TLA’s 2026 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List

We’re thrilled that the Texas Topaz Nonfiction List includes EIGHT Macmillan titles this year!

GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE by Sloane Crosley | 9780374609849

“In this aching meditation on loss and friendship, essayist and novelist Crosley (CULT CLASSIC) eulogizes her late literary mentor and best friend against the backdrop of the high-pressure publishing industry… Her characteristically whip-smart prose takes on a newly introspective quality as she reinvigorates dusty publishing memoir tropes and captures the minutiae of a complicated friendship with humor and heart. This is a must-read.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Novelist and essayist Crosley is a tightrope writer of devastating wit and plain devastation, a balancing act no doubt requiring even more muscle in this memoir of her grief… Also a story of the shifting sands of the last two decades in book publishing and the author’s and her friend’s changing places within it, this is a searching, impassioned, cathartic, and loving elegy.”—Booklist, starred review

“An essayist and novelist turns her attention to the heartache of a friend’s suicide. Crosley’s memoir is not only a joy to read, but also a respectful and philosophical work about a colleague’s recent suicide… The book is no hagiography—she notes harassment complaints against Russell for thoughtlessly tossed-off comments, plus critiques of the ‘deeply antiquated and often backward’ publishing industry—but the result is a warm remembrance sure to resonate with anyone who has experienced loss. A marvelously tender memoir on suicide and loss.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

CODE DEPENDENT: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia | 9781250867391

“Murgia has consciously reached beyond Silicon Valley to focus on the ‘global precariat,’ a strategy that is valuable in its own humanizing right and also drives home how thoroughly implicated the developed world is in the continuing harms endured by the developing one. Throughout, the author writes with clarity and compassion in equal measure. A fascinating, sobering, wide-ranging examination.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Murgia’s vivid, sympathetic reportage looks beneath the grandiose promise of AI to get at the mundane reality of systems that merely automate the inept, callous, and unaccountable mismanagement and dispossession that ordinary workers and citizens already endure. She also intriguingly spotlights an interpretation of all this as a kind of ‘data colonialism’ that extracts data from poor communities just like any other resource. The result is a biting and skeptical look at the brave new world of AI.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

WE WERE ONCE A FAMILY: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian | 9781250321923

“Journalist Asgarian debuts with a comprehensive and searing look at systemic issues within the foster care and adoption systems through the eyes of two Texas families whose Black and biracial children were removed from their homes, adopted, abused, and killed in a deliberate murder-suicide car crash by their white adoptive mothers in 2018… Asgarian makes clear that the endemic failures that led to this shocking tragedy continue to affect countless families caught up in the child welfare system. Sensitive, impassioned, and eye-opening, this is a must-read.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“[Asgarian’s] work uncovers a devastating web of intergenerational poverty, drug use, violence, and wrenching separations as well as a bleak indictment of the foster care system… This personal narrative twines around a history of the arbitrary, woefully inadequate legislation and funding at both state and federal levels accorded to orphaned and foster children in the U.S. What happened to these kids is a tragedy, and the ongoing failings of the foster system are insupportable. News of the shocking story garnered substantial attention, so expect considerable interest in Asgarian’s thoroughly researched and revelatory retelling.”—Booklist, starred review

A WELL-TRAINED WIFE: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings | 9781250288288

“A compelling, often disturbing account of one woman’s life in Christian fundamentalism… The author pulls no punches in recounting nearly 15 years of oppression and abuse, painting a visceral portrait of her then-monochromatic world with bold strokes of linguistic color and sensory detail. This book stands out among other narratives about overcoming religious trauma in that it peels back the layers of Christian fundamentalism, exposing why it’s so attractive to people hungry for assurance and certainty. A devastatingly triumphant story that will be a beacon for many women who suffer in silence.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

CABIN: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman by Patrick Hutchison | 9781250285706

“Henry David Thoreau meets Home Improvement in Hutchison’s charming debut… With endearing directness and an infectious can-do spirit, this makes for a sturdy ode to self-discovery.”—Publishers Weekly

WHACK JOB: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James | 9781250276735

“Writing in a genuinely reflective tone with sporadic hints of humor, James outlines an intriguing historical perspective of the axe, from its purely primitive use as a tool of survival and necessity to its silent yet notable societal symbolism in films (The Shining; So I Married an Axe Murderer), cartoons (Peanuts), and infotainment (commercials)… This book is an informative one-stop shop that is sure to provide a little something for a wide range of readers.”—Library Journal

RAW DOG: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs by Jamie Loftus | 9781250847744

“In this diary-style travelogue, Loftus (a comedian, TV writer, and host of the podcasts Ghost Church, My Year in Mensa, and Aack Cast) describes a cross-country road trip to investigate the landscape of American hot dogs and critique regional hot dog recipes, all while sharing her observations on love and happiness… Equal parts meat-processing indictment, travelogue, hot dog history, and odd facts, this book is irreverent, hilarious, entertaining, honest, and, at times, gross. Will fascinate readers interested in hot dogs, road trips, and regional recipes.”—Library Journal

DISNEY HIGH: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire by Ashley Spencer | 9781250283450

From private feuds and on-set disasters to fanfare that swept the nation and the realities of child stardom, this is the first unauthorized look at the heyday of TV’s House of Mouse, featuring hundreds of exclusive new interviews with former Disney executives, creatives, and talent to explore the highs, lows, and everything in between.