Books to look out for in 2026 nonfiction

"Over the past year we've been spoiled for memoirs from high-wattage stars Cher, Patti Smith and Anthony Hopkins among them. But 2026 begins with a very different true story, from someone who never chose the spotlight, but now wants some good to come of her appalling experiences. After the trial that resulted in her husband and 50 others being convicted of rape or sexual assault, Gisele Pelicot's aim is to nurture strength and courage in other survivors."

"Another trial of the men accused of carrying out the Bataclan massacre was the subject of Emmanuel Carrere's most recent book, V13. For his next, Kolkhoze (Fern, September), the French master of autofiction turns his unsparing lens back on himself, focusing on his relationship with his mother Helene, and using it to weave a complex personal history of France, Russia and Ukraine."

"Hollywood isn't totally out of the picture, though: The Steps (Seven Dials, May), Sylvester Stallone's first autobiography, follows the star from homelessness in early 70s New York to Rocky's triumph at the Oscars later that decade. Does achieving your creative dreams come at a price, though? Lena Dunham suggests as much in Famesick (4th Estate, April), billed as a typically frank memoir of how how her dramatic early success gave way to debilitating chronic illness."

Gisele Pelicot's A Hymn to Life recounts the aftermath of a trial that convicted her husband and 50 others of rape or sexual assault and aims to nurture strength and courage in other survivors, insisting that shame has to change sides. Emmanuel Carrere's Kolkhoze turns an unsparing lens on his relationship with his mother Helene, weaving a personal history of France, Russia and Ukraine after his book V13 on the Bataclan trial. Siri Hustvedt's Ghost Stories memorializes final years with husband Paul Auster, who died of cancer in 2024. Sylvester Stallone's The Steps traces homelessness to Rocky's Oscars triumph. Lena Dunham's Famesick examines early fame and chronic illness. Gillian Anderson's More follows her anthology Want. Alan Bennett's Enough Said diaries cover 2016–2024, including Brexit.

Read at www.theguardian.com