Sports, bios, history and more: 27 nonfiction books to check out this summer

An Iranian-born psychologist tells the story of her family, forced to leave their home country for England, then America, after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. (Out now)

Part memoir of a professor's decision to grow dreadlocks, part meditation on the significance of African American hair in art and society. (June)

This biography of the world's most famous fictional detective investigates how Arthur Conan Doyle's character has managed to stay relevant all these years. (June)

A collection of the letters, spanning over four decades, between "Howl" poet Ginsberg and City Lights co-founder Ferlinghetti, both Beat Generation legends. (June)

The New Yorker staff writer reflects on his life as a surfing fanatic, from his youth in Hawaii to later stints riding the waves in Thailand, Indonesia and more. (July)

A look at the life, literature and politics of Robert Beck, the infamous pimp and bestselling author better known as Iceberg Slim. (August)

The story of a young North Korean man who escaped the poverty-wracked country for China and then the U.S., where he became a college student. (June)

A posthumous memoir from the former U.S. Poet Laureate, who grew up during the Depression, attended Radcliffe and went on to write of feminism and life in rural New England. (July)

An undocumented immigrant tells his story of growing up homeless in New York and earning a Ph.D. in classics from Stanford University. (July)

After too many mornings waking up with no memory of the night before, a young journalist makes the difficult decision to give up drinking for good. (June)

The NPR commentator looks back on the deaths of his elderly parents and his sometimes contentious relationship with his older brother. (June)

Amateur boxer and gonzo journalist Butler writes about the pugilists of Havana and the beauty and contradictions of life in Cuba. (June)

A biography of one of the most controversial businessmen in rock 'n' roll history — the canny, temperamental manager of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. (June)

Three sons, six World Series rings. The former Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim catcher writes about the man who raised him and his two brothers, also star baseball players. (Out now)

In this memoir a reporter and cancer survivor in his 30s, who's not exactly in the best shape of his life, resolves to dunk a basketball in one year. (Out now)

The soul musician who died at 26 is the subject of this appreciation, which considers the singer's career in the contexts of popular music and civil rights. (June)

The longtime film critic, who has seen more than 20,000 movies in his 50-year career, reflects on the films he loves the most. (June)

From the author of "Library: An Unquiet History," this chronicle of the art of writing spans millennia, from ancient Mesopotamia to our computer-obsessed modern age. (July)

The Voting Rights Act was signed into law 50 years ago, but according to journalist Berman, the fight for equality in voting is still taking place. (August)

This vivid history of the 1947 partition of India looks at the terrible violence that accompanied this division of the subcontinent and independence from the U.K. (June)

The historian argues that Vladimir Putin's controversial style of governance won't be going away anytime soon, no matter who succeeds him as Russian president. (June)

The trials and successes of an anti-gang group are at the center of this book by a UCLA anthropologist about the South L.A. community group she co-founded with local activist Big Mike Cummings. (June)

A history of the scientists who discovered DNA and the genetic code, forever changing the face of science as we know it. (July)

The writer offers a history of American exploration in space and considers what it means for the country that the space shuttle program has ended. (Out now)

Times columnist Hiltzik chronicles the life and career of the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who invented the cyclotron, which changed the face of modern warfare. (July)

A history of the 19th-century scientists who realized that weather didn't have to be a mystery and pioneered the study of meteorology. (June)

One of the world's leading paleoanthropologists looks at how the discipline has evolved over the years and the missteps scientists have made along the way. (June)