Author Guide · Narrative Nonfiction
Books Written by
Tom Zoellner, a fifth-generation Arizonan, likes to follow a single thing across the world: a diamond, a lump of uranium, a railway line. He reported his book on diamonds from sixteen countries, then traced uranium from the Congo to Iran. His history of a slave revolt in Jamaica won the National Book Critics Circle Award, and in 2019 he walked 790 miles across Arizona for a book about his home state. This guide covers all nine of his books in order, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 9 books · Narrative nonfiction · 2006–2025 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Tom Zoellner has published nine books: on diamonds, uranium, trains, the Tucson shooting of 2011, a Jamaican slave revolt (Island on Fire, National Book Critics Circle Award), America, Arizona and, in 2025, emancipation during the Civil War. One, An Ordinary Man, he co-wrote with Paul Rusesabagina.
Where to Start with Tom Zoellner
If you want the prize-winner
→ Island on Fire (2020).
If you want a commodity
→ Uranium (2009).
If you want the most recent
→ The Road Was Full of Thorns (2025).
All 9 Tom Zoellner Books, in Order
The Heartless Stone
The diamond trade, reported from sixteen countries.
An Ordinary Man
Co-written with Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager whose story inspired the film Hotel Rwanda.
Uranium
The history and politics of uranium, from the mines of the Congo to nuclear weapons and power.
A Safeway in Arizona
The 2011 shooting in Tucson that wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and what it revealed about Arizona.
Train
A history of railways, told through journeys on trains across the world, from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief.
Island on Fire
The Baptist War, the 1831–32 slave revolt in Jamaica led by Samuel Sharpe, told day by day, and how it led to the end of slavery in the British Empire. It was a finalist for the Bancroft Prize.
The National Road
Essays from years of travel and reporting across the United States.
Rim to River
A 46-day walk along the Arizona Trail from Utah to the Mexican border, linking seventeen essays about the state.
The Road Was Full of Thorns
A retelling of emancipation that begins with three enslaved men who reached Fort Monroe in the first days of the Civil War.
How Many Books Did Tom Zoellner Write?
Nine books between 2006 and 2025, one of them co-written.
- Commodities and systems — The Heartless Stone, Uranium, Train. Read the entries →
- History — Island on Fire and The Road Was Full of Thorns. Read the entries →
- America and Arizona — A Safeway in Arizona, The National Road, Rim to River. Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Tom Zoellner
His books are not a series. Island on Fire and The Road Was Full of Thorns belong together as histories of emancipation.
A reading path
1. Island on Fire (2020)
2. Uranium (2009)
3. Rim to River (2023)
Everything Else Tom Zoellner Wrote: The Full List
Another book.
Open a form with the + to see every book in it.
Other
1
1 book · 2007
- 2007Homemade Biographya guide to writing the life story of a relative
Quick facts about Tom Zoellner
- Born
- 1968
- From
- Arizona, fifth generation
- Teaches
- English at Chapman University
- Editor
- Editor-at-large, Los Angeles Review of Books
- Prize
- National Book Critics Circle Award, for Island on Fire
- Books
- 9, from 2006 to 2025
How Tom Zoellner Writes: Following the Thread
Zoellner follows one thing, a commodity, a road or a revolt, across places and centuries, and travels to see it for himself.
He mixes reporting, history and personal travel, often on foot or by train.
Frequently asked questions about Tom Zoellner's books
How many books has Tom Zoellner written?
Tom Zoellner has published nine books, from The Heartless Stone (2006) to The Road Was Full of Thorns (2025).
What is Island on Fire about?
Island on Fire (2020) tells the story of the 1831–32 slave revolt in Jamaica that helped end slavery in the British Empire. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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