1book140: Vote for a Nonfiction Book to Read in March

The choices for our Twitter book club this month range from a true-crime classic to a World War II biography.

After spending two evenings compiling and researching our many #1book140 nominations for March, I’d like to share a note I made to myself: “Nonfiction” might be an overly broad category for a typical month. Maybe next time, we should limit voting to no more than eight options (and not the fifteen below)? That said, the occasional free-for-all voting period can be fun, too. Let’s see how this goes, and please share your comments below and on Twitter.

Final note: Sci-fi is our genre for April. Start thinking up and sharing your nominations now using #1book140.​

The Battle for Justice in Palestine by Ali Abunimah

The co-founder and director of The Electronic Intifada, Ali Abunimah, channels decades of research and advocacy into this comprehensive analysis of Palestine’s complex relationship with Israel.

Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World by Srdja Popovic and Matthew Miller

Srdja Popovic discusses his experience building a movement that contributed to the downfall of Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević while sharing advice for leading nonviolent revolutions. Did we mention it’s also really funny?

Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil by Hannah Arendt

Based on a series of articles first published in The New Yorker, Hannah Arendt’s reporting on the trial of Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann continues to resonate—and stir controversy—more than fifty years later.

The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued their Bosses and Changed the Workplace by Lynn Povich

In 1970, 46 women filed a groundbreaking class action lawsuit against Newsweek, charging "systematic discrimination." Lynn Povich, one of the organizers, tells the stories of several women, positioning them within the context of larger cultural shifts in the United States.

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield

The Los Angeles Times hits the nail on the head: "Whether you're a graphic designer or a layperson with no background in this area, reading what Garfield has to say will change the way you perceive the written word forever.”

Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer

After saving the lives of 2,500 Jewish children in Warsaw during WWII, the heroism of the social worker Irena Sendler was largely forgotten until three high school girls in Kansas turned her story into a play titled Life in a Jar.

Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker

In his “beautifully and provocatively written” (Publishers Weekly) investigation of unsolved murders on Long Island, the award-winning investigative reporter Robert Kolker humanizes victims and sheds light on prostitution in the digital age.

Lucky Dog: How Being a Veterinarian Saved My Life by Sarah Boston

What’s it like to navigate the human healthcare system after a career treating animals? The veterinarian Sarah Boston takes readers along on her unique cancer treatment ride.

Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova

The psychologist and journalist Maria Konnikova presents an apt follow-up to January’s #1book140 selection with Mastermind, which The New York Times calls “an entertaining blend of Holmesiana and modern-day neuroscience.”

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt

The New York Times Book Review raves about this Savannah true-crime classic, writing that it “might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime."

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

I’m partial to Roger Ebert so I’ll let him take it away: "On Writing had more useful and observant things to say about the craft than any book since Strunk and White's The Elements of Style."

Once Before Time: A Whole Story of the Universe by Martin Bojowald

If you’ve struggled with the limitations of Einstein’s general theory of relativity in explaining the birth of the universe, Martin’s Bojowald’s book explaining his theory of loop quantum cosmology is for you.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Kirkus calls this popular and well-reviewed meditation on introverts "an intriguing and potentially life-altering examination of the human psyche that is sure to benefit both introverts and extroverts alike."

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert

Selected as one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2014, The Sixth Extinction is an unflinching and rigorous (yet incredibly readable) account of the history of extinctions and the role of humans on our planet.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Delinquent. Olympian. Airman. Shark bait. Read the riveting story of Louis Zamperini that inspired the 2014 film of the same name.

Cast your vote below by Friday, March 6, and let’s get reading.