Tried a nonfiction pick for our book club after hating the last one

I gave in and read 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' after swearing off nonfiction forever, and I actually got hooked on the medical ethics drama. What made me flip was how the story felt like a thriller, not a textbook - has anyone else found a genre they hated suddenly click with a specific book?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_dylan21d ago

Maybe it's just me but 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' is more of a biography with a side of ethics. I mean, is one good book really enough to flip your whole genre opinion?

norathomas21d ago

Got a friend who swore off memoirs after one too many sad ones, then read that book and now she won't shut up about how science writing can actually tell a human story too. She says it changed her whole view on what a genre can do, not just one book flipping her opinion but opening a door.

mila_perry1321d ago

Wait hold on, one book made you completely change your mind about a whole genre? That seems like a lot. I mean I get liking a book that surprises you, but saying it flipped your whole opinion on nonfiction feels kind of dramatic. It's still just one story about one family, not like all nonfiction is suddenly that interesting. Books like that are rare exceptions, not the rule, you know? Most nonfiction is still just dry facts and long chapters. I just think people get caught up in the excitement of finding something good and make it sound bigger than it really is.