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New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers
January 31, 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. 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.
3. Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A meditation on race in America as well as a personal story by The Atlantic's national correspondent . Winner of the National Book Award.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. My Life on the Road
by Gloria Steinem

A memoir by the feminist writer and activist is also a history of the movement.
8. Modern Romance
by Aziz Ansari with Eric Klinenberg

The comedian enlists a sociologist to help him understand today's dating scene.
9. The Wright Brothers
by David McCullough

The story of the bicycle mechanics from Ohio who ushered in the age of flight.
 
10. The Only Pirate at the Party
by Lindsey Stirling and Brooke S. Passey

A memoir by the dancing electronic violinist, a social media and YouTube star.
11. Crippled America: How to Make Our Country Great Again
by Donald Trump

The real estate developer and candidate for the Republican presidential nomination shares his ideas for making America great again.
12. Gratitude
by Oliver Sacks

Four essays, written between 2013 and 2015, about living a good life and facing mortality, by the neurologist and author, who died last August.
13. 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.
14. What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
by Randall Munroe

Scientific (but often humorous) answers to hypothetical questions, based in part on the author's website, xkcd.com.
15. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
by Mary Beard

A concise history of ancient Rome.
16. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

A celebration of the life and career of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

© 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 January 31, 2016, issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings reflect sales for the week ending January 16, 2016.


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