Oh, I have been excited for this prompt all month! This is the most fun thing about NonFiction – books that take you on a journey that seems so unbelievable you think it simply cannot be true.
Week 4: (November 22-26) – Stranger Than Fiction with Christopher at Plucked from the Stacks: This week we’re focusing on all the great nonfiction books that *almost* don’t seem real. A sports biography involving overcoming massive obstacles, a profile on a bizarre scam, a look into the natural wonders in our world—basically, if it makes your jaw drop, you can highlight it for this week’s topic.
MY TOP PICK
Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft is so ridiculous a premise that I still think about it and shake my head. Truthfully, I still cannot believe that it is a real story. The random group of people who came together to steal this money in 1997 and the aftermath of their theft was so odd…it couldn’t be real. And yet it is! The inside man is played by Zach Galifianakis in the movie if that helps you envision the feel of this book. Is it perfectly written? Not quite, but I still think about it and shake my head.
RUNNER UPS
These four books are also nonfiction books that I cannot believe are real. Perhaps some of these stories fall into the category of “broke my misconceptions” but I loved each one of them.
I knew about Code Talkers but if all you know is the basics or, worse, you are walking around thinking the Nicholas Cage movie is accurate, please read this book. The history of the Navajo, their language, their culture, and their traditions are all real reasons that the Code Talkers were so beneficial as intelligence officers in WWII.
Speaking of Native American history, one of my favorite unbelievable people in American history is Jim Thorpe. Between his history, the sports legacy of the school, and the history of the Carlisle Indian School, the whole story feels like a fable.
Factfulness was written to try and explain how much better the world actually was but, lemme tell you, because it challenged so many things I thought were true it really turned my world on its side. It might be an odd addition to this list but it really made me question my world and had me thinking, “What is the truth here?”
Tell me, please! What is your favorite stranger than fiction NonFiction recommendation?
Silver Button Books 
Delighted to see Factfulness featured in this week’s category too. Your other recommendations look interesting as well. Thanks!
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I’ve got Factfulness sitting on my table right now. I think I will give it a read during these last few days of Nonfiction November.
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That’s a really good selection, well done!
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You’ve found some perfect books for this week, so I can see why you were excited about the prompt! But also, I’ve never heard of Heist, but it sounds amazing. Fastest book I’ve added to my TBR pile this week.
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