This Week in Nonfiction: The Class of 7.8.25
New nonfiction just dropped. One’s stranded at sea, one’s delivering mail in the mountains, and one’s fighting the justice system from behind bars—and somehow, King Tut made the guest list.
It’s another Pub Day—meet the class of 7.8.25:
This week, I only have 10 books for your consideration, and they all sound powerful in very different ways. I’m especially curious about A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck. It’s the true story of a couple stranded in a tiny raft for months. Starving, exhausted, and completely alone, they have to figure out how to survive and stay married while everything around them unravels. (This is the best kind of narrative nonfiction!)
Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home caught my eye, too. It’s about a man who, at fifty and facing cancer, needed health insurance fast. So he took a job as a rural letter carrier in Appalachia, back in his old hometown. What starts as a practical move becomes something deeper, as the job and the people on his route begin to reshape his life.
And our very own Substack neighbor,
has been sharing such thoughtful and interesting posts leading up to the release of her new book, Proof of Life: Let Go, Let Love, and Stop Looking for Permission to Live Your Life. I can’t wait to read it.The Jailhouse Lawyer tells the story of Calvin Duncan, who was just nineteen when he was wrongfully incarcerated for a 1981 New Orleans murder. It looks absolutely heartbreaking and important. AND… somehow, two history books snuck onto the list without me even noticing. Let’s take a look at what’s new this week:
I didn’t link every book — I know you can find a synopsis. But if you’d rather not give you-know-who your clicks, there’s an indie-friendly link at the bottom.
Personal Journeys & Memoir
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst. A young couple sets off to sail around the world… without much sailing experience.
Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home by Stephen Starring Grant. A man facing cancer takes a mail route in Appalachia and finds purpose, identity, and connection in unexpected places.
Nice Girls Don’t Win: How I Burned It All Down to Claim My Power by Parvati Shallow. A former Survivor winner shares what happens when you stop playing nice and start living for yourself.
Proof of Life: Let Go, Let Love, and Stop Looking for Permission to Live Your Life by
. Honest essays about grief, self-worth, and finally letting go of what’s holding you back.Radical Tenderness: The Value of Vulnerability in an Often Unkind World by Gisele Barreto Fetterman. A call to lead with softness and courage from someone who’s had to fight to be seen.
Justice, Power & Consequences
The Jailhouse Lawyer by Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull. A searing yet hopeful account of Calvin Duncan’s 30 years in Angola after a wrongful conviction and how he became a powerful legal advocate from behind bars.
The Hiroshima Men: The Quest to Build the Atomic Bomb and the Fateful Decision to Use It by Iain MacGregor. A behind-the-scenes look at the scientists who built the atomic bomb and how they lived with their choices.
History, Science & Culture
Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-Creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations by Sam Kean. Archaeologists try to recreate the ancient world using all five senses—even the smells.
Flashes of Brilliance: The Genius of Early Photography and How It Transformed Art, Science, and History by Anika Burgess. How early photography changed art, science, and how we see the world.
Sports & Impact
On Her Game by Christine Brennan. A biography of Caitlin Clark and how she’s reshaping the future of women’s sports.
Which one (or two… or three) is going on your list? Reply or comment below. I always want to hear what you’re picking up.
Reader Roll Call
If you're hunting for something specific, try the Nonfiction Directory , or come scroll through 7+ years of recs and ridiculous reels with me over on Instagram.
Missed a week? You can find all the past Pub Day posts right here.
Happy Reading!
Jaymi the OC Book Girl
P.S. Summer’s in full swing, and so is the nonfiction! The 2025 Book Party list has 700+ titles ready to browse, shop, and preorder on Bookshop.org (aka your indie-friendly TBR playground).
Grateful to get these weekly updates.
It’s a great week for nonfiction!