5 Nonfiction Reads To Make You Smile

In a recent Nonfiction Workshop, several of us MFA-ers were contemplating whether true art -- or writing, specifically -- needs to be about pain or trauma. The general consensus seemed to be that, no, it does not. Joyful writing is art, too. But even as we said that, we struggled to bring an example of a nonfiction piece that felt joyful. Nonfiction, and especially memoir writing, has an undeniable tendency to focus on the pain inherent in the human experience. And while writing and reading about trauma can be a valuable tool for healing, we believe there’s also substantial value in joyful writing. Because here’s the bottom line: We will all enjoy writing a whole lot more if we enjoy what we’re writing about. And guess what? Chances are our readers will like it, too! To write joyfully, though, one must first read joy and study the strategies and practices other writers have employed to, as Marie Kondo would say, “spark joy.”

So, determined not to bury ourselves in a pity of depressing nonfiction, we challenged ourselves to find a few examples of nonfiction that not only engage and draw us in, but leave us feeling uplifted and inspired.

And we did!

Whether you’re a reader looking for your next nonfiction fix or a writer seeking examples of “joyful” nonfiction, here are 5 nonfiction reads (in no particular order) that we think will make you smile!

1. Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger

Yes, as in the TV show with Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. This is the story behind the fan favorite...a story of a small, sometimes divided community with big dreams. And the Friday-night tradition that unites them all. What we find particularly fascinating about this book is that the author, investigative journalist Buzz Bissinger, is neither from Odessa, Texas, where the book is set, nor a high school football player. But he is observant, and he asks the right questions, and he writes people like no other...the way he captures the essence of a person on paper is a study in craft and attention to detail. He describes the fans:

They cheered for Ivory Christian, the hulking middle linebacker who preached on Sundays. They cheered for Brian Chavez, the tight end who was as good in the classroom as he was on the field. They cheered for Mike Winchell, the painfully shy quarterback who hated crowds.

And they cheered for Boobie.

Of all the players on the 1988 team, he was the one most destined to be a star. Fullback James (Boobie) Miles ran with flair, and at six feet and 200 pounds, he looked imposing in a football uniform. But it was something extra that made him a blue-chip college prospect, a kind of inextinguishable fire that burned within him, a feeling that no one on the field, no one, was as good as he was.

The entire book is a testament to the fact that a good writer can write well about anything -- even something they’ve never personally experienced. As a reader, there’s a lot to fall in love with in these pages. As a writer, there’s a lot to learn from.

1. “How I Fell For My Complete Opposite” by Steven Rinella

We’re suckers for a real-life love story. In this short essay for Glamour Magazine, hunter and nature writer Steve Rinella shares how he fell in love with his wife...through publishing his book. You don’t have to be a hunting or nature enthusiast to enjoy this cute little love story, in our opinion. “There are two things you ought to know about me,” he tells us:

First, I'm an outdoorsman. I'm most at ease hanging out in the mountains of Alaska and eating things that died at my hands. I had always assumed I'd marry a woman who was, too. Which brings me to the second thing. I recently married a New York City publicist named Katie, who is the last woman on earth you'd find with a rifle slung over her shoulder.

Rinella writes like he’s swapping stories with you over a beer - his conversational style is light but engaging, making this a read that reminds us that yes, our happy stories are worth celebrating and learning from.

1. “The Origami Lab” by Susan Orlean

In one of her essays for The New Yorker, Orlean gets to the bottom of why a successful physicist dropped everything to pursue a life as a master paper-folder. She opens the essay:

One of the few Americans to see action during the Bug Wars of the nineteen-nineties was Robert J. Lang, a lanky Californian who was on the frontlines throughout, from the battle of the Kabutomushi beetle to the battle of the Menacing Mantis and the battle of the Long-Legged Wasp. Most combatants in the Bug Wars -- which were, in fact, origami contests -- were members of the Origami Detectives, a group of artists in Japan who liked to try outdoing one another with extreme designs of assigned subjects.

What follows is a deep dive into this world of competitive and professional origami, which is a surprisingly fascinating niche, in part because of how Orlean talks about it. Orlean’s writing beckons you into the rabbit hole of origami’s craft and history, and her lyrical approach to storytelling turns paper folding into music. We love this essay not only as an escape into a world we know nothing about, but as a gorgeous example of how we, as writers, can create some really wonderful nonfiction writing simply by pursuing something that interests us and inviting our readers along for the journey.

1. Clanlands by Sam Heughan & Graham McTavish

This travel-memoir-meets-braided-personal-narrative-meets-humor

-book is pure escapism and the perfect example of how to create your own nonfiction topic. Actors Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish -- stars of the show Outlander -- don their kilts and fuel up on whiskey and haggis for a galavanting adventure to explore the culture and history of their home country, Scotland. The two men take turns narrating the book, and we often get to see certain...er...childish antics...from both of their points of view. Cue lots of good-natured banter and finger-pointing. While Heughan and McTavish are not writers by trade, they have some help from professional writer Charlotte Reather, who helps these two adventurers tell their tale with humor and wit. You don’t have to be an Outlander fan to enjoy this book, and in fact, we think that anyone interested in history writing, travel writing, memoir, or -- dare we say it -- ghostwriting (hey, it’s a valid profession) would find a lot of useful and enjoyable content in this quick and rollicking read.

1. Crappy Friends: The Ultimate Guide to Female Friendships, the Good, the Bad, the Ugly by Kristan Higgins & Joss Dey

New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins and fantasy writer Joss Dey, who happen to be best friends, joined forces to bring us this refreshing, poignant, and hilarious look at navigating all the nuances of friendship, from the awkward to the painful to the heartbreaking. It’s important to note that these women are not self-help writers; they’re novelists. So their nonfiction has a very strong narrative structure and tone. If Higgins is the universal mother, Dey is the universal fun aunt, and the wisdom they impart is simply born from their life experiences as friends, mothers, sisters, daughters, colleagues, and wives. From anecdotes to advice, these ladies speak from the heart without presumption, just a genuine intent to offer help to anyone who faces a tough friendship situation. We love this book not only because it’s a fun and inspiring read, but because it reminds us that you don’t have to be an expert to write a how-to guide, and that you’re absolutely allowed to write a self-help book that feels like a memoir.

Want more nonfiction? Perhaps of the literary variety this time? Check out Old Dominion’s literary journal, Barely South Review.

Happy Reading!

Xoxo WinC

Emma Comery is an MFA Candidate at Old Dominion University concentrating in Creative Nonfiction. As a freelance writer, she has written for The Bend Magazine and Military Families Magazine, and her creative work has appeared in Lady Literary Magazine, and Vantage Point Literary Magazine. In 2016, she received the Cantrell Poetry Prize at Centre College. Connect with her at @etc.writes on Instagram.