{"id":2370873,"date":"2015-04-02T11:14:20","date_gmt":"2015-04-02T16:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/?p=1154"},"modified":"2022-09-24T02:45:39","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T07:45:39","slug":"10-great-creative-nonfiction-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/blog\/10-great-creative-nonfiction-books\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Great Creative Nonfiction Books"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Tineke Bryson, Staff Writer<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Last week Tineke addressed writing about our own life experiences, sharing <a title=\"How to Write a Personal Story So It Matters to More Than You\" href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/blog\/how-to-write-a-personal-story-so-it-matters-to-more-than-you\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">8 ways to do creative nonfiction well<\/a>. But if you found yourself wondering what exactly creative nonfiction (CNF) is, and what sorts of books represent the genre, you are not unusual.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is your creative nonfiction section?\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/10-Great-NonFiction-Books-e1664005124559.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2370887 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/10-Great-NonFiction-Books-e1664005124559-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"10-Great-NonFiction-Books\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/10-Great-NonFiction-Books-e1664005124559.jpg 300w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/10-Great-NonFiction-Books-e1664005124559-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/10-Great-NonFiction-Books-e1664005124559-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/10-Great-NonFiction-Books-e1664005124559-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A film of panic clouds the eyes of the Half Price Books employee looking at me from across the trade-in counter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cMemoirs, for example,\u201d<\/strong> I offer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you mean biographies?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSure,\u201d I say. <strong>That\u2019s not it at all<\/strong>, but I hope the biographies might be somewhere close to the CNF section\u2014if it exists. When I eventually locate the small block of shelves allotted to CNF, I find them labeled as \u201cEssays,\u201d \u201cMemoirs,\u201d and \u201cLetters.\u201d Letters&#8230;charmingly old-fashioned. <strong>These are not letters as we think of them; they are not written to a person, but you could say they are written\u00a0to <em>humanity<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I get\u00a0why CNF is not widely understood. But I am sad that so many people are never disabused of <strong>the grade-school notion that nonfiction is just history textbooks, science fact books, newspapers, and encyclopedias<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>I want to challenge that idea.<\/p>\n<p>Yet when I tell people that CNF is <strong>nonfiction that uses all the tools of fiction\u2014extended metaphor, symbolism, plot structure, etc.\u2014I always feel frustration<\/strong>. Because I know how easy it is to ask, \u201cBut don\u2019t scholarly articles use metaphors?\u201d or \u201cIsn\u2019t there a plot in a biography?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yes. And, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Creative nonfiction as a genre label is <strong>easy to define but difficult to restrict<\/strong>. The definition in Wikipedia, for example, sounds simple enough:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Creative nonfiction (also known as literary nonfiction or narrative nonfiction) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction, such as technical writing or journalism, which is also rooted in accurate fact, but is not primarily written in service to its craft.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Yet when I try to put myself in the shoes of a journalist, I think <strong>I would take issue with defining journalism as rooted in fact but not written &#8220;in service to&#8221; craft<\/strong>. Great journalism can be creative, and is definitely a craft.<\/p>\n<p>And then I wonder if it could be said that personal blog posts are all CNF. That doesn\u2019t go down easily either. Blog posts are not technical writing or journalism, but <strong>so few blog posts are <em>crafted<\/em><\/strong>. (Or is it just me?)<\/p>\n<p>What I want to do is scream, <strong>\u201cJust read some examples and you will see what I mean!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So this post is a virtual scream. Not because I am angry; just because <strong>I would love to see more writers and readers give CNF a go, and I think reading classic examples is more helpful than a definition.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What follows is a list of 10 books I consider <strong>compelling examples of the power and range of CNF<\/strong>. I have only included books I have read, so it should go without saying\u2014yet must be said\u2014that this is not a list of the ten <em>best<\/em> CNF books. They are also not in a particular order.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/An-American-Childhood-196x300-1.gif\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2373881 size-full alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/An-American-Childhood-196x300-1.gif\" alt=\"An American Childhood\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>1. <em>An American Childhood<\/em> by Annie Dillard<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nAnnie Dillard is one of today\u2019s most celebrated CNF writers. Her prose punches holes in other people\u2019s prose. This book is an interesting example of a memoir written not about the author herself but as <strong>an exploration of a specific theme<\/strong>: what it feels like to be \u201calive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I defy anyone to read <em>An American Childhood<\/em> and not catch curiosity fever. <strong>Her powers of observation of the natural world are wonderful<\/strong>. She is esteemed both as a memoirist and as a riveting nature writer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><a href=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/The-Genesee-Diary.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2370916\" src=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/The-Genesee-Diary-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"The Genesee Diary\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/The-Genesee-Diary-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/The-Genesee-Diary.jpg 260w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a>2. <em>The Genesee Diary<\/em> by Henri Nouwen<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Henri Nouwen, evangelicalism\u2019s favorite Catholic (yes, I know about Tolkien), kept a journal during a six-month stay at a Trappist monastery in Western New York. The result is this <strong>quiet, but grounding spiritual travel log<\/strong>\u2014Nouwen is physically restricted, but slowly journeying to a wide and open peace in his inner life.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a strong example of <strong>editing and re-sequencing a private journal to present to others<\/strong>. It\u2019s also interesting because it manages to <strong>avoid being a devotional book while exploring devotion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Dandelion-Wine.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2370917\" src=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Dandelion-Wine-218x300.jpg\" alt=\"Dandelion Wine\" width=\"218\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Dandelion-Wine-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Dandelion-Wine.jpg 470w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 218px) 100vw, 218px\" \/><\/a>3. <em>Dandelion Wine<\/em> by Ray Bradbury<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nLike <em>An American Childhood<\/em>, this is a memoir, but Ray Bradbury has taken <strong>creative liberties in the telling that many memoirists\u00a0would eschew<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>A celebration of childhood, <em>Dandelion Wine<\/em> is delightful while also sometimes somber, and is a provocative read for writers trying to <strong>work out what the balance should be between fact and storytelling<\/strong> in their own nonfiction work.<\/p>\n<p>I enjoy comparing\u00a0and contrasting this book to Dillard&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Dakota.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2370918 size-full alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Dakota.jpg\" alt=\"Dakota\" width=\"180\" height=\"279\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>4. <em>Dakota: A Spiritual Geography<\/em> by Kathleen Norris<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nWhen poet Kathleen Norris moves from NYC to Lemmon, South Dakota, to take possession of an old family home, she finds herself confronted and changed by the landscape.<\/p>\n<p>This book is a <strong>meditation on the power of landscape and climate to shape culture and the soul<\/strong>, and is also a <strong>tribute to <em>place<\/em><\/strong>. It is by turns poetic and informative\u2014a great example of writing about place without primarily writing about the self. The <strong>non-chronological structure<\/strong> of the book is also interesting.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Markings.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2370923 size-full alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Markings.jpeg\" alt=\"Markings\" width=\"160\" height=\"230\" \/><\/a>5. <em>The Confessions of Saint Augustine<\/em> by Augustine of Hippo<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nThis is arguably the <strong>first creative nonfiction autobiography<\/strong>, although that is far from the way most people read it. It is also one of the most influential. In a single semester during college, I was expected to read this book for classes in writing,\u00a0church history, and world literature.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from saving me a lot of time, studying it in three contexts underlined for me how complex a work of CNF can be\u2014<strong>a frank,\u00a0crafted\u00a0account of the self can be read on many levels<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0stand among the classics of literature.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/one-thousand-gifts.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2370910\" src=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/one-thousand-gifts-206x300.jpg\" alt=\"one-thousand-gifts\" width=\"206\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/one-thousand-gifts-206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/one-thousand-gifts-704x1024.jpg 704w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/one-thousand-gifts.jpg 1408w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 206px) 100vw, 206px\" \/><\/a>6. <em>1000 Gifts<\/em> by Ann Voscamp<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nIf there is a way for the publishing industry to market a book for women, they understandably will. But I can\u2019t quite forgive them for doing this with the writing of Ann Voscamp. This <strong>fierce and stark exploration of the meaning of suffering and the power of gratitude is not just for ladies<\/strong>\u2014despite what the girly cover would suggest.<\/p>\n<p>I am so glad I got past the cover and gave this book a chance. <strong>Stunning prose. Heartfelt and moving wrestle with God.<\/strong> Just switch out the jacket!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/The-Wild-Places.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2370920\" src=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/The-Wild-Places-219x300.jpg\" alt=\"The Wild Places\" width=\"219\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/The-Wild-Places-219x300.jpg 219w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/The-Wild-Places-748x1024.jpg 748w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/The-Wild-Places.jpg 1096w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 219px) 100vw, 219px\" \/><\/a>7. <em>The Wild Places<\/em> by Robert Macfarlane<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nIn an absorbing example of <strong>travel writing and nature writing<\/strong>, Macfarlane embarks on a quest to find and \u201cmap\u201d the dwindling wild places of the British Isles; each chapter is dedicated to a different place. The prose is gorgeous but tempered. Macfarlane is good at <strong>knowing how and when to move between description, narrative, and thematic content<\/strong>, such as natural history, conservation, and stories of\u00a0writers influenced by landscape.<\/p>\n<p>To read a shorter specimen of his, I recommend <a title=\"The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2015\/feb\/27\/robert-macfarlane-word-hoard-rewilding-landscape\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The word-hoard: Robert Macfarlane on rewilding our language of landscape<\/a>, (<em>The Guardian<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/a-severe-mercy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2370921\" src=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/a-severe-mercy-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"a severe mercy\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/a-severe-mercy-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/a-severe-mercy.jpg 332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a>8. <em>A Severe Mercy<\/em> by Sheldon Vanauken<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nThis book is shaped, as was the author, by the writings of Lewis, with whom Vanauken was friends. <strong>It is something of a combination of Lewis\u2019s <em>Surprised by Joy<\/em> and <em>A Grief Observed<\/em><\/strong> (also fine examples of CNF), in that it is a love story, a story of conversion to Christian faith, and a story of a great loss.<\/p>\n<p>I find it <strong>more relatable<\/strong> than Lewis\u2019s CNF, perhaps because Vanauken\u2019s writing voice is not quite so gruff and he is less private.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Wind-Sand-Stars.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2370922\" src=\"http:\/\/oneyearnovel.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Wind-Sand-Stars-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"Wind Sand Stars\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Wind-Sand-Stars-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Wind-Sand-Stars-674x1024.jpg 674w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Wind-Sand-Stars.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a>9. <em>Wind, Sand, and Stars<\/em> by Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nToday, Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry is best known for the philosophical children\u2019s classic <em>The Little Prince<\/em>. However, in literary circles, he is considered primarily a <strong>travel writer<\/strong> and is especially beloved for his <strong>stories and meditations on early aviation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This book\u00a0tells of his beginnings as a pilot, meditates on legendary pilot adventures, and also documents in whimsical but vivid terms his stint as a commercial pilot in the Sahara, including his survival of a crash landing in the desert. I find it especially compelling for its strange blend of colonial ethnocentrism and warm sympathy for individual Africans.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Markings.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2370923 size-full alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/Markings.jpeg\" alt=\"Markings\" width=\"160\" height=\"230\" \/><\/a>10. <em>Markings<\/em> by Dag Hammarskj\u00f6ld<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nNot unusually, the English title of this book does not quite capture the sense of the Swedish <em>V\u00e4gm\u00e4rken<\/em>, which is more along the lines of \u201cmarkers along the road.\u201d It is the gathered diary entries of the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, who served from 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1961.<\/p>\n<p>He began writing entries at age 20. The book is interspersed with haiku-style poems, and covers many topics. <strong>The guiding idea of Markings is his search for meaning in everything he encountered and experienced.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>What are some CNF books you like? I would love to read your recommendations in the comments!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/Tineke-photo-bio-2.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2372837 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/Tineke-photo-bio-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"194\" \/><\/a>About Tineke<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tineke Bryson works for <em>One Year Adventure Novel<\/em> as a kind of jane-of-all-trades, but her favorites trade of the lot is editing. Previous to OYAN, she graduated from Houghton College with an Honors in Writing and then\u00a0worked as an editor for a large para-church organization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Tineke Bryson, Staff Writer<\/strong><br \/>\nIf creative nonfiction (CNF) is a real genre, why don\u2019t most of us know what it is?<\/p>\n<p>When I tell people that CNF is nonfiction that uses all the tools of fiction\u2014extended metaphor, symbolism, plot structure, etc.\u2014I always feel frustration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11881,"featured_media":2370887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[15934,20,15936],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-2370873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-reviews-and-perspective-on-books","tag-creative-nonfiction","tag-recommended-books","tag-what-is-creative-nonfiction","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>10 Great Creative Nonfiction Books -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/blog\/10-great-creative-nonfiction-books\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10 Great Creative Nonfiction Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tineke Bryson, Staff Writer If creative nonfiction (CNF) is a real genre, why don\u2019t most of us know what it is?  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