Top 100 Non-Fiction Books Countdown: 80-71

This is the third part in my top 100 non-fiction books countdown. Feel free to check out part one and part two if you haven’t yet.

Hopefully they can give you some good ideas if you are looking for a good non-fiction book to check out.

All books have been personally read over the past eight years. Here’s books 80 to 71…

80. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

Goodreads.com star rating = 3.93/5

Ronson explores how online mobs can destroy lives over mistakes or misunderstandings, revealing the dark side of digital justice. He shows how social media amplifies traditional shaming exponentially, often without due process or path to redemption.

What makes it special: It is a compassionate examination of modern mob justice. It balances accountability with mercy. It highlights the lasting psychological harm of viral shaming.

Perfect for: Anyone navigating social media, psychologists studying modern social dynamics, and readers interested in technology’s impact on human behaviour.

Key takeaway: While the internet was supposed to democratize voice and justice, it has failed in this mission. It has created a new form of mob justice. This new form often lacks mercy, proportionality, or the possibility of redemption.

79. This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See by Seth Godin

Goodreads.com star rating = 3.93/5

Godin reframes marketing as creating meaningful change rather than just selling. He emphasizes serving your smallest viable audience, building trust through empathy, and telling authentic stories that resonate with people’s values.

What makes it special: Ethical marketing treats customers as humans. It does not view them as targets. This approach focuses on long-term relationship building over quick wins.

Perfect for: Entrepreneurs, small business owners, creatives, and anyone interested in how psychology shapes buying decisions.

Key takeaway: Marketing has evolved from a game of attention-grabbing. It is now a practice of building trust. It focuses on creating value and serving communities of people who share common values and aspirations.

78. From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C Brooks

Goodreads.com star rating = 3.94/5

Brooks explores how success evolves from fluid intelligence (quick thinking) in youth to crystallized intelligence (wisdom) in later life. He shows how embracing this transition leads to deeper fulfillment through relationships, mentorship, and purpose.

What makes it special: A hopeful guide to thriving beyond traditional career achievements. It emphasizes the “second curve” of life focused on meaning over status.

Perfect for: Midlife adults navigating transitions, professionals facing burnout, and anyone redefining success beyond achievements.

Key takeaway: The second half of life can be the most fulfilling. This is possible if we’re willing to redefine success. We should embrace our changing strengths. It’s important to focus on contribution over achievement.

77. The Courage to Be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi

Goodreads.com star rating = 3.94/5

This dialogue-style book is based on Adlerian psychology. It argues that happiness comes from choosing your own life. It suggests you find happiness rather than being controlled by past experiences. It emphasises taking responsibility, separating your tasks from others’, and having the courage to live authentically.

What makes it special: A philosophical approach to self-help that challenges victim mentality while promoting personal responsibility and authentic living.

Perfect for: People seeking freedom from past burdens, those interested in philosophical psychology, and readers wanting practical wisdom about relationships.

Key takeaway: Happiness and freedom come from taking responsibility for your own life. Avoid taking responsibility for others’ lives. Have the courage to live authentically, regardless of others’ approval.

76. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Goodreads.com star rating = 3.95/5

Cameron presents creativity as a spiritual practice, introducing tools like Morning Pages (stream-of-consciousness writing) and Artist Dates (solo creative outings). She helps readers recover from creative blocks and criticism to reconnect with their artistic selves.

What makes it special: It offers a secular yet spiritual approach to creativity. This approach treats artistic expression as essential to human well-being. It is not just a professional pursuit.

Perfect for: Anyone feeling creatively blocked, artists struggling with perfectionism, and people seeking to reconnect with play and purpose.

Key takeaway: Everyone is creative by birthright. However, most people have been disconnected from this creativity through criticism, practicality, or neglect. Through consistent spiritual and creative practices, anyone can recover their creative voice and live a more authentic, fulfilling life.

75. The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley

Goodreads.com star rating = 3.97/5

Ridley argues that human progress is real and accelerating, driven by exchange and specialization. He challenges pessimistic narratives by showing how trade, innovation, and human cooperation have consistently improved living standards throughout history.

What makes it special: Evidence-based optimism that counters doomsday thinking while acknowledging real problems, emphasizing human ingenuity and market solutions.

Perfect for: Sceptics of progress, economists, entrepreneurs, and anyone overwhelmed by negative media coverage who wants a data-driven counter-narrative.

Key takeaway: Human progress is not accidental but stems from our unique capacity for exchange and specialisation. We must maintain free trade and open communication for things to keep improving. If we do so, the future will be better than the past. This improvement will occur not despite problems, but because problems create opportunities for innovation and improvement.

74. Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain

Goodreads.com star rating = 3.97/5

Cain explores how sorrow and longing contribute to human wholeness, challenging Western culture’s obsession with positivity. She shows how embracing the bittersweet in life—the mix of joy and sadness—leads to deeper creativity, connection, and meaning.

What makes it special: It beautifully defends emotional depth. It validates melancholy and sensitivity as sources of strength. These are seen as strengths rather than weaknesses.

Perfect for: Sensitive people who feel “too emotional.” It’s great for creatives drawing from personal struggles. Anyone grieving will find it helpful. Those sceptical of toxic positivity will also benefit.

Key takeaway: Life’s most profound experiences and greatest achievements often come from our capacity to feel deeply. We must embrace complexity and transform our longing and pain into something meaningful and beautiful. The goal isn’t constant happiness but rather a rich, authentic engagement with the full spectrum of human experience.

73. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell

Goodreads.com star rating = 3.99/5

Gladwell reveals why we’re bad at understanding people we don’t know. He explores our “default to truth” bias and the myth of transparency. Through cases like Sandra Bland and Amanda Knox, he shows how misreading strangers can have tragic consequences.

What makes it special: It challenges assumptions about reading people. It emphasizes the importance of context over character judgments. This has profound implications for law enforcement and cross-cultural communication.

Perfect for: Psychology enthusiasts, professionals in law enforcement or criminal justice, people working across cultures, and fans of true crime.

Key takeaway: Our evolved psychological mechanisms for dealing with strangers are poorly adapted to modern life. As a result, we systematically misunderstand others. Recognising these limitations can help us make better decisions and avoid tragic mistakes when encountering people we don’t know.

72. At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

Goodreads.com star rating = 3.99/5

Bryson takes readers on a room-by-room journey through domestic life, revealing the extraordinary histories behind ordinary things. He examines everything from beds to salt to staircases. He shows how our homes reflect broader social, technological, and economic changes throughout history. This is all delivered with his signature wit and humour.

What makes it special: It makes history accessible and entertaining by focusing on the familiar. It reveals how recent many “basic” comforts really are. Bryson’s engaging, ironic tone transforms learning about mundane topics like dust, sewage, and wallpaper into an oddly addictive experience.

Perfect for: Curious learners who enjoy witty nonfiction. History buffs interested in domestic life. Teachers and trivia fans seeking memorable anecdotes. Anyone renovating or obsessed with homes who wants historical context for their spaces.

Key takeaway: We take for granted the comfort and privacy in modern homes. These conveniences are incredibly recent innovations. For most of human history, even the wealthy lived in conditions we’d consider uncomfortable, unsafe, and unsanitary.

71. The Year I Met My Brain: A Travel Companion for Adults Who Have Just Found Out They Have ADHD by Matilda Boseley

Goodreads.com star rating = 4.00/5

Boseley’s memoir explores adult ADHD diagnosis, particularly in high-functioning women who often mask their struggles. She shows how getting diagnosed provided relief and self-understanding rather than defeat, challenging stereotypes about neurodivergence.

What makes it special: It provides an honest and relatable account of late ADHD diagnosis. This reduces stigma and offers hope for adults who’ve struggled with shame and self-criticism.

Perfect for: Adults suspecting they have ADHD, recently diagnosed individuals, high-achievers feeling perpetually unsettled, and mental health professionals.

Key takeaway: Receiving an adult ADHD diagnosis can be overwhelming and life-changing. However, with research, understanding, and practical strategies, it can also be empowering. It can lead to better self-awareness and life management. The book combines personal experience with practical advice for others on similar journeys.

Stay tuned for the next installment in the countdown next week…

Dr Damon Ashworth

Clinical Psychologist