Publication year 2006
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Indigenous Identity, Colonialism, War, Nation, Truth & Lies
Tags Middle Eastern History, Race & Racism, Military & War, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality
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.
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
The Family Romanov
The Fighting Ground
The First World War
The Floating Opera
The Fly
The Forest of Vanishing Stars
The Forever War
The Forgotten 500
The Forgotten Soldier
The Fort Bragg Cartel
The Fountains of Silence
The Garden of Evening Mists
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
The German Girl
The German Wife
The Gift of Rain
The Girls of Atomic City
The Girl Who Smiled Beads
The Glass Palace
Publication year 2006
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Indigenous Identity, Colonialism, War, Nation, Truth & Lies
Tags Middle Eastern History, Race & Racism, Military & War, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality
Publication year 2014
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags European History, Children`s Literature, Russian Literature, Military & War, World History, Biography
First published in 2014, Candance Fleming’s The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia is a young-adult nonfiction book detailing the last generation of Romanovs to rule Russia from 1894 to 1917, and the fall of Russia’s autocracy through the Russian Revolution. The Family Romanov won both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for nonfiction. In The Family Romanov, Fleming combines her nonfiction... Read The Family Romanov Summary
Publication year 1984
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes War, Coming of Age, Justice
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, American Revolution, World History
The Fighting Ground, a novel by children’s writer Avi, tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who runs away from home to join the American Revolution. The book gives a minute-by-minute account of one day in the boy’s life and the hard lessons he learns about war. First published in 1984, the novel won several honors, including the Scott O’Dell Award, but it was also challenged or banned in some school districts for its use... Read The Fighting Ground Summary
Publication year 1999
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes War, Wins & Losses, Politics & Government
Tags World History, Military & War, World War I, European History, Politics & Government
Publication year 1956
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Death, Appearance & Reality
Tags Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, Grief & Death, Military & War, Magical Realism, Postmodernism, US History, American Literature, World History
Published in 1956, The Floating Opera is a literary novel by John Barth. Barth’s first novel, The Floating Opera focuses on Todd Andrews as he makes plans to commit suicide in the late 1930s, utilizing first-person nonlinear storytelling and humor to meditate on life and death. Following its publication, the novel was nominated for the National Book Award. Barth has published numerous novels since, becoming a seminal figure in postmodern American literature. Plot SummaryTodd Andrews narrates... Read The Floating Opera Summary
Publication year 1922
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Fate, Death
Tags Classic Fiction, Grief & Death, World War I, Modernism, Education, Education, Military & War, British Literature, World History
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality, Fate
Tags Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Military & War, World History, Romance
Publication year 1974
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes War, Science & Technology, Politics & Government, Space
Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Military & War, Love & Sexuality, Science & Nature, Technology, American Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction
Joe Haldeman’s science fiction novel The Forever War was published in 1974 and is considered a classic of the genre: Along with Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, The Forever War invented the science fiction war novel. It won the 1975 Nebula Award as well as the 1976 Hugo and Locus awards. Haldeman, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a Purple Heart recipient, infuses his firsthand knowledge of war and military protocols into his futuristic setting... Read The Forever War Summary
Publication year 2007
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Politics & Government
Tags US History, World War II, Military & War
Publication year 1967
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Coming of Age, Death, Friendship, War
Tags World History, Biography, World War II, European History, Military & War
Publication year 2025
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Regret, Masculinity, Mental Health, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed
Tags True Crime, Military & War
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, World History, Romance
The Fountains of Silence: A Novel was published in 2019 by Ruta Sepetys, the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee. Though she primarily writes for young adults, her historical fiction is popular with readers of all ages. Other well-known works include Between Shades of Gray (2011), Out of the Easy (2013), Salt to the Sea (2016), and I Must Betray You (2022).This study guide refers to the Philomel Books edition published by Penguin Random House in... Read The Fountains of Silence Summary
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Gender Identity, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Art, Beauty, Justice, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Military & War
The Garden of Evening Mists (2012) is a historical novel by Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng. A former intellectual property lawyer, Eng received international acclaim for his first novel, The Gift of Rain (2007), which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. The Garden of Evening Mists, his second novel, was shortlisted for the same prize. The narrative follows Teoh Yun Ling, a Malaysian woman who, while confronting a degenerative neurological condition that is erasing... Read The Garden of Evening Mists Summary
Publication year 1962
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Social Class, Beauty
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Italian Literature, Relationships, Military & War, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes The Past, Music
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Military & War, World History
The German Girl is a historical novel written by Cuban journalist and editor Armando Lucas Correa. It interweaves the stories of Anna Rosen, a 12-year-old girl living in New York in 2014, and Hannah Rosenthal, her great aunt, whose journey begins as a 12-year-old Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied Berlin in 1939. Anna’s story revolves around a trip to Cuba to visit her great aunt Hannah, while Hannah’s story primarily centers around her journey onboard... Read The German Girl Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fear, Guilt, Hope, Regret, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Marriage, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger
Tags World History, Military & War
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Love, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Conflict, Race, The Past, War
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Military & War, Asian Literature
The Gift of Rain (2007) is a historical novel by Tan Twan Eng. Set in Penang, Malaysia, during World War II, the novel follows Philip Hutton, a Chinese British young man. As he navigates his dual heritage, Philip forms a complex relationship with a Japanese diplomat who becomes both his mentor and betrayer, forcing him to confront questions of loyalty, identity, and survival during the Japanese occupation. The Gift of Rain was Tan Twan Eng’s debut... Read The Gift of Rain Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Tags US History, Women`s Studies, Military & War, World War II, Science & Nature, World History, Biography
Published in 2013, Denise Kiernan’s The Girls of Atomic City tells the stories of Oak Ridge, a secret town that grew around plutonium processing plants in Tennessee, and of the women who worked there during the Second World War. A New York Times bestseller within its first week of publication, the book went on to receive the 2014 APSA Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award. Via the experiences of several new arrivals, the reader learns about Oak Ridge... Read The Girls of Atomic City Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Tags Military & War, History: African , Immigration & Refugeeism, World History, Biography
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After is a 2018 memoir by Clemantine Wamariya, who at age six escaped the Rwandan genocide of 1994 with her older sister Claire. The memoir, which is co-authored by Elizabeth Weil, follows a dual narrative that alternates between scenes from Wamariya’s journey through seven African countries and from her life in America, where she moved in 2000. Wamariya describes the dehumanization of refugees... Read The Girl Who Smiled Beads Summary
Publication year 2000
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Indian Literature, Military & War, Asian Literature, World History, Travel Literature
Originally published in 2000, The Glass Palace is Amitav Ghosh’s fourth novel and tells the story of a family across three generations. It is set in Burma, Malaya, and India during a turbulent period in the region’s history. The book opens in 1885. In Mandalay, Burma, the British army begins to descend on the city and dethrone the royal family. An 11-year-old boy named Rajkumar is the only one who recognizes the thundering sound of... Read The Glass Palace Summary