Must Read Non-Fiction For April 2025

In 1913, a secretive American millionaire, who lived on the top floor of the famous Carlton Hotel, had a crazy idea: to make movies in Johannesburg. And not just any movies but the biggest in the world, huge spectacles with elaborate sets, thousands of extras and epic story lines.

Isidore Schlesinger – better known as ‘IW’ – built a studio on a farm called Killarney, where he set out to challenge a place in America that was in its infancy: Hollywood.

The glamour, gossip and high drama of IW’s studio fitted perfectly into a city experiencing an intoxicating golden age. There was as much action on the movie sets as there was on screen: from political intrigue and the clashing of massive egos to public outbursts, fiery judicial inquiries, disaster and death. 

Behind this mad enterprise was a maverick, a tycoon, a recluse, a friend of the famed and the connected. Schlesinger could have held his own in California but he chose as his base the City of Gold, and his indomitable ambition saw his ‘Hollywood on the Veld’ soar. This is the untold story of the rise and fall of the strangest and most unique movie empire ever.

A concise history of Paris and the great events and personalities, from prehistory to the present, that have shaped its unique cultural legacy.

Paris has long been celebrated as a place of style, wit and sensuality. In this deft and broad-ranging narrative, Jeremy Black demonstrates that the history of Paris is about more than a city: it is the history of a culture, a society and a state that has impacted the rest of the world through centuries of changing fortunes.

Black explores how a humble Gallic capital grew into a flourishing medieval city full of spectacular palaces and cathedrals. He depicts the opulent courts of Louis XIV and XV and the Revolution that tore French society apart; the Belle Époque and the destruction of World Wars I and II, leading us on to the Paris of today: one of the most iconic cities in the world.

‘With insistence, humour and a wry, haunted nostalgia, James Whyle excavates a palimpsest of texts and voices to approach the questions existentially familiar to white South Africans: Who are we, how did we get here, and what does it mean? An invaluable contribution to the self-orienting literature of our country.’ – Darrel Bristow-Bovey, author of Finding Endurance

‘A boldly imagined and beautifully written memoir. Whyle’s prose is finely tuned, unflinching in its approach to painful subjects, but also laced with wry humour and the sheer delight of being alive.’ – Ivan Vladislavic

We Two from Heaven is a singular memoir, a four-part fugue on the tricks and traps of memory, a shuffling of the cards of time. Episodes from the early life of writer James Whyle are interwoven with the letters of his father from the Western Front during the First World War. Their formative experiences – war, conscription, injury, desertion – flash by, juxtaposed, as if in counterpoint.

How do we know who we are? Upending the reader’s expectations of a memoir, Whyle then explores the violence and madness of apartheid society as the narrator passes through boarding school and university and takes his first steps to become a writer. Raw and rhythmic, lyrical and caustic, this is an unsparing, formally inventive dissection of human vanities and illusions.

At the end of history, on the shores of a blue bay, the voices of the past can be heard as we await the arrival of the barbarians – or the baboons, whoever comes first.

The perfect gift book for Guinness lovers, served here.

How did a beer from Dublin become a globally renowned symbol of Ireland?

With just £100 in his pocket, Arthur Guinness left behind his family’s small brewery in County Kildare to seek his fortunes in Dublin. Acquiring the ill-equipped St James’ Gate brewery in 1759, he began to produce a porter beer that was to become world famous.

Rory Guinness, scion of the famous brewing family, has written the insider’s guide to the world of Guinness. He surveys the family history, the unique brewing process, the brewery’s distinctive industrial architecture and the beer’s legendary advertising, revealing how Guinness and its people became interwoven into the fabric of Dublin life and created a brewing legacy that continues to evolve.

This is also the story of a remarkable resurgence, because Guinness is now the bestselling beer in the UK, while Guinness Zero is reaching new markets. It is the official beer of the English Premier League, and a long-term partner of rugby’s men’s and women’s Six Nations Championship.

World of Guinness is an expanded and redesigned edition of Rory Guinness’s classic short introduction, illustrated with archival images, new photography of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and a selection of Guinness’s witty advertisements. It is published in hardback for the first time and makes a perfect gift.

An awe-inspiring narrative about the power of nature and our place within it, from the creator of My Octopus Teacher, filmmaker Craig Foster

“Amphibious Soul is an important book. . . . This book isn’t about learning how to be wild but rather a guide to recognizing and reconnecting with the wild in and around us. It is a book that will inspire hope.” – Jane Goodall

An adventure story, love story, travelogue, naturalist memoir, and spiritual guide, Craig Foster’s Amphibious Soul is a scientist and adventurer’s perspective on “rewilding”―developing a deep connection to our animal selves that can reinvigorate our lives. Told in Craig’s warm and passionate voice, this extraordinary book will change not only the way we interact with the natural world, but the way we fundamentally see ourselves.

A decade ago, living in a city and feeling exhausted and empty, Craig decided to return to his birthplace―the Cape of Good Hope―and dive into the great African Sea forest each day. His daily oceanic adventures not only helped him “rewild”, but helped him come to see his own “amphibious soul” as a powerful metaphor for the human condition. We homo sapiens are by nature wild animals attempting to exist in a docile world. So how can we reclaim our wildness in a world that wants us to stay so tamed?

An extraordinary literary work, Amphibious Soul is a riveting narrative filled with meticulous descriptions of an adventure in the natural world that speaks to readers on an intimate level, challenging us to consider our personal relationship to nature, and inspiring us to realign our daily practices to help save the global ecosystem. Whether we live close to nature or in an urban jungle, Craig shows us how to nurture our individual wildness, tap into our empathy, and deepen our love for all living things. He teaches us to track the wild around us, and by doing so become present in the moment and revel in being wondrously alive.

Featuring breathtaking original photos and QR codes that access mini-videos of never-seen-before animal interactions, Amphibious Soul is a remarkable experience that will transform us and ultimately our world.

What if the key to a happier, more balanced life was already inside your head?

As a professor of financial economics Neeltje van Horen excelled in a demanding career – but constant self-doubt and stress left her feeling stuck. Seeking a way out, she turned to neuroscience and psychology and discovered how retraining her brain – one small habit at a time – transformed her life.

In Ignite, van Horen shares her journey and her discoveries. Blending relatable stories, cutting-edge research and practical strategies, she reveals how small, intentional changes can deliver meaningful results. Recognising that everyone’s path is unique, she offers a range of techniques, helping you discover what aligns best with your needs and aspirations.

Whether you’re looking to boost mental performance, break free from negative thought patterns or restore balance in your life, Ignite gives you the tools to unlock your brain’s potential – and change your life

An intimate and revelatory biography of Yoko Ono from bestselling author of Beautiful Boy

David Sheff met Yoko Ono and John Lennon in 1980 when conducting an in-depth interview with them just months before John’s murder. In the aftermath, Sheff and Yoko became close friends as she rebuilt her life, survived threats and continued creating groundbreaking art and music. Drawing from their decades-long friendship and interviews with Yoko, her family, close friends and collaborators, Sheff shares the story of one of the most unlikely and remarkable lives ever lived.

Yoko spans from her birth to wealthy parents in pre-war Tokyo and her harrowing experience as a child during WW2 to her arrival in the avant-garde art scenes of London, Tokyo and New York. We see how she coped under the most intense, relentless and cynical microscope as she was falsely vilified for the most heinous cultural crime imaginable: breaking up the greatest rock-and-roll band in history.

So often remembered only for her impact on The Beatles, Yoko has been caricatured as an opportunistic seductress or manipulative impostor. Yoko delves into her life as an artist, musician, feminist and activist, reframing her incredible achievements independent of Lennon.

Yoko is a harrowing, moving, propulsive and vastly entertaining biography of a woman whose story has never been accurately told. It highlights Ono’s incredible talent and acknowledges her as a true artistic icon.

The iconic bestseller Prisoners of Geography, now fully updated with brand new content to reflect the changing global geopolitical landscape since it was first published in 2015.

Prisoners of Geography is the book people need to understand what’s happening in the news today, from China’s ambitions to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Bestselling author and geopolitics expert Tim Marshall looks at the past, present and future to offer crucial insights into one of the major factors that determines world history – because if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture.
This completely revised and updated edition brings the classic text up to date with the events and trends of the past decade, with new material including:• the Russia–Ukraine war and Moscow’s alliances with authoritarian states
• the conflicts in the Middle East
• China’s growing military and strategic power, and its stance on Taiwan
• American global power and pivot to the Pacific
• Europe’s leaning towards more extreme politics, increased defence spending, and the new ‘Iron Curtain’
• Japan’s remilitarisation and increasing power
• great power play in Africa
• the growth of Indian economic and military strength
Read Tim Marshall’s geopolitical primers (Prisoners of Geography, The Power of Geography and The Future of Geography) to understand what’s happening in our fast-changing world.*Want to test your world knowledge? Challenge friends and family with Prisoners of Geography: The Quiz Book, and discover who is the ultimate armchair explorer! *

The brilliant autobiography from the ‘saviour of Nike’

If you’re a sneaker head, you know him as the Savior of Nike. If you’ve watched Air you saw Matt Damon’s portrayal of the man who discovered Michael Jordan and how he revolutionized the payment structure of endorsements for athletes. Legends and Soles tells Sonny’s story – his blind-sided firing by Nike Chairman Phil Knight, the landmark 2021 Supreme Court decision that upended big-time college sports, the countless days and nights of watching athletes compete, and so much more that only Sonny can retell.

Written in collaboration with six-time New York Times bestselling author Armen Keteyian, Legends and Soles provides truth to storylines and headlines including:

· Vaccaro’s pivotal role in the never-before-told story of the courting and signing of Michael Jordan

· How Nike, at the behest of an embittered Knight, went as far as having the Portland FBI investigate Vaccaro who was working for archival Adidas on a RICO charge of corporate espionage

· His close relationships with NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady and Hall of Fame coaches Jerry Tarkanian of UNLV and John Thompson of Georgetown

· The high stakes drama behind the O’Bannon lawsuit that changed the entire landscape in college sports

· Filled with in-depth stories and photos illuminating some of Sonny’s most treasured career memories, Legends and Soles is the long-awaited memoir of a giant in the story of American sports.

Since the original publication of Building A Storybrand, over one million business leaders have discovered Donald Miller’s powerful Storybrand Framework and they are making millions.  Now, the classic resource for connecting with customers has been fully revised and updated, making it even more powerful to prepare you for today’s challenges.

If you use the wrong words to talk about your product, nobody will buy it. Marketers and business owners struggle to effectively connect with their customers, costing them and their companies millions in lost revenue.

In a world filled with constant, on-demand distractions, it has become near-impossible for business owners to effectively cut through the noise to reach their customers, something Donald Miller experienced first-hand and led him to create his proven system he first shared in Building a Storybrand to help you engage and truly influence customers.

The StoryBrand process is a proven solution to the struggle business leaders face when talking about their companies. Without a clear, distinct message, customers will not understand what you can do for them and are unwilling to engage, causing you to lose potential sales, opportunities for customer engagement, and much more.

In Building a StoryBrand 2.0, Donald Miller teaches marketers and business owners to use his fully revised system of the seven universal elements of powerful stories to dramatically improve how they connect with customers and grow their businesses.

His proven process has helped thousands of companies engage with their existing customers, giving them the ultimate competitive advantage. Building a StoryBrand does this by teaching you:

• The seven universal story points all humans respond to;
• The real reason customers make purchases;
• How to simplify a brand message so people understand it; and
• How to create the most effective messaging for websites, brochures, and social media.

Whether you are the marketing director of a multibillion-dollar company, the owner of a small business, a politician running for office, or the lead singer of a rock band, Building a StoryBrand 2.0 will forever transform the way you talk about who you are, what you do, and the unique value you bring to your customers.

We’re told productivity is all about single-minded focus, hard grind and big goals. Deviating from the linear path means failure. The problem: it’s not true.

In this transformative book, neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff reveals the easier, proven method to achieve our ambitions: an experimental mindset. Ditching out-dated notions of chasing success, she demonstrates the joyful power of ‘tiny experiments’ in which goals are discovered, pursued and adapted on your own terms. Rooted in science and real-world success stories, Tiny Experiments is packed with tools to help you break free from limiting beliefs, harness the power of imperfection and apply your curiosity – to create a meaningful, productive life in an ever-changing world.

As one of the world’s most popular sports, and with races in far corners of the globe, Formula One is big business. Its drivers are among the world’s most highly paid athletes, and it costs more than a billion pounds to keep its ten teams ticking over.

This is a sport where money – the spending of it, the flaunting of it, the ruthless pursuit of it – matters.

With unparalleled insight and decades of reporting, Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid describe the pivotal moments which have driven the sport to new heights – the influx of tobacco advertising, the first television deals, the reign of Bernie Ecclestone, and much more. Featuring exclusive interviews with the sport’s major players and never-before-heard stories, this is a ground-breaking and revolutionary account about how F1 moved from a pastime for wealthy enthusiasts into one of the world’s most-watched sports.

Coming April 2025

From autism to allergies, ADHD to long Covid, more people are being labelled with medical conditions than ever before. But can a diagnosis do us more harm than good?

The boundaries between sickness and health are being redrawn.

Mental health categories are shifting and expanding all the time, radically altering what we consider to be ‘normal’.

Genetic tests can now detect pathologies decades before people experience symptoms, and sometimes before they’re even born.

And increased health screening draws more and more people into believing they are unwell.

An accurate diagnosis can bring greater understanding and of course improved treatment. But many diagnoses aren’t as definitive as we think. And in some cases they risk turning healthy people into patients.

Drawing on the stories of real people, as well as decades of clinical practice and the latest medical research, Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan overturns long held assumptions and reframes how we think about illness and health.

Coming April 2025

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Confidence is at the foundation of everything we do. It’s the invisible power that propels you to dream bigger, take bold risks, and create a life you truly love. But for too many of us, it feels out of reach – reserved for those who seem to have it all together.

In this brand-new guide, globally acclaimed self-development coach Roxie Nafousi teaches us that confidence isn’t something you’re born with – it’s a skill you can build. With her trademark warmth, wisdom and research-backed insights, Roxie will teach you how to transform your mindset and step into your most empowered self.

In Confidence, you’ll learn how to:

1. MASTER YOUR THOUGHTS
2. ACT WITH INTENTION
3. STOP TRYING TO BE LIKED BY EVERYBODY
4. BREAK FREE FROM COMPARISON
5. CELEBRATE YOURSELF
6. DO HARD THINGS
7. BE OF SERVICE TO OTHERS
8. SHOW UP AS YOUR BEST SELF

Confidence isn’t just a feeling – it’s a way of being. Whether you’re struggling with self-doubt, navigating tough times or simply ready to unleash your potential, Confidence is your roadmap to knowing your worth and living as your boldest, most authentic self.

The threat to liberal democracy isn’t just autocrats – it’s a lack of effective action by so-called progressives.

We have the means to build an equitable world without hunger, fuelled by clean energy. Instead, we have a politics driven by scarcity, lives defined by unaffordability and public institutions that no longer deliver on big ideas. It’s time for change.

Bestselling authors Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson have spent decades analysing the political, economic and cultural forces that have led us here. In this once-in-a-generation intervention, they unpick the barriers to progress and show how we can, and must, shift the political agenda to one that not only protects and preserves, but also builds. From healthcare to housing, infrastructure to innovation, they lay out a path to a future defined not by fear, but by abundance.

We live in a digital world. In the 30 years since we’ve been online, we’ve created connections, crossed boundaries and discovered new worlds. We have done things generations before us could never have imagined.

But at what cost?

Growing up as a Gen Z, Adele spent endless hours as a teenager on social media, shaping her view of herself and the world. As a freelance journalist, she has used her social media platforms and digital technology to develop a career in an unfamiliar and competitive industry, benefitting from the opportunities that these spaces can offer. But after losing her sister to online harms, she realised that our current digital world is failing us.

We are an anxious and discontent generation. Our lived realities and our online vulnerabilities are inextricably linked, and this means big business for social media tycoons who want us to stay scrolling at any cost. As Big Tech barons make their billions, capitalising on our emotions, instincts, insecurities and desires, everyday people are losing out.

From workers being fired by algorithms, to online forums dedicated to revenge porn and encouraging suicide, to censorship of marginalised voices and the turbulent impacts of AI, Logging Off reveals that our digital world is currently fuelling crises that only empathy, agency and humanity can resolve. This book is a call for a radical reclamation of our digital world, for a more humane future that empowers us all.

Coming April 2025

What role could music play in a death camp? What was the effect on those women who owed their survival to their participation in a Nazi propaganda project? And how did it feel to be forced to provide solace to the perpetrators of a genocide that claimed the lives of their family and friends?

In 1943, German SS officers in charge of Auschwitz-Birkenau ordered that an orchestra should be formed among the female prisoners. Almost fifty women and girls from eleven nations were assembled to play marching music to other inmates – forced labourers who left each morning and returned, exhausted and often broken, at the end of the day – and give weekly concerts for Nazi officers. Individual members were sometimes summoned to give solo performances of an officer’s favourite piece of music. It was the only entirely female orchestra in any of the Nazi prison camps and, for almost all of the musicians chosen to take part, being in the orchestra was to save their lives. In The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, award-winning historian Anne Sebba tells their astonishing story with sensitivity and care.

The true story of the women behind the greatest female-led mass poisoning in modern history

The women of Nagyrév are desperate.
Their husbands are abusive.
They are feeding their newborns to livestock.

At the turn of the 20th century, in the village of Nagyrév, Hungary, midwife Zsuzsanna Fazekas was more than a caretaker – she was a confidante. She helped poor women give birth; she assisted them with abortions; and she listened. Their stories were the same: husbands who drank, who beat them, who made their lives unbearable.

In response, Auntie Zsuzsi asked one question: “Why bother with them?”

Her solution was arsenic. Soon, women began slipping this concoction, made by dissolving flypaper in water, into their husbands’ porridge, stews, and brandy. And over the next twenty years, the quiet village became the epicenter of one of the deadliest poisoning epidemics of the 20th century – according to some estimates, up to 300 people in the region would be murdered.

Why did they do it? How did these murders spin out of control? How did these women get away with their crimes for two decades?

In The Women Are Not Fine, journalist Hope Reese pieces together archival newspapers, court documents, police records, and the vital work of historians, sociologists, and psychologists, diving deep into the truth behind this extraordinary event. Her findings serve as a stark warning: when women in a community are pushed to the brink, the consequences reverberate through history.

The Women Are Not Fine is more than a true crime story. It’s a timely, haunting exploration of what happens when women’s suffering goes unanswered.

Coming April 2025