THE STRENGTH (AND WEAKNESS) of Augusten Burroughs’s meta-self-help book is its no-nonsense candor.  Also, wit!

AN INSPIRING MEMOIR follows a man’s search for his birth parents, brothers and sister. Touching and direct!

A YOUNG WOMAN’S BATTLE with bipolar disorder, related in parallel with her mother’s caregiving story. Touching.

THE SHOCKING TRUE STORY of a man’s escape from the brutal North Korean prison camp where he was born.

ART THEFT, LOOKED at from the perspectives of detectives, lawmakers, victims, and even thieves. Eye-opening!

A NEW YORK EVENT PLANNER’S memoir spotlights her life’s ups (marriage, family) and downs (surviving assault).

A MOTHER’S MEMOIR of her son’s autism, and of his fierce determination to work and advocate for independence.

COMPELLING, WELL RESEARCHED look at the US’s culture of trash creation and its impact on the environment.

MEDITATIVE, ELOQUENT ESSAYS from novelist Marilynne Robinson touch on faith, aging, and the joy of reading.

QUIRKY, HIGHLY INFORMATIVE overview of laws about sexual behavior from Hammurabi to the trial of Oscar Wilde.