid (but, really, often afraid) to share our quirks with the world. Some chapters of this book moved me deeply, where it felt as though she was narrating my own life. Other chapters made me ugly laugh, the type that turns strangers’ heads in public.”

Jasmin, Bookery Manchester

“Few authors are able to write nonfiction history that reads like a page turning adventure novel, but David Grann is one of them. The gripping story of The Wager’s shipwreck and the survivors’ divergent tales of the events that followed kept me on the edge of my seat as I devoured this book.”

Josh, Underground Books

“Lindy West makes true observations about movies in ways that will make you laugh at out, and cause you to re-think some of your 90s/00s favorite films! Her witty commentary is what we all NEED…even if you have not seen the films. It’s written by someone smart and hilarious who has strong opinions about things that don’t matter. The PERFECT road trip audiobook, listeners can come in and out without loosing place in the book.

*12/10 DVDs of The Fugitive*”

Emma, Content

“A masterful look at the complexity of the queer experience. Machado employs a kaleidoscope approach to examine her relationship with an old partner, a woman who verbally, physically and emotionally assaulted her, her own personal experiences that led her to stay “in the dream house” of abuse, and society’s role in the oppression and devaluation of women, especially queer women and women of color. Through a mix of long and super short chapters, examples of old folk tales and pop culture, and more realistic narrative, Machado digs deep into the confusing, distorted and contradictory aspects of a toxic relationship, in which the victim begins to doubt her own reactions and motives. It’s a #fivestarreview for us, and #requiredreading! And the Libro.fm audiobook features Machado reading! Amazing amazing amazing.”

Jhoanna, Bel Canto Books

“This was the perfect listen at the right time. Memoir, mythology, and meditations on an ever ignored fact that we must change our lifestyle in order to adapt to this sometimes brutal season. I will definitely come back to this one many times.”

Nichole, The Yankee Bookshop

“You may be cleaning your house or walking your dog, but Ruth Reichl will take you away –to New York, Paris, and the world’s best restaurants in her own narration of her years with Gourmet Magazine. Ruth is a consummate storyteller, and if you’ve read her earlier memoirs you MUST experience this latest; she adds to her mother’s story (remember Tender At the Bone?) inserts recipes, and dishes on some prominent names in publishing and food. I’m so glad Ruth read her book to us; I felt like we’d spent the afternoon at a sidewalk cafe.”

Cheryl, Book Passage

“David Sedaris’s storytelling capabilities are only strengthened through the audiobook, in which the author himself leads us through his gut-busting tale of his vacations in beach homes. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and then you’ll listen to the audiobook forty times over again.”

Ella, Parnassus Books

“A lovely lovely listen read by the author. This is the perfect book to take on a long walk or drive that will make you look at the world in a fresh way. Drawing on personal anecdotes, history, literature and science, Green embraces both small and big ideas and makes you grateful for things you might have once overlooked. 5/5 stars for this audiobook!”

Katie, Bank Square Books

No one really needs my blurb to help sell this book, but I wanted to give it anyway, especially for the audiobook, narrated by Barack Obama himself. If you want to know his incredible knowledge and wisdom that guided him through major decisions, and also hear him drop a few F-bombs, you need to listen to this fantastically written book.”

Amber, quail ridge books

“I really enjoy Susan Orleans’ writing, but I REALLY love listening to her. On Animals is a lovely collection of essays on animals. Ruminations on chickens (hers), mules, pandas, dogs and more get the wonderful “Orlean” treatment. At times funny, some sad, but always with a sense of wonder and surprise. ”

Liesl, Boulder Book Store

“Accessible, funny, and fascinating, much like the author’s famed television show, The Good Place. This is a great primer on moral philosophy, targeted at the layperson. A quick read that will have you chuckling at times and grappling with the great questions of right and wrong at others. Highly recommended, even more so as an audio book since you get cameos by the cast of The Good Place sprinkled throughout!”

Murray, Trail’s End Bookstore

“Saeed Jones does amazing transformative things with words. This stunning coming-of-age memoir is no exception. Prepare yourself for intense vulnerability as he fights to find and take up space as a Black gay man growing up in the American South.”

Zinna, A Great Good Place for Books

“We are all living through this moment in history together, and yet somehow, Zadie Smith has captured it in a way I could never have expected. Stunning, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, but oddly hopeful, Intimations is necessary reading—or listening, with searing narration by the author—the sort that had me pulling off the road as catharsis welled in my eyes.”

Britt, Second Star to the Right

“Mia Mercado’s comedic timing is evident as she voices the alternations of her text. Shifting adeptly between dead honest coverage of micro-aggressions and lively portrayals of her pup; between depictions of vocational doldrums and a litany of relationship discoveries, between feminist self-love and self-deprecating humor, Mercado’s range is refreshing and impressive.”

Ashley, Leaves Book and Tea Shop

“In Wandering in Strange Lands, Morgan Jerkins brings us along on her journey to learn about her ancestors and herself. This fascinating ethnography leads Jerkins down paths she anticipated and, perhaps most interestingly, down unexpected ones. As she learns more about where and whom she came from, she confronts her image of herself and grapples with some of the truths she finds. The history, the people, the insight, and the implications of the information in this book make it not only incredibly interesting, but also a significant contribution to our understanding of cultures and connections in the United States.”

Nancy, Raven Book Store

“Did you know Harriet Tubman knocked out her two front teeth with the end of her gun? Did you know she was devout and believed she saw visions from God? Or that she started multiple charity organizations? An engaging, accessible read—and especially fabulous on audiobook.”

Nicole, Oblong Books

“This timely book follows the life of a young woman whose family immigrates to New York from Vietnam. It is a heartbreaking look at the challenges to overcoming PTSD, poverty, and mental illness. Ultimately, Ly Tran’s story is one of hope, one that is much-needed today.”

Alecia Diane, Sweet Home Books