15 Nonfiction Books for Teens That Inform, Inspire, and Ignite Curiosity!

In the world of dull textbooks and term papers, it’s perfectly natural for teens to flock to fiction books in their spare time, but they would be remiss to overlook the fantastic non-fiction books that are captivating and thought-provoking and that affect the views worldwide.

The best non-fiction books help teens feel empowered to make their inner demons creeping in during young adulthood stay silent and calm.

Top non-fiction not only lets the teen read it but welcomes them into the conversation and feels it. 

Here is a list of some popular nonfiction books for teens that will span all kinds of interests and curiosities of teens.

1. THE FARAWAY BROTHERS

THE FARAWAY BROTHERS - Nonfiction Books for Teens

Written by Lauren Markham, The Faraway Brothers is a remarkable story of brotherhood, immigration, and finding a home. This story revolves around 17-year-old twins Ernesto and Raul Flores, targeted and forced by a local gang to flee El Salvador for America.

The journey and their lives are both harrowing as undocumented migrants. The most challenging part is that they must adapt to all new surroundings and anxiously await their immigration court hearing.

Experiencing all these situations while at the typical trials of adolescence makes it more interesting.  


2. WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS 

WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS - best nonfiction books for teens

Written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists is adapted from Adichie’s award-winning TEDx talk. This book is a great stepping stone for the most provoking discussion, gender roles, and equity.

In 2015, it was also announced that every 16-year-old must have a copy of the book. The book is written from Adichie’s own experiences, and it is a perfect key read for young women and men as they have to navigate the future together.

Favorite Quote from We Should All Be Feminists:

“We teach females that in relationships, compromise is what a woman is more likely to do.”

― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists

This book is ideal for teens and has also gained significant popularity at the time of release. In present times, it is considered one of the best nonfiction books for teens.


3. DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE? 

DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE? - popular nonfiction books for teens

Written by Megan Kaye and edited by Allison Singer, Do You Know Who You Are? is a book that has something much more to tell you about digging into your true self when you do it in ink and pen.

It is an excellent nonfiction book for teens, about journalers whose efforts never quite get off the ground.

This beautiful activity book is filled with questionnaires, creative activities, and wisdom imparted by both the professional psychologist and the reader doing the exercises.

Whatever your case is, this book is a worthwhile pursuit


4. BLACKBIRDS IN THE SKY 

BLACKBIRDS IN THE SKY - top nonfiction books for teens

Written by Brandy Colbert, Black Birds in the Sky is one of her best-ever non-fiction books by her.

This fantastic book highlights the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 when a mob of white Americans invaded the Black area of Tulsa, Oklahoma, predominantly and then committed violent racist deeds.

Colbert always seeks to write the memorial the Black community never got.

He needs to explore the context of how the radical art of radical violence came to pass and how Blacks dealt with it. 

5. THE FAMILY ROMANOV: MURDER, REBELLION, AND THE FALL OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA

THE FAMILY ROMANOV

Written by Candace Fleming, The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia is a non-fiction book that needs to get some kind of prize.

No matter whether you are in your teenage or are an adult, anyone who claims history to be boring must try their hands at this fantastic book.

This book portrays the story of Russia’s last royal family and the gripping way of its downfall that covers every spot of doom in its gilded halls.

This book has much higher drama standards than any reality show

6. FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY: THE KILLING OF VINCENT CHIN AND THE TRIAL THAT GALVANISED THE ASIAN-AMERICAN MOVEMENT 

FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY

Written By Paula Yoo, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin And The Trial That Galvanised The Asian American Movement is a non-fiction award nominee and National Book Award longlist book that turns the spotlight on the murder of Vincent Chin in 1932.

Vincent Chin is a young Chinese American who was murdered by two men in a hate crime in Detroit.

In the 1980s, many car manufacturers were relocated to Japan, which heightened the tensions between Asian Americans and White Americans in Detroit.

This fantastic book transports readers to the tinder box relations between Asian Americans and White Americans.  

7. THE MOVIE BOOK: Big Ideas Simply Explained

THE MOVIE BOOK - Big Ideas Simply Explained

The Movie Book is written by DK and is part of his big ideas series. This story is about a do-it-all compendium of movie history, showing how films and movies fit into society.

The book profile of this great non-fiction includes great lines, historical significance, mini-biographies of key industry players, and much more.

The movie book consists of a teen movie buff that instantly draws your attention to its must-see content.

In this age of streaming, this non-fiction book is the perfect fit for teens to get an accurate picture of movie-making’s multifaceted history. 

8. SYMPHONY FOR THE CITY OF THE DEAD

SYMPHONY FOR THE CITY OF THE DEAD

Written by M.T. Anderson, Symphony for The City of The Dead is an award-winning book by him.

In this astonishing non-fiction novel, Anderson turns the spotlight on a young Dmriti Shostakovich, a brilliant composer, caught in Leningrad, occupied by the Nazis starting in 1941 and reached its peak in the 1934-1944 harsh winter.

The story showed that more than a million people died in the occupation.

Still, somehow Shostakovich forged ever on, writing the famous Leningrad Symphony, making a case for the power of music to persist and resist.

9. GIRL CODE: GAMING, GOING VIRAL, AND GETTING IT DONE 

GIRL CODE - GAMING, GOING VIRAL, AND GETTING IT DONE

Written by Andrea Gonzalez and Sophie Houser, Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting it Done is an excellent non-fiction for teens that shows there are still long ways to bring more gender equality to computer programming.

In this novel, both the writers made a rallying cry to recruit more girls to learn code and enter the gaming world to try something new and exciting. Many young women could use this essential knowledge that can be a lucrative skill to start to equal accurate representation.

Two friends who met at an event wrote this fantastic book and soon bonded over their experience of becoming female coders and gamers

10. UNBROKEN 

UNBROKEN

Written by Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken is the story of World War II.

This extraordinary non-fiction novel revolves around the real-life story of Louis Zamperini, her story of survival, resilience, and redemption.

The story shows how this Olympian channeled his energy into running rather than becoming an inmate. This survival tale doesn’t end here, as it has a lot of exciting facts and twists.

No matter whether you are a teen or an adult, you must read this survivor and inspirational non-fiction novel as it will motivate you and will energize you to face challenges

11. THE 57 BUS 

THE 57 BUS

Written by Dashka Salter, The 57 Bus is an amazing story of two teens whose lives were changed in one moment.

Here you will get to know how an incident can change your life forever.

In this story, one teen was severely burned, and the other was charged with a hate crime.

The writer takes you through the story and lives of these two teens using interviews, social media, videos, and public records.

This book shows how an incident could change everything, what consequences you must face, and that life is unpredictable and can change anytime

12. RED SCARF GIRL 

RED SCARF GIRL

Written By Ji-Ji Jiang, Red Scarf Girl is her autobiography, where she paints a vivid portrait of her life in Communist China during the cultural revolution.

In this beautiful non-fiction novel, she discovers what it’s like to go from being a popular and bright student to having everyone turn on her.

She has described every moment of her life through her memories. The plight of courage that she had in the face of adversity is something that keeps you going until the end.

The story shows how you must always be confident and face all the obstacles in your life to succeed. 

13. HOW TO BE A DIFFICULT BITCH

HOW TO BE A DIFFICULT BITCH

Written By Hallen Body, Mary C. Fernandez, Zara Hanawalt, and Sharon Lynn Pruitt, How to Be a Difficult Bitch is one of the best nonfiction books for teens and has fantastic stories.

This remarkable book advocate for claiming your power, ditching the haters, and feeling good doing it.

It is basically about embracing your bitchy side and harnessing it to your advantage, and taking full advantage of it.

From this story, you will learn that rather than just being an obedient and pleasant woman, how you could be a Difficult Bitch, one with invisible armor, serious power, and flawless confidence to shake things up and love yourself. 

14. MURDER AMONG FRIENDS: HOW LEOPOLD AND LOEB TRIED TO COMMIT THE PERFECT CRIME

MURDER AMONG FRIENDS

Written By Candace Fleming, Murder Among Friends is one of the best reads from her, where she has penned the family Romanov.

In this astonishing non-fiction boom, Fleming breathes new life into the chilling story of Leopold and Loeb, the two young men who teamed up to kidnap and kill a child they came to know in 1924.

These two young men just wanted to murder but didn’t count on getting caught, much less at the center of a complicated legal battle.

By reading this novel, you will come to know why they did it, how they avoided the death penalty, and much more. This is a perfect true crime book for teens

15. STAMPED: RACISM, ANTIRACISM, AND YOU 

STAMPED - RACISM, ANTIRACISM, AND YOU

Written By Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped is a National Award-winning book.

In this fantastic non-fiction book, the author has remixed the core concepts from Kendi’s book about the fight between racism and antiracism.

Reynolds and Kendi explore the idea of racism and contextualize it within America’s past, present, and future, along with the hot discussion of how to arm yourself against racism and stand up to hate.

For teens interested in novels, Stamped is the best non-fiction novel for them. 

Wrapping Up 

Not all books need to be fiction; some non-fiction books are also page-turners for teens that make them relate to their lives and feel the story wholeheartedly. Not only that non-fiction novels are real and can show you the true power of the human spirit. If you are a teen and love reading novels, you must read the best non-fiction books mentioned above. 

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