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New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers
February 21, 2016
1. When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi

A memoir by a physician who received a diagnosis of Stage IV lung cancer at the age of 36.
2. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
by Adam Grant

A Wharton School professor argues that innovators are made, not born, and offers suggestions for how to become one.
3. Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A meditation on race in America; winner of the National Book Award.
4. The Name of God Is Mercy: A Conversation with Andrea Tornielli
by Pope Francis with Andrea Tornielli

In a conversation with a Vatican reporter, the pontiff explores the cornerstone of his faith.
5. The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain
by Bill Bryson

An American expatriate travels around his adopted country, Britain.
6. Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right
by Jane Mayer

An account of how the Koch brothers and other super-wealthy donors deployed their money to change American politics.
7. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
by Atul Gawande

The surgeon and New Yorker writer considers how doctors fail patients at the end of life and how they can do better.
8. Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency
by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

The host of The O'Reilly Factor recounts the events surrounding the attempted assassination of President Reagan in 1981.
9. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War that Changed American History
by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger

The war against the Barbary pirates in 1801.
10. The Wright Brothers
by David McCullough

The story of the bicycle mechanics from Ohio who ushered in the age of flight.
 
11. On My Own
by Diane Rehm

The NPR radio host describes her husband's death from Parkinson's in 2014 after 54 years of marriage, and her struggle to make a life for herself.
12. Modern Romance
by Aziz Ansari with Eric Klinenberg

The comedian enlists a sociologist to help him understand today's dating scene.
13. Gratitude
by Oliver Sacks

Four essays about living a good life and facing mortality by the neurologist and author, who died last August. 
14. H Is for Hawk
by Helen Macdonald

A grief-stricken British woman decides to raise a goshawk, a fierce bird that is notoriously difficult to tame.
15. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
by Mary Beard

A concise history of ancient Rome.
16. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
by Jenny Lawson

A  humorous treatment of the author's life with depression and anxiety disorder.

© 2016 All rights reserved by New York Times Syndication Sales Corp. This material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner. 

A version of this list appears in the February 21, 2016, issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings reflect sales for the week ending February 6, 2016.


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