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.

The Hobbit

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Publication year 1937

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Teamwork, Friendship, Perseverance

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Military & War, Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction

J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a classic high fantasy adventure novel first published in 1937. Tolkien (1892-1973) was an English writer, philologist, and professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, as well as a close friend of fellow writer C. S. Lewis. The Hobbit is the first published work recounting tales from Middle Earth, Tolkien’s fantasy world with fictional races of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and more. After fighting in World War I, Tolkien worked... Read The Hobbit Summary

The Huntress

by Kate Quinn

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Music

Tags Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World War II, Military & War, World History

The Huntress is a historical fiction novel published in 2019 by the American author Kate Quinn. Set in the years before, during, and after World War II, the novel weaves together the stories of three central characters: a Russian pilot in the Soviet Red Army’s all-female bomber unit; an American photographer whose father falls in love with a mysterious Austrian woman; and an English war correspondent committed to exposing Nazi war criminals. According to Washington... Read The Huntress Summary

The Iliad

by Homer, Transl. Robert Fagles

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Fate, Death, Literature

Tags Mythology, Narrative Poem, Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Education, Education, Military & War, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

The Iliad is a classic ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, a name believed to refer to a tradition of epic hexameter verse rather than an individual composer. When, how, and by whom the poem was composed continues to be debated. Scholars generally believe the poem was composed and passed on orally, possibly over hundreds of years, before it was written down at some point during the mid-8th century BC (approximately when the Greek... Read The Iliad Summary

The Immortal Irishman

by Timothy Egan

Publication year 2016

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Indigenous Identity, Language, Race, The Past, Colonialism, Community, Immigration, Nation, War, Equality, Justice, Wins & Losses

Tags Irish Literature, Biography, US History, Military & War, World History

The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero (2016), by American author and journalist Timothy Egan, is a biography of Thomas Francis Meagher, an Irish revolutionary and American Civil War hero who later became the governor of the Montana Territory. Egan's narrative captures Meagher's tumultuous journey, from his fight for Irish independence to his contributions in America, focusing on broader themes of exile, resilience, and identity. Egan contextualizes Meagher’s life against the... Read The Immortal Irishman Summary

Their Finest Hour

by Winston Churchill

Publication year 1949

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes War, Nation, Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Military & War, World History, World War II, Politics & Government, Biography

“Their Finest Hour” is a speech originally given by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on June 18, 1940, in the House of Commons to members of Parliament and his ministerial cabinet. Churchill delivered the speech following the disastrous campaign of the Battle of France and the hasty evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from Dunkirk. In June 1940, Nazi boots marched in Paris, and the surrender of the French government seemed imminent. The speech... Read Their Finest Hour Summary

The Island of Missing Trees

by Elif Shafak

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Memory, Race, Nation, The Past, Animals, Family, Plants, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Romance, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Food, Trauma & Abuse, European History, World History, Immigration & Refugeeism, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Military & War, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Race & Racism, Relationships, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Island of Missing Trees Summary

The Island of Sea Women

by Lisa See

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Friendship, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger

Tags Historical Fiction, Korean War, Post-War Era, Korean Literature, Asian Literature, Military & War, Asian Literature, World History

The Island of Sea Woman (March 2019) is the most recent title by New York Times bestselling author Lisa See. It is classified in the categories of Historical Asian Fiction and Asian American Literature. Many of See’s books discuss the Chinese immigrant experience in America; her paternal great-grandfather was Chinese, and this family history has had a great influence on her historical fiction. See’s books have been published in 39 languages, and she has been... Read The Island of Sea Women Summary