5KN: Narrative Nonfiction

Do you like to compete against other people? So did cybersecurity engineer Parisa Tabriz. She turned her toughness and her competitive spirit into a job as Google's top security expert. As a Read More →

Have you ever wished you could use technology to improve people's lives? Ever since he was a teenager, Sebastian Thrun wanted to build machines that helped people. So far, Thrun has… Read More →

Do you enjoy snapping photos or taking movies of your adventures? So does Nick Woodman—but when he was growing up, most of his activities weren't camera-safe. Woodman was a diehard surfer. He Read More →

Grant West, founder of Walker West Music Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota, has dedicated more than thirty years to shaping the lives of children through the transformative power of music. As a Read More →

Some of the fiercest and most skilled hunters in the world, great white sharks use intellect, camouflage, and a strong sense of smell, hearing, and sight to track and kill their prey. Watch… Read More →

Appalled by government apathy regarding climate change, 15-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg started a protest in front of the her country's parliament building in August 2018. She… Read More →

The birth of a new baby gorilla is exciting! But what happens when everything doesn't go exactly as planned? Nadiri, a western lowland gorilla living at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, was… Read More →

Baseball legend Hank Aaron was a stand-out from the start. After playing in the Negro Leagues for less than a year, Aaron had Major League Baseball teams fighting to have him in their… Read More →

When Hannah G. Solomon looked around Chicago, the city where she was born, she saw unfairness all around her. Many people were poor and living in terrible conditions. Immigrants from other… Read More →

Patty and Mildred Hill are the most famous composers you've never heard of. They came up with "Happy Birthday to You!" in an effort to make something all children could easily sing. They… Read More →

Harriet Tubman dreamed of freedom from a young age. After suffering enslavement in her early life, Tubman escaped to freedom through the secret network of the Underground Railroad. From then… Read More →

The story of Harriet Tubman and her role in leading slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad is well-known. But did you know that during the Civil War Harriet would often dress in… Read More →

Harry is the son of King Charles and Princess Diana. Meghan is an American actress, philanthropist, and humanitarian. When news of their whirlwind romance hit front pages in 2016, fans around Read More →

Harry Styles is a well-known singer, actor, and style icon. At a young age, he already loved performing. He'd dress up in costume and imitate other famous singers. Then in 2010, he auditioned Read More →

Trapped in silence and darkness, Helen Keller longed to communicate with the world. Both deaf and blind, she struggled to express the thoughts locked in her mind. When Annie Sullivan became… Read More →

Helen Keller was an American author and educator who was blind and deaf. Even though she could not see or hear like most people, she finished college and became a powerful writer and speaker Read More →

Maria Mitchell’s curiosity about the night sky led her to spend hours studying the stars. She discovered a comet as a young woman, winning an award from the King of Denmark for being the… Read More →

This book compiles photos and life stories of fifty of the sexiest men and women from history and asks the essential question: Would you really want to date them? Some are artists, some are… Read More →

Vicky Lyfoung retraces the history of a vibrant Asian ethnic group, blending rich documentation and personal stories in this gripping graphic history. Long oppressed, the Hmong struggle to… Read More →

Taking over a rowdy gym class right before winter vacation is not something James Naismith wants to do at all. The last two teachers of this class quit in frustration. The students—a bunch… Read More →

When much of the US was segregated, Black athletes were not allowed to play alongside white athletes. Black athletes started their own sports leagues, including the Black Fives. Learn about… Read More →