War

From the Trojan War to World War II to the Iraq War, history has been shaped by humanity's tragic capacity to wage war. In this thematic collection, we have gathered fiction and nonfiction texts that investigate both the lessons and the senselessness crystallized in the aftermath of military conflict.

Runner

by Carl Deuker

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Loneliness, Coming of Age, Fathers, Friendship, Social Class, War, Truth & Lies

... Read Runner Summary

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

by Eleanor Coerr

Publication year 1977

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Death, War, Hope, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Family, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Dramatic Literature, Grief & Death, Education, Education, World History, Japanese Literature, Classic Fiction

Originally published in 1977, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is a middle-grade historical fiction novel written by Eleanor Coerr based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl living in Hiroshima, Japan, when the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. At age 12, Sadako is diagnosed with leukemia, often called “the atom bomb disease.” Inspired by a Japanese legend, Sadako sets out to fold 1,000 origami cranes, hoping she will be granted... Read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes Summary

Salt Houses

by Hala Alyan

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Family, Immigration, War

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

Salt Houses is a 2017 novel by Palestinian-American author Hala Alyan. A multi-generational saga that begins in 1963 and concludes in 2014, the narrative traces the family’s experiences during key events of 20th- and 21st-century Palestinian history. The novel is polyvocal; multiple family members act as narrators. Although the novel provides an in-depth character study of the way that war, displacement, and diaspora impact each family member, it is also a portrait of the Palestinian... Read Salt Houses Summary

Samson Agonistes

by John Milton

Publication year 1671

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Conflict, Gender Identity, Disability, Marriage, War, Trust & Doubt, Religion & Spirituality, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Narrative Poem, Dramatic Literature, British Literature, Restoration, Religion & Spirituality, Trauma & Abuse, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Famed 17th-century English poet and pamphleteer John Milton published Samson Agonistes (a Greek word that can mean “struggle”) in 1671. The work is a dramatic poem and a tragic drama—though Milton announces that it isn’t for the stage. Milton’s work is informed by one episode in a story from the Old Testament, in which the superhuman hero Samson is betrayed by his wife Dalila, loses his strength, and is imprisoned by his foes, the Philistines... Read Samson Agonistes Summary

Saturday

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Apathy, Family, Community, Art, Science & Technology, Order & Chaos, Death, War

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, Iraq War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Saturday is a novel by Ian McEwan, first published in 2005 by Jonathan Cape. Ian McEwan is an acclaimed British author who has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize numerous times, winning the award for Amsterdam in 1998. In Saturday, McEwan delves into the inner life of a single individual, Henry Perowne, a successful neurosurgeon living in London. The novel takes place over the course of a single day, February 15, 2003, against the... Read Saturday Summary

Schindler's List

by Thomas Keneally

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Guilt, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Race, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Holocaust, World War II, Life-Inspired Fiction, Race & Racism, World History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Incarceration, Military & War, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Sociology, Trauma & Abuse, Classic Fiction, Biography

Schindler’s List (originally titled Schindler’s Ark) is a 1982 historical novel by Australian author Thomas Keneally. It tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party who used his position as a German industrialist to save more than 1,200 people’s lives during the war. In protecting as many people as he could from the genocidal Nazi regime, Schindler risked being sent to a concentration camp himself. Keneally wrote the novel with the... Read Schindler's List Summary

Secrets of a Charmed Life

by Susan Meissner

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, War, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, British Literature, Military & War, World History

Secrets of a Charmed Life is a historical fiction novel written by Susan Meissner and published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Random House, in 2015. The book follows two sisters in wartime England, Emmeline and Julia Downtree, who are separated from each other during the Blitz. The book also follows an interview between American Oxford student Kendra Van Zant and Blitz survivor and artist Isabel MacFarland. The novel explores the themes of... Read Secrets of a Charmed Life Summary

Seven Against Thebes

by Aeschylus

Publication year 467

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes War, Fate, Family, Siblings, Justice, Hate & Anger

Tags Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Tragedy, Classical Period, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy

Seven Against Thebes is a tragedy composed by Aeschylus and performed for the first time at the City Dionysia festival in 467 BCE. It was the final play of a connected trilogy based on the myths of Oedipus and his family, but the first two plays—Laius and Oedipus—are now lost, as is the satyr play Sphinx that would have been performed following the trilogy. This set of plays won first prize the year it was... Read Seven Against Thebes Summary

Shades of Gray

by Carolyn Reeder

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Self Discovery, Family, Shame & Pride, Hate & Anger, War, Coming of Age

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

... Read Shades of Gray Summary

Shadow Divers

by Robert Kurson

Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, World War II, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Military & War, Science & Nature, Biography

Shadow Divers: The True Story of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II (2004) by Robert Kurson is a celebrated nonfiction adventure book. Kurson, an adventure journalist whose stories have been featured in Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine, is known for his immersive and entertaining style. His first book-length work, Shadow Divers was a New York Times Best Seller and won the... Read Shadow Divers Summary

Shadow Ticket

by Thomas Pynchon

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hope, Regret, Language, Masculinity, Future, The Past, Self Discovery, Nation, Politics & Government, War

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

... Read Shadow Ticket Summary

Shake Hands with the Devil

by Roméo Dallaire

Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Globalization, War, Colonialism

Tags History: African , Politics & Government, Military & War, Trauma & Abuse, World History, Biography

Lt. General Roméo Dallaire is a Canadian officer who was assigned as the force commander in the United Nations Assistance Mission to Rwanda (UNAMIR), a UN peacekeeping mission to facilitate negotiations after the Rwandan Civil War. He wrote about his experiences witnessing the breakdown of the peace process and the Rwandan Genocide in Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. Published in 2003, the book won the 2004 Governor General’s Award... Read Shake Hands with the Devil Summary

Siege and Storm

by Leigh Bardugo

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Good & Evil, War, Self Discovery, Animals, Loneliness

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Leadership, Love & Sexuality, Military & War, Politics & Government, Trauma & Abuse, Religion & Spirituality, Romance

... Read Siege and Storm Summary

Silver Elite

by Dani Francis

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, New Adult

... Read Silver Elite Summary

Skyward

by Brandon Sanderson

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Family, Teamwork, Social Class, Politics & Government, War

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

... Read Skyward Summary