Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, War
Tags US History, Politics & Government, American Revolution, Military & War, American Literature, 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.
American Revolutions
American Sniper
American Sniper
American War
A Message to Garcia
A Mystery Of Heroism
An Army at Dawn
And There Was Light
An Elephant in the Garden
An Episode of War
A Night Divided
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People
An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge
An Ordinary Man
Anthem for Doomed Youth
Apeirogon
A Place to Hang the Moon
Apostles of Disunion
April Morning
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, War
Tags US History, Politics & Government, American Revolution, Military & War, American Literature, World History
Publication year 2012
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes War, Good & Evil, Family, Siblings
Tags US History, Iraq War, Military & War, World History, Biography
American Sniper is the autobiography of Chris Kyle, the single deadliest sniper in the history of the United States military. The narrative, co-written by Chris Kyle, Jim deFelice, Scott McEwen, and Chris’s wife Taya, opens with events that took place in 2003 in Iraq. At the time, Chris was providing protective fire for a group of Marines; a female insurgent attempted to attack the Marines with a grenade, but Chris shot her, registering his first... Read American Sniper Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Masculinity, War, Good & Evil
Tags Biography, World History, Military & War
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Science Fiction, Military & War, Fantasy
American War is a speculative fiction novel published in 2017 by the Canadian-Egyptian author Omar El Akkad. Set in a dystopian near-future in which climate change has displaced millions, the book details a Second American Civil War fought between the federal government and the Southern United States over the use of fossil fuels. Prior to writing American War, El Akkad reported from conflict zones in Afghanistan and Egypt as a journalist for The Globe and... Read American War Summary
Publication year 1899
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Tags Military & War, Business & Economics, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Classic Fiction
Elbert Hubbard’s essay “A Message to Garcia” tells of the heroic journey of an Army soldier who must deliver a letter to a freedom fighter, and of the need for a similar spirit of determination in the workplace. The work first appeared as a magazine article in 1899 and became a pamphlet and book that reached millions of readers. “Carry a message to Garcia” (3) was a commonly used phrase in America during the first... Read A Message to Garcia Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes War
Tags Military & War, Education, Education, Classic Fiction
In Stephen Crane’s short story, “A Mystery of Heroism,” (originally syndicated in newspapers in 1895 and then published a year later in The Little Regiment, and Other Episodes of the American Civil War), a brutal battle is waged between two armies. There is no mention of why this battle is being fought, although it can be inferred from the title of Crane’s book that the battle is during the American Civil War. References to the... Read A Mystery Of Heroism Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes War
Tags World War II, US History, Military & War, History: African , World History
An Army at Dawn is a nonfiction military history book published in 2002 by American author and journalist Rick Atkinson. Subtitled The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, the book chronicles the successful Allied invasion of North Africa during World War II. The first installment of Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy, An Army at Dawn received the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for History.This study guide refers to the 2002 edition published by Henry Holt and Company.Plot SummaryOn September 1... Read An Army at Dawn Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes War
Tags US History, Politics & Government, Military & War, American Civil War, World History, Biography
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Coming of Age, War, Mothers
Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, World War II, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Action & Adventure
Publication year 2009
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes War
Tags Military & War
The story opens with the protagonist, known as "the lieutenant," surrounded by "Corporals and other representatives of the grimy and hot-throated men" (paragraph 1, sentence 2), on the front lines of a battlefield during the American Civil War. He is divvying up coffee rations into piles "astoundingly equal in size" when suddenly he is shot in the arm (paragraph 2, sentence 2). At first, no one seems to understand what has happened. He and the... Read An Episode of War Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen dramatizes the experiences of the division of Germany after World War II and tells a tale of family separation from a child’s perspective. The novel explores the effects of repressive government on intimate relationships as the main character, 12-year-old Gerta, watches friendships and partnerships dissolve due to the Cold War. It is a story of individual heroism and family devotion. The novel became an ILA-CBC Children’s Choices Reading... Read A Night Divided Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, War, Equality, Education, Race, The Past, Future, Community, Place, Colonialism
Tags US History, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Education, Military & War, Anthropology, Colonial America, Social Class, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, World History
Publication year 2019
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Race, Equality, Colonialism
Tags US History, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Military & War, American Revolution, Colonial America, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Education, Education, World History
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People is a 2019 adaptation of Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s 2015 nonfiction book. Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese adapted the material for middle-grade audiences. The original publication received the American Book Award, and this version is a 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Young Adult Honor Book with recognition from the National Council for the Social Studies and the Children’s Book Council. This book tells the perspective of... Read An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People Summary
Publication year 1890
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Death, War, Appearance & Reality, Fame
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, American Civil War, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, Military & War, American Literature, World History
Ambrose Bierce, an American writer and Civil War veteran, wrote “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” in 1890. Bierce’s story was first published in The San Francisco Examiner and later became part of his collection Tales of Soldiers and Civilians published in 1891. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is considered one of Bierce’s best works for its use of the stream-of-consciousness narrative technique and the hero’s journey as well as its exploration of death... Read An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, History: African , Military & War, World History, Biography
An Ordinary Man is 2006 the autobiography of Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of a Belgian-owned Rwandan hotel. Rusesabagina’s story, written with the aid of journalist Tom Zoellner, centers on the struggles Rusesabagina and his family overcame to survive the inhumane, racially motivated genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994—a story later turned into the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda. The narrative uses a conversation tone, unembellished language, and an unostentatious style. After describing Paul's past and... Read An Ordinary Man Summary
Publication year 1920
Genre Poem, Fiction
Tags Lyric Poem, Military & War, World War I, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Death
Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, Politics & Government, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death, Middle Eastern History, Social Justice
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Siblings, Family, Community
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History
Publication year 2001
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags US History, Historical Fiction, Education, Education, American Civil War, Military & War, World History, Politics & Government
Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War is a historical account of the secession movement in the antebellum Southern US written by Charles B. Dew. Dew is a distinguished professor of history at Williams College specializing in the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras. Apostles of Disunion was published in 2001 by the University of Virginia Press and won the 2001 Fletcher Pratt Prize from the Civil War Round Table... Read Apostles of Disunion Summary
Publication year 1961
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Family, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Military & War, US History, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships, American Revolution, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction
April Morning is a historical fiction work by Howard Fast, a prolific author whose writings spanned the bulk of the 20th century. Published in 1961, midway through Fast’s career, the novel is one of many he wrote on the Revolutionary War and the birth of America. Originally intended for a general audience, it came to be regarded as a young adult novel as many middle and high school English programs included it in their curriculum... Read April Morning Summary