Do you love reading nonfiction history type of books? Or do you have someone on your gift list that enjoys them?
We are not talking about the dry textbook type of history books. We are talking about well written nonfiction that is so good it reads like fiction. The kind of book that teaches you history in a way that you can’t stop reading about it.
Our family loves reading nonfiction history type of books. A good nonfiction books takes you to another world and place. It takes you to a time and place that you would never be able to experience, except by reading it.
A really well written nonfiction book is hard to put down. It draws you in and makes you long to know more about the person or event.
Since we love these type of books we put together a list of our favorite nonfiction history type of books. Hopefully you will find a few to add to your to read list or give as a gifts to the readers in your life.
The Boys In The Boat
I have no idea why it took me so long to read this book. My daughter The Boys in the Boat, several friends have read it, and readers have read it. Everyone that has read it told me it was a must read, but it took me forever to actually read it. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. I loved this book. It is well written and an inspiring story. This is a great book for anyone that loves history, sports, and biography type of books.
Killers of the Flower Moon
We recommend this book all the time. Three people in our family have read this book and all three loved it. Killers of the Flower Moon will go on my favorite books of 2018 list. If you haven’t read this, read it. The story is fascinating, and it is so well written that it is a hard book to put down. This would make a great gift for a history lover. It reads like fiction so it would be a great gift for someone that doesn’t read a lot of nonfiction, but would like to read more of it.
Flags of Our Fathers
Flags of Our Fathers was one of Grace’s favorite books of 2016. She really enjoyed learning about the men from the famous picture of the flag being raised on Iwo Jima.
In the Heart of the Sea
In the Heart of the Sea made Grace’s top books list of 2017. It is also on her list of all time favorite books. She loved the insight and details about whaling. The story of Essex inspired the famous story Moby Dick.
Blood Moon
The book Blood Moon was a good book to learn about the Cherokee Indian history. This book made a few best of 2018 nonfiction history lists. Grace really enjoyed it and we have given it as gifts.
Alice’s Piano
Alice’s Piano was one of my favorite books of 2016. I have read a lot of WWII books and although this was similar to some I have read, it was also very different. This tells the story of a musician, which is a different view than I had ever read.
Forty Autumns
Forty Autumns: A Family’s Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall will be one of my favorite books of the year. I loved this book. It is the real life story that follows a family through multiple generations that lived on both sides of the Berlin Wall. There are so many books written about WWII, but very few about life in communistic life in Eastern Europe following WWII.
Elephant Company
Elephant Company was one of my favorite books of 2015. It is half war book and half animal book. This is a look at a part of the world during WWII that very few people know about. We read a lot about Europe, Japan, and the Nazis, but this book takes us into the lives of those living in Burma during WWII.
What is your favorite nonfiction history type book? Share your favorites in the comments!
Miracles on the Water by Tom Nagorski. It’s about the survivors of a u-boat attack. We read it for book group and it was a very moving story.
I have not heard of that one! Thank you for the suggestion. I just added it to my Amazon wish list. It sounds like a great read.