Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Marriage, War, Femininity, Race
Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, World History
Memorial Day Reads
Our selection of Memorial Day Reads highlights the voices of writers with experience serving in the military or living through conflict. Exploring the concepts of war and peace, these selections expound on the nature of conflict and its impacts on the people affected by it.
Afterlives
After The First Death
Against the Loveless World
A Girl Called Samson
A God in Ruins
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea
A Horseman in the Sky
A Land of Permanent Goodbyes
Alas, Babylon
Allies
All My Sons
All Quiet on the Western Front
All the Broken Pieces
All the Broken Places
A Long Long Time Ago And Essentially True
A Long Petal of the Sea
A Long Walk to Water
A Lucky Child
A Mathematician's Apology
American Prometheus
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Marriage, War, Femininity, Race
Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, World History
Publication year 1979
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Death, Fear, Good & Evil
Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Military & War, Trauma & Abuse, American Literature, Education, Education, Grief & Death, Realistic Fiction
After the First Death (1979) by Robert Cormier is a juvenile suspense/horror that examines the fragility of life through a terrorist hijacking of a bus full of children. The book in conjunction with Cormier’s two most famous teen titles, The Chocolate War (1974) and I Am the Cheese (1977), won him the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the Young Adult Services Division of the American Library Association in 1991. Cormier was born in 1925 and... Read After The First Death Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes War, Politics & Government, Perseverance, Femininity, Immigration, Nation, Safety & Danger
Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, World History
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Death, Colonialism, War, Justice, Emotions/Behavior: Courage
Tags US History, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance, American Revolution
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, World War II, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History
A God in Ruins is a historical fiction novel by Kate Atkinson. Published in 2015, it is known as a companion piece to Atkinson’s prior novel, Life After Life, and contains many of the same characters. Set against the backdrop of World War II, A God in Ruins examines themes of sacrifice, secrets, family, and the way that war transforms people. Plot SummaryThe events of the novel unfold between 1925 and 2012, and each chapter takes... Read A God in Ruins Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Middle Eastern History, Military & War, World History, Biography, Social Justice, Action & Adventure
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea is a 2017 book by Melissa Fleming, telling the true story of a young girl named Doaa who fled the Syrian civil war. Made a refugee by the conflict, she travels to Egypt and then attempts to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. The book has won numerous awards.Plot SummaryThe story opens with Doaa Al Zamel floating in the sea amid the wreckage of a ship. Her husband is... Read A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea Summary
Publication year 1898
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Family, Good & Evil, Justice
Tags Historical Fiction, American Civil War, Horror & Suspense, Military & War, American Literature, Western, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family
Tags Horror & Suspense, Military & War, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Arts & Culture
A Land of Permanent Goodbyes is a young adult novel from author Atia Abawi. Published in 2018, it tells the story of a teenage refugee, Tareq, who flees his homeland of Syria, making the journey to Turkey, Greece, and eventually Germany. Tareq’s story is complemented by a second narrative, that of Alexia, a young American woman who defers a semester of college in order to support a volunteer organization that assists refugees as they arrive... Read A Land of Permanent Goodbyes Summary
Publication year 1959
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Masculinity, Community, Order & Chaos
Tags Science Fiction, American Literature, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Military & War, Relationships, US History, Cold War, Fantasy
Alas, Babylon is a 1959 novel by Pat Frank. Written during the Cold War, it is one of the earliest post-apocalyptic novels to deal with the potential consequences of nuclear war. It examines themes of nationalism, natural selection, deterrent force, and resilience and contains elements of dystopian literature.Plot SummaryAs the novel begins, Mark Bragg sends a telegram to his brother, Randy. The telegram includes the words, “Alas, Babylon,” their code for the onset of a... Read Alas, Babylon Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes War, Race, Equality
Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, World History, World War II, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure
Allies is a novel by American author Alan Gratz that was originally published in 2019. It belongs to the genre of young adult historical fiction and is set during World War II. Gratz is the author of 17 novels for children/young adults as of 2021 and has won awards from Random House Books and the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. His novel Refugee won the National Jewish Book Award and the Young Hoosier... Read Allies Summary
Publication year 1947
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Grief, Guilt, Family, War, Truth & Lies
Tags Tragedy, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Military & War, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature
All My Sons is a play by Arthur Miller, first performed in 1947. Based on a true story, All My Sons tells the story of a munitions factory owner who is accused of producing defective engines for aircraft. The play received many awards, ran for 328 shows on Broadway, and has been twice adapted as a film. This guide is based on the 2015 Penguin Classics edition of Miller’s Collected Plays. Plot SummaryJoe Keller is... Read All My Sons Summary
Publication year 1929
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes War, Safety & Danger, Justice, Friendship, Death
Tags Military & War, Historical Fiction, World War I, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction
All Quiet on the Western Front is a 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque which details the experiences of German soldiers at the frontlines of World War I. At the heart of the novel are graphic portrayals of trench warfare and the psychological trauma inflicted on the soldiers as a result. The novel presents a realistic portrait of a horrific war and provides unflattering accounts of the elite classes responsible for such mass destruction. The... Read All Quiet on the Western Front Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Forgiveness
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, Realistic Fiction, Sports, World History, Parenting
All the Broken Pieces is a novel in verse by Ann E. Burg, first published in 2009 and geared toward middle grade readers. The novel won the Jefferson Cup Award for children’s historical fiction and was named an IRA Notable Book for a Global Society, as well as a Booklist Editors’ Choice and YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. Burg was also nominated for a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. With a sparse... Read All the Broken Pieces Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Guilt, Family, Mothers, Revenge
Tags Historical Fiction, Holocaust, Dramatic Literature, Trauma & Abuse, World War II, Military & War, World History
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hope, Memory, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Nation, War, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies
Tags Military & War, World War II, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Immigration, Fate
Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Social Class, Immigration & Refugeeism, Latin American Literature, Military & War, World History, Romance
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Children`s Literature, History: African , Education, Education, Military & War, Realistic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction
The middle-grade novel A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park follows the life of one of the Lost Boys from South Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Based on a true story, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt published the bestselling novel in 2010, and Park later wrote a companion picture book, Nya’s Long Walk. The story follows Salva Dut, based on a family friend of Park’s, who is chased from his village and family... Read A Long Walk to Water Summary
Publication year 2007
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Tags Coming of Age, World History, World War II, Holocaust, Military & War, Biography
A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy, first published in Germany 2007, is author Thomas Buergenthal's account of his childhood during the Nazi Occupation. Buergenthal was 6 years old when forced to abandon his home and spend the rest of his childhood running from Nazis and struggling to survive the Holocaust. Buergenthal’s horrific journey took him through bombings, labor camps, concentration camps, and “death marches.” He lost most of his... Read A Lucky Child Summary
Publication year 1940
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Beauty, Aging, Science & Technology
Tags Arts & Culture, Business & Economics, Philosophy, Military & War, Social Class, Depression & Suicide, Education, Science & Nature, Sports, Technology, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Biography
Publication year 2005
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes War, Politics & Government, Nation, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Justice, Good & Evil, Mental Health
Tags Biography, US History, World History, Science & Nature, Politics & Government, Military & War, World War II