Truth or Dare?

Remember the kids' sleepover game "Truth or Dare?" You could either answer a question with truth--or take The Dare (things like running naked to the mailbox and back or drinking a concoction of gunk that your friends assembled from odd liquids in the refrigerator).

I used to think about non-fiction in much the same way as "truth"--slightly scary, and usually a whole lot more boring than the other options available. But in the last five years, friends have recommended non-fiction books: memoirs, histories, even "information" books, and I've found that the Truth can be pretty exciting, too.

Here's a brief list of some of my favorites:

• The Lost King of France by Deborah Cadbury. This book solves the mystery of the fate of Marie Antoinette's son by combining historical detective work and DNA science. The truth is horrifying.


• Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo. The book's subtitle, "A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence" doesn't begin to communicate the campy creepiness of this account of the real-life shark attacks on which the movie "Jaws" was based. Eeeeeew.


• Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides. This is the account of the harrowing mission to rescue the survivors of the Bataan Death march. It's an "edge of your seat" book.


• The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. A laugh-out-loud memoir about one man's attempt to follow ALL the rules of the Bible for one year. The photos of his out-of-control facial hair are alone worth a peek.


• An American Childhood by Annie Dillard. Dillard's writing is pure poetry, and this book is about growing up in Pittsburgh. What else could you want?!