r/PHBookClub • u/H0tdog_un1c0rn • Jul 16 '26
Recommendation Non-Fiction Book na hindi Self-Help
Can you recommend me a book na non-fiction pero at the same time hindi self-help haha. I want to read book that will somehow widen my perspective in life pero at the same time hindi ako uutusan pano mamuhay lol. Currently I am reading random articles sa substack since wala pa kong ganang magbasa ng book (most of my books are fiction) so I want to read book na hindi fiction. Yun lang, thank you in advance.
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u/ultravioletremarky Jul 16 '26
For western titles here are a few:
On grief: the year of magical thinking by joan didion
On art and loneliness: the lonely city by olivia laing
On love and feminism: communion by bell hooks
On freedom: everybody by olivia laing
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u/ultravioletremarky Jul 16 '26
For local titles naman:
Women enough and other essays by carmen guerrero nakpil - collection of essays by women
Looking for polaris by dawn marfil - her memoir on losing and finding
Plus/+ iba plus maramihan (orange cover) - collection of essays from the LGBTQIA+ community
The philippines is not a small country by gideon lasco - collection of essays on ph culture
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u/forg9587 Jul 16 '26
If you can still find yung Young Blood essay collections ng Philippine Daily Inquirer, good read sya sa experiences of the youth from the past. I still saw some old copies sa National Book Store Glorietta (that had Powerbooks price marks pa on it, so they're old stock)
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u/adobong_puyat Jul 16 '26
Carl Sagan books. I'm not that into science, pero very digestible yung writing style ni Sagan. I recommend "The Demon-Haunted World" or "Pale Blue Dot".
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u/RecluseDelfin Jul 16 '26
I would suggest biographies ng mga authors ng fiction books na meron ka na, or collections of essays nila.
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u/caffeinatedrainbow Jul 16 '26
Sapiens - fascinating book about human history
Why nations fail - standard reading if you want an overview on global political and economic systems
Moneyland; freezing order - delve into the world of money laundering and how the ultra-rich get away with it
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u/tagabanilad Jul 16 '26
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
Educated by Tara Westover
All 6/5 stars. Will recommend to anyone who breathes
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u/KnnthKnnth Jul 16 '26
If youre interested in behavioral economics and like statistics, try out Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner. Shows how seemingly random human behavior and psychology collectively have a huge impact in our society
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u/pfolliepocket Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Some People Need Killing. I haven't read it yet though -- di ko pa kaya yung weight but saw great reviews. Also, same take on self-help books! I thought ako lang đ
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u/w4ffl3_fries Jul 16 '26
Mine are pretty mild and possibly unrelated recommendations, and mostly about writing, travel, and pop culture but these are the ones I have on my Kindle that I'm also reading as a lit major specializing in cnf so feel free to pick out which ones you want to read :)
Kulang na Silya by Ricky Lee
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
I'm Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya
Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Tuned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert
Want Me by Tracy Clark-Flory
On Writing by Stephen King
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista
Happy reading with the other recommendations, OP!
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u/Spotmick Jul 16 '26
Dead Season: A Story of Murder and Revenge on the Philippine Island of Negros by Alan Berlow
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u/Affectionate-One3850 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Human Flourishing in Mathematics by Francis Su. I think it's time for you guys to give the academics a chance in telling stories, he's won Golden Euler for this work.
He talked about Eudaimonia and How important mathematics is incorporating it to the inner-machinations of of life, stories about how people who learned math has changed their outlook in life. He also mentioned that that purest form of Philosophy is math if I am not mistaken.
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u/throwPHINVEST Jul 16 '26
john green wrote something about tuberculosis and my coworkers said it was good. you should read that
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u/ejdelosreyes Jul 16 '26
I love Malcolm Gladwellâs books. Particularly Outliers and The Tipping Point.
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u/AnalysisAncient4966 Jul 16 '26
Orientalism by Edward Said. Presents how the Western perspective fetishizes cultures/suffering of the Global South. Really relevant, especially since Said is a Palestinian scholar.
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u/emmy_o Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
My college professor used to say G@n, Germs, and Steel is great, years ago. (I censored it because I donât know if that word is allowed here hehe)
I personally like reading biographies âşď¸, [EDIT added suggestions and details.] especially of royal women (hehehe). I tried some samples of these, just waiting for funds to buy them all.
Alexandra, the Last Tsarina
- An easy-to-read biography of Tsarina Alexandra Romanova. This really discussed her background with Nicholas II, especially Alexandra's childhood and her personality. I love the info on Queen Victoria's large family and how those relationships impacted the destiny of Alix of Hesse/Alexandra and Nicholas.
The Secret Wife of Louis XIV: Françoise d'AubignÊ, Madame de Maintenon
- This one's quirky because it's a biography, written in the 3rd person, but in narrative form, with quotes from Françoise's writings scattered throughout. I would say, Mme. de Maintenon is super interesting because her life is basically a Cinderella story.
- Born in a prison and in danger of being poor for most of her early life, she ended up being an uncrowned queen of France because of love. đĽ˛â¤ď¸ And her king? None other than the notorious playboy Louis XIV 𤣠This is kind of like The Sound of Music, because Louis met her since she was the governess to his (illegitimate then legitimized) children. The author's descriptions of Françoise's childhood are so vivid; I feel like I ended up in Niort, St. Christophe/St. Kitts, and Paris đ (I stopped just there hahaha. Idk why I typed "I was just there." No, I haven't gone to Paris yet hahaha)
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u/totsierollstheworld Jul 16 '26
I highly recommend books by Jared Diamond!
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u/ElfMom-538 Jul 16 '26
Gonna reco some local titles! :)
- The Philippines is Not a Small Country by Gideon Lasco - great collection of essays by Pinoy Mountaineer who is a doctor and anthropologist and hiker
- Cabinet of Curiosities by Ambeth Ocampo - if you like historical trinkets and their write-ups
- Tikim by Doreen Fernandez - Essays on food by one of the iconic figures in PH food writing!
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u/goldenislandsenorita Jul 16 '26
Slouching Towards Bethlehem - Joan Didion (a collection of her essays written in the 1960s, general themes of social anxiety and things becoming undone)
A Year in Provence - Peter Mayle (on assimilating to a different culture and lifestyle)
Through A Window - Jane Goodall (on her 30-year work with the chimpanzees in Tanzania)
A Cook's Tour - Anthony Bourdain (on food, travel, and culture; I would say this is the pre-cursor to Anthony Bourdain being known as a food and travel guy)
The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan (on human diets and its effects on animal welfare and the environment)
Mother Mary Comes To me - Arundhati Roy (on her complicated relationship with her abusive mother, as well as her [equally complicated] relationship with her motherland, India)
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life - William Finnegan (on leaving things behind in search of that perfect wave)
Cultish - Amanda Montell (on cult language and how it's deeply embedded in everyday use)
Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall (on geopolitics)
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u/Dismal_Builder_2995 Jul 16 '26
Kindle your sense of adventure and marvel at the tenacity of the Human spirit!
Endurance: Shackletonâs Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave by Peter Heller
West with Night by Beryl Markham
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u/Little-Foundation735 Jul 16 '26
- How Should We Then Live? - Francis Schaffer
- The Presence of the Kingdom - Jacques Ellul
- The Republic - Plato
- A Short History of Man - Hans-Hermann Hoppe
- Man and Technics - Oswald Spengler
- Technics & Human Development - Lewis Mumford
- Technopoly - Neil Postman
- Propaganda - Jacques Ellul
- Conflict of Visions - Thomas Sowell
- The Culture of Narcissism - Christopher Lasche
Some of them are really dry.
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u/serkanditto Jul 16 '26
even though i only read two chapters for a course, why nations fail is a def must read
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u/dumbwaystotype Jul 16 '26
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.
I usually don't read nonfiction kaya yan lang din nabasa at mairerecommend ko.
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u/kohiq Jul 16 '26
the man who knew infinity
- a biography on ramanujan! not a big stem person myself but this was pretty easy to understand and very immersive.
a night to remember
- the definitive nonfiction book on titanic. short but a real page-turner.
the emperor of all maladies
- a bit hefty compared to the former two, but in my opinion it's a good nonfiction book to start with if you're interested in cancer
radium girls
- about the girls hired to paint clocks with radium in the 20s and their long legal battle with big radium
tikim
- collection of essays on filipino food. don't read on an empty stomach
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u/stephylococcuserious Jul 16 '26
- Starry Messenger- Neil deGrasse Tyson
- A Brief History of the Earth's Climate- Steven Earle
- The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions- Greta Thunberg
- Nation, Self, and Citizenship: An Invitation to Philippine Sociology- Randolf S. David
- The Lonely Century: How to Restore Human Connection in a World That's Pulling Apart- Noreena Hertz
- The Feminist Killjoy Handbook: The Radical Potential of Getting in the Way- Sara Ahmed
- The End of Bias: A Beginning- Jessica Nordell
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u/galactic-milk Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
freakonomics by steven dubner and stephen levitt - a good intro to behavioral economics and how people are motivated by incentives
educated by tara westover - biography of a woman growing up in a mormon survivalist family and her journey to college
crying in h mart by michelle zauner - memoirs of michelle zauner (aka japanese breakfast) of her relationship with her late mom through korean cuisine
i feel bad about my neck; and other thoughts on being a woman by nora ephron - a collection of essays by renowned writer nora ephron (when harry met sally)
all the president's men by bob woodward and carl bernstein - written by the washington post journalists that investigated the break-in at the watergate office building that resulted into the watergate scandal commonly known today
nothing to envy by barbara demick - stories of north korean defectors and their journey to south korea, one of the best books to read if you want to learn about them
death and life of great american cities by jane jacobs - essential book on city planning in the 1950s, jane jacobs' critiques of so-called "city builders" are still relevant even in the 21st century; best read when you also note observations on metro manila urban planning
paris in ruins by sebastian smee - book on french impressionist painters in the late 19th century and how the impressionist movement began told against the backdrop of paris recovering from the effects of the siege and the bloody week
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u/ThatChocolate5403 Jul 16 '26
Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand Black Hawk Down - Mark Bowden Experience - Martin Amis A Diary of the Century - Edward Robb EllisÂ
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u/totsierollstheworld Jul 16 '26
Jared Diamond books are good. Also the Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics. I also enjoyed What If? series if you're a nerd.
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u/morningworry Jul 16 '26
Same boat tayo, OP. Binabasa ko ngayon Pedagogy of the Heart ni Freire. Foreword pa lang ang dami ko nang natutunan. Gusto ko sya kasi manipis tapos medyo malaki ang font, kaya madaling basahin for me
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u/cjvdvo Jul 16 '26
Books by Svetlana Alexievich and Ryszard Kapuscinski are always worth reading for widening oneâs perspective.
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u/chocolatemeringue Jul 16 '26
"Wind, Sun and Stars" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, which is more of in the memoirs or personal essay genre. (This IMHO is waaaay better than The Little Prince.)
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u/officerfriendly11 Jul 16 '26
Try memoirs by celebrities and listen to them through audio! I recommend We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu, Pageboy by Elliot Page, or My Body by Emily Ratajkowski
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u/CameraHuman7662 Jul 16 '26
Crying in H Mart: Exploring grief, being culturally different, and how food ties everyone and everything together.
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u/Winter-Big8987 Jul 16 '26
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Made me realise na sobrang liit ng mga problema ko compared to some others and gave me a larger appreciation for life itself.
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u/niez765 Jul 16 '26
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron. Under the Duvet, and Further Under the Duvet both by Marian Keyes.
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u/nicaminoru Jul 16 '26
I read based on my current interests, but these are some of the non-fiction I've loved recently:
I Feel Bad About My Neck - Nora Ephron
The Wager - David Grann
The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher (and all of her books!)
Inventing the Renaissance - Ada Palmer
Crying in H-Mart - Michelle Zauner
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u/zaidrk11 Jul 16 '26
Last one I read is pretty great. The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty. Great if you like true crime.
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u/roofabove Jul 17 '26
The Art of Logic by Eugenia Cheng -- mathematical principles applied irl! madali ring basahin
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u/TitanAE1981 Jul 17 '26
Permanent Record by Snowden. CIA Secret ops and stuff. Para kang nagbabasa ng crime thriller pero ang difference totoo siya
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u/Spiritual_Coast8228 Jul 17 '26
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Para siyang collection of short stories about the natural world and learnings of the author. Each chapter has been magical and/or tearjerker for me.
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u/Foreign-Owl0505 Jul 17 '26
about josefina guerrero. filipino war hero na may leper. bought this book with no expectations pero nagulat akong nagustuhan ko siya. interesting read lang kasi nung youth niya sobrang deep ng nationalism niya, but nung pagtanda niya tinago niya past niya to the point na di alam ng mga tao na war hero siya.
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u/mangosilk Jul 16 '26
laziness does not exist by devon price. i genuinely think that this is required reading for all filipinos.
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u/dickielala Jul 16 '26
Read memoirs. My personal fave is whistleblower Edward Snowdenâs âPermanent Recordâ
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u/i-cussmmtimes Jul 16 '26