Travel around the world in nonfiction books.
One of the best things about reading is that it allows you to travel the world through books.
Last year, I shared a list of fiction books set around the world. I thought doing the same thing with nonfiction books would be fun.
I put together a list of nonfiction books set around the world. We are traveling to Siberia, Canada, Africa, North Korea, South America, and more.
This list contains thirty-three books. They are all books that Gracelyn and I have read and can recommend.
If you love nonfiction, I think you will find a book that you want to read!
Around the World In Nonfiction Books
Books Set in the Arctic Ocean and Siberia
Empire of Ice and Stone by Buddy Levy is set in 1913. It is the story of the Karluk and its voyage in the Arctic Ocean between Alaska and Siberia. It is about a voyage gone wrong.
This book is about good and bad leadership. It is also about survival, human nature, and the danger of putting fame and fortune above the people you are supposed to lead.
This narrative nonfiction book was hard to put down. My husband and I have recommended it to many people.
Books Set In Antarctica
Endurance by Alfred Lansing was published in 1959. It is about explorer Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance’s journey to Antarctica.
It has become a classic adventure story. Although it was written in 1959, it has stood the test of time.
I read this book nearly twenty years ago when my father-in-law gave it to us. My husband and I loved it so much that we made our kids read it in high school while homeschooling them. I think it is time for me to reread this one.
This book is an adventure story that you won’t be able to put down. This book is about leadership and survival in the toughest of circumstances. If you love adventure stories and have not read this one, I highly recommend it.
Books Set In Canada
The Day the World Came To Town Jim Defede is a book about 9/11 that is not like any other 9/11 book that you may have read.
When the U.S. closed its airspace on 9/11, thirty-eight jetliners were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, a small town of around ten thousand people. In less than twenty-four hours, it almost doubled in size.
Thousands of passengers from all over the world were cared for and welcomed by the members of this small town.
This book is a reminder that there is still good in the middle of evil. In the middle of the pain, there is still hope. In the middle of hate, there is still love to be found.
Books Set In England
The Great Pearl Heist by Molly Caldwell Crosby is a true crime book set in 1913 London. Gracelyn read this one and enjoyed it.
When The Germans Came by Duncan Barrett is set in the Channel Islands during WWII.
If you liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, you might enjoy this because it is the true story of what happened on the Channel Islands during the war.
Death In the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson is a true crime book set in 1952 London. It is about a serial killer, but it is also about the deadly smog that hit London in December of 1952.
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon is a great nonfiction book for Downton Abbey fans. It tells the real story behind Highclere Castle and covers much of the same time period as Downton Abbey.
The Accidental Duchess by The Duchess of Rutland is a memoir of life as a Duchess in England. Emma Manners is a modern-day duchess. Inheriting a castle and becoming a Duchess sounds great, but it also comes with a world of problems that must be solved if you are going to keep the castle.
Books Set In Greenland
Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff is a WWII book, but it is different from most WWII books. This book is set in Greenland during the war. It is a bit slow at the beginning, but it is such an interesting part of WWII history.
Books Set In Germany
Forty Autumns by Nina Willner is a book about both sides of the Berlin Wall. It is one of my all-time favorite nonfiction books.
Forty Autumns is the real story of a family who lived on both sides of the Berlin Wall. If you grew up in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s and remember all the news about the Berlin Wall, I think you will enjoy this one.
Books Set In Spain
Spain In Our Hearts by Adam Hochschild is about the Spanish Revolution. If you have not read anything about the Spanish Revolution from the 1930’s, you will learn a lot reading this one.
Books Set In Italy
It Happened In Italy by Elizabeth Bettina is about Italy during WWII. Most people think of Germany when they think of concentration camps, but this book is about Italy and concentration camps. It is a little slow in the beginning, but it is well worth reading.
Books Set In Russia
A Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova is a memoir about life in Russia. This book is Elena’s memoir of life in Russia during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
I loved this book because I learned so much. I grew up in the 1970s and 80s. I remember the news headlines about Russia, but this book gives you a personal look into what life was really like.
Red Notice by Bill Browder is hard to believe it happened type of book. It is a book about finance, Russia, and true crime. It was written in 2015, but it relates a lot to current events.
I loved this book. It was one of my favorite books of 2022. I could not put this book down.
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre is one of the best narrative nonfiction books that I have read in a long time. It is about spies, double agents, the KGB, MI6, and the CIA. If you enjoy books about spies or the Cold War, I think you will enjoy this one.
Midnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham is about the world’s greatest nuclear disaster. If you are like me and remember the news reports and stories about it I think you wil enjoy this look at what really happened.
Reading this book put it all in perspective. I had no idea all that was involved with the government cover up, the mismanagement, the wounds and deaths that it caused, and the risk that people took to clean up after the accident.
The Polar Expedition by James Carl Nelson is a fascinating look into a little-known piece of history. Did you know that the USA, Great Britain, and several other countries tried to invade Russia and help a group overthrow the communist government? This book focuses on the American men who went into Russia.
If you like books about little known history, you might enjoy this one.
Books Set In Afghanistan
Horse Soldiers by Dough Stanton is a book about modern warfare in Afghanistan. If you like books about modern warfare or are looking for a non WWII book, you will probably enjoy this one.
Books Set In Syria
Syria’s Secret Library by Mike Thomason is about books and war. Would you risk your life for a book? This book is about war-torn Daraya and a secret library that existed.
This book made me realize how much we take owning books for granted. It is about war, so it is not an easy read, but I think it is an important one.
Books Set In India
Desert Queen by Janet Wallach is set in the Middle East, England, and India. It is about Gertrude Bell, who explored, mapped, and excavated the Arab world during the early twentieth century. It is slow and detailed to read, but it is another one about a little-known piece of history.
A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley is a memoir of growing up in India. It is a memoir that you will not forget.
Five year old Sarro Brierly got lost on a train in India. He did not know the name of his town or his last name. He survived on the streets of India, ended up in an orphanage, and was eventually adopted by a couple from Australia.
Elephant Company Vivki Croke is a WWII unlike any other I have read. It is set in Burma during WWII. It not only gives you a look into the lives of those living in Burma during WWII, but it also tells how elephants were used to help fight the war.
This book has been described as part biography, part WWII, and part wildlife, and I think this is the perfect description. It is excellent for those who enjoy WWII books and books about animals and wildlife.
Books Set In Africa
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer is a book about books and much more. It is set in Africa during the beginning of the 21st century and is about ancient books and manuscripts that were written hundreds of years ago.
The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers is about a girl, Phiona, who grows up in African poverty and becomes one of the best female chess players in the world. This is the book that the 2016 Queen of Katwe is based on.
Missing Believed Killed by Margaret Hayes is one of my favorite Christian biographies. It is about a British nurse who was working in the Congo when her colleagues were murdered and she was captured.
It is an amazing story of courage, survival, and God’s grace. Although this story was fairly well known during the 1960s and 1970s, it has been forgotten by many.
Books Set In China
1421 by Gavin Menzies is the book that gave Gracelyn a love of nonfiction. It remains one of her favorite nonfiction books. This is a it may have happened book that makes you think and that is why she liked it.
The author has evidence that supports the idea that the Chinese were in the American hemisphere and had sailed around the world before the Europeans did. If you like nonfiction books that make you think, even if you don’t agree with it, I think you might like this one.
Books Set In North Korea
A Thousand Miles To Freedom by Eunsun Kim gives a rare glimpse into life in North Korea.
Very few people escape North Korea, and even fewer escape and then turn their story into a book. I loved this book because it gives a rare look into North Korea. It is a story of modern-day survival that you have probably never read or heard about.
Somewhere Inside, by Laura Ling and Lisa Ling, is a memoir about Lisa Ling’s capture by North Korea in 2009. I didn’t love the style of writing in this book, but it is still worth reading because it gives you a look into life in North Korea.
Books Set In the Philippians
The Rescue by Steven Trent Smith is a WWII rescue mission in the Pilippines. Gracelyn read this one and enjoyed it.
The Edge of Terror by Scott Walker is the book that helped give Gracelyn her love of WWII history. It was one of the first adult WWII books that she read as a teen and it is still one of her favorites.
It is about American families that were trapped in the Philipines by the Japanese during the war. This book is not an easy read because it deals with some tough topics, but it is well worth reading.
Books Set In Vietnam
Fire Road by Kim Phuc Phan Thi is a book about growing in Vietnam during and after the Vietnam War. A napalm bomb burned Kim Phuc Phan, and this is her story of war, pain, forgiveness, and peace.
The author’s story is important because it shares the reality of war, poverty, dictatorships, and, ultimately, learning to be at peace with the life that God has given you.
Books Set In South America
The Wager by David Grann is about a shipwreck on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. It is a story of human behavior and what can happen in desperate situations
Eden Undone by Abbott Kahler is one of the most bizarre books I have read in a long time. It is part true crime and part strange history.
It is set on a remote Galapagos island in the 1930s where a Berlin doctor, his girlfriend, a WWI veteran, and his family, an Austrian Baroness and her two male assistants, are trying to find or create Utopia.