Publication year 2003
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Memory, Social Class, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed
Tags European History, World History, Military & War, Politics & Government, Incarceration, Russian Literature
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 2003
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Memory, Social Class, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed
Tags European History, World History, Military & War, Politics & Government, Incarceration, Russian Literature
Publication year 1890
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Guilt, Memory, Shame & Pride, Disability, Masculinity, Race, Death, Colonialism, War, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Classic Fiction, Military & War
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Music
Tags Music, Arts & Culture, World War II, Military & War, World History, French Literature, Historical Fiction
Published in 2011, Half-Blood Blues is the second book by Esi Edugyan, a black Canadian author. The novel won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2012 and was also shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize and the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction. As historical fiction, the story examines the lives of a diverse group of jazz musicians during World War II as they balance personal jealousies with the need to help each other amid mounting... Read Half-Blood Blues Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Historical Fiction, African Literature, African American Literature, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History
Chimamanda Adichie’s second book, Half of a Yellow Sun, is set during the Nigerian Civil War that tragically occurred in her home country during the 1960s. The story masterfully revolves around an intricate web of shifting viewpoints, each of which centers around one of the novel’s five main characters: Ugwu, Odenigbo, Olanna, Kainene, and Richard. All of these characters find themselves affiliated with the Biafran rebels of the war, and this affiliation eventually has consequences... Read Half of a Yellow Sun Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Death, Race, Immigration, Politics & Government, Literature, Perseverance
Tags Military & War, US History, World History, Dramatic Literature, Music, Biography
Publication year 2002
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Justice, War, Love, Family, The Past
Tags Holocaust, World War II, Jewish Literature, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Biography
Originally published in 2002 by Second Story Press, Hana’s Suitcase is a historical text by Karen Levine that weaves together the story of two young children in the Holocaust with the narrative of a Japanese museum curator in the early 21st century. Levine, a radio journalist and producer, first heard about Hana Brady’s suitcase from a news article and subsequently produced a radio show about the story. This launched what would become Hana’s Suitcase and... Read Hana's Suitcase Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Family, War, Art, Music, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology
Tags Military & War, World History, Literary Fiction, Historical Nonfiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Race, Friendship, War
Tags Children`s Literature, World War II, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure
Publication year 1995
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Environment, Family, Community, Animals, Plants, Place, Literature
Tags Creative Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Military & War, Parenting, Iraq War, Biography
High Tide in Tucson is a series of essays by heralded American novelist Barbara Kingsolver, collected and published in 1995. The essays are wide-ranging in subject matter, addressing topics from politics, to nature, to midcentury domestic life, but all reflect Kingsolver’s observations about herself and the people around her. Prior to her writing career, Kingsolver had a wide range of other professional experiences that influence essays in the book.Most of the essays in High Tide... Read High Tide in Tucson Summary
Publication year 1946
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Death, War
Tags Journalism, Asian History, World War II, Creative Nonfiction, World History, Education, Education, Military & War, Japanese Literature, Classic Fiction
Hiroshima, an account of the first atomic bomb used in warfare, is a nonfiction book by John Hersey. Alfred A. Knopf published it in 1946, several months after it first appeared as an article in the New Yorker. The magazine ran the article at the end of August 1946, just after the first anniversary of the dropping of the bomb, devoting the entire issue to the lengthy piece. The issue sold out immediately and was... Read Hiroshima Summary
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags European History, Ancient Greece, Military & War, Philosophy, Philosophy, World History, Classical Period, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government
The History of the Peloponnesian War, also known as Histories, recounts the war between the Athenian alliance (called the Delian League by modern historians) and Sparta and its allies (called the Peloponnesian League by modern historians), which took place from 431-404 BC. Composed in the 5th century BC by Thucydides (c. 460-400), it is the first attempt to apply empirical research and analysis to understanding contemporaneous human events. For this reason, the text is inextricably... Read History of the Peloponnesian War Summary
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Nation, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger
Tags Military & War, World History, Christian
Hitler’s Daughter is a historical fiction middle-grade novel written by Jackie French. It is part of the Hitler trilogy and was originally published in 1999. Jackie French is an Australian author, environmental activist, and historian, and her books have won over 60 awards internationally. Hitler’s Daughter was named a Blue Ribbon Book and a Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year for Younger Readers. It was also adapted into a play. The... Read Hitler's Daughter Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Existentialism, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
First published in 2012, Home, written by Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison, tells the story of Frank Money, a 24-year-old black Korean War veteran who is summoned to Atlanta, Georgia, to rescue his sister, Cee. He receives a note that reads “‘Come fast. She be dead if you tarry’” (8) from an unknown woman. The main story of the novel begins with Frank’s escape from a hospital’s mental health ward. He was put in the ward... Read Home Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Marriage, War, Family, Love, Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Mental Health
Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Family, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt
Tags Romance, Military & War, New Adult
Publication year 1863
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Gender Identity, Femininity, Race, The Past, Community, War
Tags Military & War, American Civil War, US History
Publication year 2025
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Conflict, Hope, War, Justice
Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Military & War, Middle Eastern Literature
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fathers, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music
Tags World War II, Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Military & War, World History, Romance
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is a historical novel published in 2009. The story follows Henry Lee at two pivotal stages in his life—in 1942, when he is a 12-year-old with a crush on a Japanese girl, and in 1986, when he is recently widowed. The book, Ford’s debut novel, spent 130 weeks atop the New York Times Best-Seller List and won the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature... Read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes War, Conflict, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Nation, Politics & Government, Community
Tags Politics & Government, World History, Military & War, Social Science, Sociology
Publication year 2017
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Tags Trauma & Abuse, Biography, Military & War, World History
How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child is a 2017 memoir by Sandra Uwiringiyimana. It recounts Sandra’s life in the volatile Democratic Republic of the Congo, her immigration to America, and her dedication to activism. This nonfiction autobiography is the winner of multiple awards, including the New York Public Library’s Best Books for Teens; Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books for Teens: Nonfiction; and Bank Street’s 2018 Best Books of... Read How Dare the Sun Rise Summary