Best nonfiction and history books of September 2025, as chosen by the Amazon Editors
Curious people read nonfiction—and the Amazon Editors’ best September books in the nonfiction, history, and biography/memoir categories will certainly pique inquiring minds (and probably answer questions you didn’t even think to ask). The delightful Mary Roach is back with a read about the wild world of replacement body parts, Elizabeth Gilbert has taken a hard pivot from her runaway best seller Eat, Pray, Love, and there are new books from heavy hitters like Brené Brown, Stephen Pinker, Jill Lepore, David McCullough, and more. These are just a few of the books we’re highlighting; be sure to also check out our best books of the month across popular genres.
Mary Roach’s books have that special something that prompts even people who don’t think they like nonfiction to sing another tune. She approaches her subjects with curiosity, intellect, and a sense of humor that comes across beautifully on the page. In Replaceable You, Roach dives into—you guessed it—body parts. She tackles everything from the false teeth of yesteryear (there’s way more going on there than I knew) to human skin substitutes, fake hearts, hair transplants, and replacing parts a bit more…private, shall we say. This is a wild read—science with a sense of humor. Roach meets with doctors and scientists on the cutting edge of new technologies, experts in the various procedures she’s investigating, and patients themselves. She goes into operating rooms and research labs—she even has some of her own hair follicles transplanted to her leg (I love this woman…) just to see what will happen. Incredibly informative, funny, and endlessly fascinating, I still find myself regaling friends and family (okay, also a few random people sitting next to me on an airplane) with anecdotes from Replaceable You—you don’t want to miss this one. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
As Elizabeth Gilbert points out in her third memoir, people will not believe what the “nice lady who wrote Eat, Pray, Love” is capable of, when love and addiction, and a love addiction, push her to the brink of her sanity. This jaw-dropping, and yet tender, story, which recounts Gilbert’s relationship with the love of her life—the good, the bad, and the (very) ugly—is a shockingly vulnerable, and incredibly brave, call for compassion that readers would do well to answer. It was also just named Oprah’s book club pick of September. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
This is the kind of book that I want to hand to every woman I know—and to the people who love them. For fans of Emily Oster’s research-backed writing comes a brilliant and thought-provoking debut by Wharton MBA professor Corinne Low. She’s crunched the data and conducted the experiments—and she can advise you on whether you should get married, have a kid (or another kid), and if you should consider divorce. Low made some major life changes of her own after stepping back and considering the science. We highly recommend reading this with your book club. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
In the middle of the night, Jen Hatmaker—famous for her charming and best-selling books, an HGTV host, a pastor’s wife, and mother-of-five—is shaken awake when she overhears “five whispered words not meant for me: I just can’t quit you,” as her husband of 26 years voice-texts his girlfriend. What follows is an awakening of a different sort. Once she recovers from the shock, she starts to interrogate her life: what was the point of doing everything “right” and always being “good,” including getting married at age 19? Does the church she grew up in still serve her and her children, two of whom are adopted from Ethiopia, one of whom is gay? This is a journey on which readers are fully along for the ride: Hatmaker is hilarious, big-hearted, self-aware, vulnerable, devastated, ready to burn it all down, and eager to build it all back up. She’s like your whirlwind of a friend who lightens up a whole room with her expansive energy. The page-turning chapters are short, the ending will spread a grin across your face—this incredible memoir of resolve, resilience, and laughter is for anyone who has ever probed their past and present, and opened their arms wide to the future. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
Brené Brown’s Ted Talk on the power of vulnerability has more than 23 million views, making it one of the most-streamed lectures of all times. Her book, Atlas of the Heart, an Editors’ Pick for the Best Nonfiction, is a best-seller that explores connection, shame, courage, empathy, and bravery—themes this University of Houston professor has been researching for more than two decades. In Brown’s latest book, she’s getting back to business, focusing on inspiring leaders and the workforce in the face of rapid technological change and growth. While this book skews more toward career advice, Brown still expertly applies her theories of shame, vulnerability, and daring onto every page. Fans and new readers alike will find plenty to love (and learn from) about building strong foundations on solid ground. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
If a book is written by Stephen Pinker, you know it’s going to be engaging and a deep thinker. And indeed, Pinker (the Harvard professor behind best-sellers Enlightenment Now, which Bill Gates once called his “favorite book of all time,” and The Language Instinct) delivers with When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…. Pinker investigates “common knowledge,” otherwise known as the “Emperor Has No Clothes” moment, when we let each other know that we’re in on the joke. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. This uniquely human phenomenon can explain cancel culture, the way we vote, and all of “social life’s tragedies and comedies.” —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
Fans are clamoring for this glimpse into the mind of one of basketball's greatest shooters. For the first time, Stephen Curry—the four-time NBA champion who revolutionized the game with his limitless three-pointer and electrifying play style—shares his personal journey and success principles in his own words. There are several biographies featuring Curry, and he’s written two children's books, I Have a Superpower and I Am Extraordinary. However, Shot Ready is the first time Curry has penned an intimate narrative revealing the mindset and methods behind his achievements. Featuring over 100 photographs, the book offers basketball enthusiasts and aspiring athletes a courtside seat to Curry's transformation from overlooked prospect to NBA superstar. It’s a thrill to discover the untold stories, mental strategies, and defining moments that shaped one of the most influential players in modern sports history. —Kami Tei, Amazon Editor
Jill Lepore is skilled at taking a hugely complex topic and making it interesting and relevant—showing readers why what she’s writing about should matter to all of us. The Harvard professor and New Yorker staff writer has been richly rewarded for this skill—she’s a Pulitzer finalist (New York Burning) and Bancroft Prize-winner (The Name of War). We the People is sure to follow in those footsteps, and it couldn’t be more relevant today—even though much of it takes place in the 1700s. This fascinating read makes clear that the constitution is a living, breathing document—and the failure to regard it as such will have wide implications. It should be required reading for all Americans. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
The holidays aren’t here yet, but you’ll want to add this book to your wish list because it's the perfect gift. David McCullough is a lion of history, as this posthumous ode to his wisdom and way with words proves—and History Matters is a compilation of his best and brightest thoughts and words. The essays provide a quick dose of inspiration, or space to dive deep into his brilliance. The format makes it easy to pick up and put down depending on how much time you have, but his comforting and perceptive voice will urge you to read all the way through. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
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