Adult Non-fiction that Teens Would Like

Last week I recommended novels marketed as being for adults that I thought teens would like. This week I’m turning my attention to non-fiction. My kid had a big influence on these choices as they have been seeking out lots of adult non-fiction lately. The picks below are engaging and informative.

Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home — But Probably Shouldn’t by Theodore Gray (2009)

Gray, whose astonishing Elements and Molecules you should also check out, shows tenets of science through crazy and tantalizing experiments. The accompanying photos are stunners and the book is one that my kid rereads over and over.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (2003)

There’s plenty of “gross” in this book about cadavers for those who find that appealing, but it goes much deeper, exploring how dead bodies have been used in pursuit of scientific knowledge throughout history. Roach’s style is approachable and informative.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by John Krakauer (1997)

Krakauer’s first-person account of climbing Everest had me spellbound when I read it. He confronts his own guilt about what happened, but in journalistic style, relies on evidence and proof in telling his story.

The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google by Scott Galloway (2017)

Galloway depicts how these tech supergiants rose to their powerful positions today. My kid loved this inside look into these omnipresent businesses.

Never Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We Live by Rob Dunn (2018)

The kid loved to quote from this book while they were reading it, regaling us with details about the creatures that share our living space. It shows how our culture’s focus on cleanliness has changed the domestic ecosystem.