New York Times
Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers
December 21, 2025 

Cover of How to Test Negative for Stupid: And Why Washington Never Will by John Kennedy
1. How to Test Negative for Stupid: And Why Washington Never Will
by John Kennedy

The Republican senator from Louisiana shares stories about politics in Washington, D.C., and in his home state.
Cover of 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History -- and How It Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin
2. 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History -- and How It Shattered a Nation
by Andrew Ross Sorkin

The New York Times journalist and CNBC host looks at the fight between Washington and Wall Street that fueled a historic crash of the stock market.
Cover of The Look by Michelle Obama with Meredith Koop
3. The Look
by Michelle Obama with Meredith Koop

A celebration of the former first lady’s evolution in style, featuring more than 200 photographs.
Cover of Heart Life Music by Kenny Chesney with Holly Gleason
4. Heart Life Music
by Kenny Chesney with Holly Gleason

The country musician recounts events and encounters that shaped his life and career.
Cover of Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
5. Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice
by Virginia Roberts Giuffre

The late activist and advocate for sex-trafficking survivors describes her time with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Cover of The American Revolution: An Intimate History by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns
6. The American Revolution: An Intimate History
by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns

A companion to the PBS series that delves into various facets of the war and the founding of a new form of government.
Cover of The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon
7. The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald
by John U. Bacon

An account of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, an American Great Lakes freighter, 50 years ago.
Cover of Poems and Prayers by Matthew McConaughey
8. Poems & Prayers
by Matthew McConaughey

The actor and author of Greenlights explores elements of belief and reason that make up our lives.
 
Cover of 107 Days by Kamala Harris
9. 107 Days
by Kamala Harris

The former vice president recounts her abbreviated campaign to become president in 2024.
Cover of The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
10. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
by Jonathan Haidt

A co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.
Cover of The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson
11. The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
by Walter Isaacson

The historian and biographer examines the concepts of a statement found in the Declaration of Independence. 
Cover of To Rescue the American Spirit: Teddy Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower by Bret Baier with Catherine Whitney
12. To Rescue the American Spirit: Teddy Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower
by Bret Baier with Catherine Whitney

The Fox News Channel’s chief political anchor chronicles the life and times of Theodore Roosevelt.
Cover of Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford
13. Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity
by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford

A look at recent scientific research on aging and longevity.
Cover of Confronting Evil: Assessing the Worst of the Worst by Bill O'Reilly and Josh Hammer
14. Confronting Evil: Assessing the Worst of the Worst
by Bill O'Reilly and Josh Hammer

O'Reilly and Hammer profile some of history's nefarious characters.
Cover of The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
15. The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The author of Braiding Sweetgrass illuminates how the gift economy in the natural world works and draws lessons for our economy; with illustrations by John Burgoyne.
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A version of this list appears in the December 21, 2025 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings reflect sales for the week ending December 6, 2025.
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