With the world in seeming chaos as it is right now, it’s understandable to grab a book as a means of distraction. Crime and Romance sales have risen as people are returning to the world of fiction in which to immerse themselves in to escape reality. Likewise, books can also be a means with coping with it: after all, it’s now well-known that readers have been busting out copies of George Orwell’s 1984 post-Trump. There’s no need to just look to fiction, though. Recently published non-fiction titles are packing a punch and, whatever your interests, there are plenty you won’t want to miss. Need a break from political controversy? Open a travel book. Want to understand today? Turn the pages of a history book. Need a break from studying but don’t want to feel (as ridiculous as it seems) guilty? Choose non-fiction.

The choices are fascinating and endless. Here are some of ST.ART’s top picks.

1. DEAR IJEAWELE, OR A FEMINIST MANIFESTON IN FIFTEEN SUGGESTIONS, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This book is fantastic. It’s witty; it’s heart-breaking; it’s thought-provoking. A collection of essays which Adichie compiles together as an advice for a friend on how to raise a feminist daughter, this is a must read for anyone who’s sort of past re-reading Caitlin Moran.

2. HANNAH’S DRESS: BERLIN 1904-2014, by Pascale Hugues

I just read it over spring break and, as a usually fiction-is-my-jam kind of girl, it changed my perspective on reading non-fiction purely for fun. I was thrown by the fact that you could request exam copies of this text, because I was worried it would be a little bit like reading for A-Levels again. But this narrative of Berlin’s modern history is a captivating read as journalist Hugues seeks to uncover more about the ordinary street she’s lived on for years.

3. THE UNMADE BED, by Stephen Marche with Sarah Fulford

Subtitled ‘The messy truth about men and women in the 21st century’, this is a brilliant read written by a husband and wife duo. For this alone it is brilliant: Marche writes while his editor-wife comments. The result is a compelling look at gender relations, an always-relevant topic.

4. NABOKOV’S FAVORITE WORD IS MAUVE, by Ben Blatt.

This book is a book-lover’s delight (aside, for an English book lover, the spelling of favourite which was genuinely hard for me to type). Statistician and journalist Ben Blatt uses data to explore question such as if men and women write differently, to what words great authors employ the most. His analysis is entertaining and easy to read.

5. MAY CAUSE LOVE: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY OF ENLIGHTENMENT AFTER ABORTION, by Kassi Underwood.

Underwood takes her readers on a deeply intimate journey with this book. Years after having an abortion at the young age of 19, she finds she’s still dealing with the emotional trauma of it. This wonderful book recounts the unconventional route she took to be okay with herself after such a life-changing decision.

ST.ART does not own the rights to any of the images used in this article.