Military Reads

Our Military Reads Collection features works that examine military service, conflict, and peace. Representing global perspectives and a broad range of literary genres, these selections explore the impacts of wars both real and imagined on civilians and service members alike.

Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Journalism, Military & War, World History, Iraq War, Action & Adventure, Biography

102 Minutes, by New York Times journalists Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, is a nonfiction account that chronicles 102 minutes inside and outside the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Published in 2005, it was a National Book Award finalist that year.  The day begins like many others, with workers inside the buildings comprising over 220 vertical acres checking emails and sipping coffee at 8:30 a.m. Others arrive after dropping off their children at... Read 102 Minutes Summary

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags American Revolution, US History, Military & War, World History, Politics & Government

1776 is a biography of the American Revolutionary War written by historian David McCullough. Published in 2006, the book is a companion piece to John Adams (2001), a biography McCullough wrote about the second US president. Though the Revolutionary War did not officially end until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, the text follows George Washington, King George III, Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox, and other key figures as it examines crucial military events... Read 1776 Summary

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Fathers, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Military & War, World War II, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, World History

A Boy at War is the first of three novels by Harry Mazer that feature Adam Pelko as their protagonist. Published in 2001 by Simon & Schuster, it was followed by A Boy No More (2004) and Heroes Don’t Run (2005). Sergeant Harry Mazer was born in New York City in 1925 and served in the United States Air Force in the European theater of World War II from 1943-1945. He was awarded the Purple... Read A Boy at War Summary

Publication year 1983

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Tags US History, American Civil War, Military & War, World History, Biography, Politics & Government

This study guide references the 1990 Oxford University Press edition of James M. McPherson’s Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution. The book is a collection of seven essays originally delivered as lectures, all on the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and his role in the Civil War (1861-1865). The book calls the Civil War era the “Second American Revolution” because, with Lincoln’s help, it brought about a fundamental transformation in the... Read Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution Summary

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Guilt, Conflict, Femininity, Friendship, Colonialism, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Vietnam War, Military & War, World History, Fantasy

Publication year 1881

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Place, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Nation, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Indigenous Identity

Tags US History, Race & Racism, Colonial America, Grief & Death, Military & War, Politics & Government, Social Justice, World History

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Historical Fiction, Russian Literature, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (2013) is a historical fiction novel by American author Anthony Marra. The story, told from an omniscient point of view, begins one morning in 2004 in the small Chechen village of Eldár. The night before, a villager named Dokka was captured and taken by Federalist soldiers, and his house was burned to the ground. Akhmed, Dokka’s good friend who lives across the street, finds Dokka’s eight-year-old daughter Havaa hiding in the... Read A Constellation of Vital Phenomena Summary

Publication year 1964

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Coming of Age, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, American Civil War, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Across Five Aprils (1964) is a young adult (YA) historical novel written by the American children’s book author Irene Hunt. A coming-of-age story, the novel follows young Jethro Creighton through four years of his life from the beginning to the end of the American Civil War. Irene Hunt based the novel largely on the experiences of her own grandfather who, like Jethro, was only nine years old when the Civil War began.The book was Hunt’s... Read Across Five Aprils Summary

Publication year 1950

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Death, War

Tags Military & War, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Literary Fiction

Across the River and into the Trees is a 1950 novel by Ernest Hemingway. The story follows Colonel Richard Cantwell, a decorated American military officer, as he confronts his mortality in the Italian city of Venice. Across the River and into the Trees was a bestseller but received a negative critical reception, particularly in comparison to Hemingway’s earlier works. It explores themes of The Impact of War on Identity, Masculinity and Authority Under the Pressure... Read Across the River and into the Trees Summary

Publication year 1938

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Revenge

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Relationships, Education, Education, Military & War, World History

Address Unknown (1938) by American writer Kathrine Taylor details the rise of Nazi Germany through the correspondence of two men, one of whom is Jewish and one of whom is not. The short novel explores themes such as Radicalization, The Impact of Paranoia and Fascism, and The Loss of Friendship and Family.Chapter 1 Summary: “November 12, 1932”A Jewish German man named Max writes to his business partner, a German gentile, or individual who isn’t Jewish... Read Address Unknown Summary

Publication year 1955

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Grief, Death, Fate, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, War, Nation, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Conflict

Tags Symbolic Narrative, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, World War I, Military & War, American Literature, World History

Publication year 1929

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags The Lost Generation, Modernism, American Literature, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance, Classic Fiction

A Farewell to Arms, written by Ernest Hemingway and published in 1929, is the story of Frederic Henry, an officer with the Italian army in World War I, and his relationship with Catherine Barkley, a British nurse. Some have noted the similarities between the main character and Hemingway, who also served in the Italian army as an ambulance driver in 1918, and his nurse, Agnes Von Kurowsky, who cared for Hemingway after he was wounded.The... Read A Farewell to Arms Summary

Publication year 1989

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes War, Shame & Pride, Truth & Lies

Tags Military & War, Drama, Crime & Law, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Arts & Culture, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

A Few Good Men is a play written by Aaron Sorkin and first performed in 1989. The story involves a military lawyer who defends two Marines accused of murder. The play was well-received, and Sorkin adapted it into a screenplay for the film of the same name (released in 1992), which was a popular and critical success.Plot SummaryA Few Good Men opens as two Marines, Downey and Dawson, recall the details of a nighttime incident... Read A Few Good Men Summary

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Safety & Danger, War, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, Trauma & Abuse, Holocaust, World War II, Children`s Literature, World History, Action & Adventure

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