Characteristics of High-Quality Non-Fiction for Leisure and Learning
Cathy Belben, Librarian, Burlington-Edison High School

What makes a non-fiction book a good choice for pleasure reading AND information? Here are some of my ideas about that...

1.  Good non-fiction is INTERESTING.
A "good" book isn't the same for everyone, but an interesting book is any one that appeals to a particular reader's interests and holds that interest throughout the text.

2.  Good non-fiction is INTRIGUING.
Good books--fiction or non-fiction, create and satisfy curiosity about a set of characters, a situation, or a topic.

3.  Good non-fiction is INSIGHTFUL.
Insight is the ability to look at a topic with a unique perspective and share that perspective with readers. An insightful book shows us something new about a topic that we hadn't thought about before.

4.  Good non-fiction is INSPIRING.
This one is certainly open for debate, but the best books are those that inspire me to act. Maybe they make me want to write a letter to the editor, or maybe they make me want to start exercising or call a forgotten friend. The best books are life-altering.

5.  Good non-fiction is ENTERTAINING.
What's "entertaining" obviously differs from person to person, but I consider anything entertaining that somehow affects me emotionally--primarily if it makes me laugh, scares me, or keeps me in suspense.

6. Good non-fiction is EDUCATIONAL.
Good educational materials utilize a variety of strategies:  they show us pictures or offer anecdotes, give details about the topic, and illustrate the ideas in such a way that when we finish reading, we know something we didn't know before.