5 + 1 Historical Nonfiction Book Recommendations

I read a lot, and I’ve got quite a few books across multiple genres that I have been wanting to recommend to people. So here is my first list: 5 (+1) historical nonfiction books, in no particular order, that I’ve read in the past few years that were either extremely interesting or extremely enlightening (or both).

The Cultural Revolution: A People’s History (1962-1976)–Frank Dikotter

It was hard for me to choose which one of Frank Dikotter’s trilogy to recommend, but I ultimately settled on The Cultural Revolution as it’s a more well-known time period in Chinese history. The prose is not particularly engaging, but it is horrifically enlightening and immensely important in understanding Mao Zedong’s devestating leadership of China. In order to get the full, brutal effect of Mao’s rule of China, also read The Tragedy of Liberation and Mao’s Great Famine by the same author.

The Boys in the Boat–Daniel James Brown

This is a great underdog sports novel about the University of Washington rowing team and the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This book makes rowing interesting, and it’s also a great look at Hitler’s Germany pre-World War II.

999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz–Heather Dune Macadam

I found this book extremely important in understanding the beginnings of the Holocaust and the extreme effort the Nazis took to hide what they were doing to the Jewish people for as long as they possibly could. This is another brutal read, but vitally important in recognizing the wide-ranging effects of Nazi take-over and policy. For another brutal, but more in-depth look at concentration camps that I also found particularly informative, read Ravensbruck: Life and Death in Hitler’s Concentration Camp for Women by Sarah Helm.

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage–Alfred Lansing

This is one of the more uplifting polar expedition novels (the other ones I’ve read end with the majority of the crew freezing or starving to death), as it truly was an “incredible voyage.” Super informative and interesting (which is a great combination for historical nonfiction).

Battle Cry of Freedom–James M. McPherson

This book is massive, but its political, social, and military scope of the Civil War is outstanding. I learned so much not just about the battles of the Civil War, but the political world that shaped it. I credit most of my knowledge of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and the Union generals to this book.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania–Erik Larson

Erik Larson is an amazing author, and it’s hard to pick just one of his novels to recommend. However, Dead Wake is (if I remember correctly) the first novel of his I read, and it’s a fascinating look at the sinking of The Lusitania and the political atmosphere of America right before World War I.

All Thirteen

Rating: 5/5

All Thirteen tells the incredible true story of the rescue of 13 members of a Thai boys’ soccer team, who become stranded in a cave after it floods. The rescue took 17 days and involved people from all around the world, notably the Royal Thai Navy SEALs and a handful of the best cave divers in the world.

Pictures, context, and background help make this simple, straightforward explanation of the events really stand out. Explanations of Thai culture and geography are inserted into the book, along with pictures of the landscape and people involved. Soontornvat’s writing is exceptionally good for the targeted audience; a lot of the many details that went into the rescue effort are explained simply and clearly, and the pictures help communicate some of the harder concepts. I like how carefully researched and presented the information is; there is no sense of anything being skipped or shortened.

All Thirteen is great coverage of a daring rescue that is approachable for young readers. This is a book I would recommend to my students who are more into nonfiction.

Info: Christina Soontornvat; published 2020 by Candlewick Press

Genre: Middle Grade, Nonfiction

Warnings: None

Recommended Age Range: 10+

Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz

Rating: 4/5

Given a Newbery Honor in 1983, Homesick: My Own Story is the memoir of Jean Fritz, best known for her children’s history books, and her life growing up in China during its Republic years (Sun Yat-Sen, Chiang Kai-Shek, and civil war). It describes some of the turmoil in China at the time, particularly the siege of Wuchang near Hankow (where Jean lived with her parents), as well as some of the cultural opposition to the British and American presence in China. However, since this is a memoir, most of it is filtered through Jean’s eyes, so most of that is only focused on towards the end of the novel when Jean and her parents are preparing to leave China.

The book mostly describes Jean’s complicated feelings about America and China and in general is about her growing up with the same sort of concerns that any child of that age might have. There’s a particularly heartbreaking moment in the book when Jean’s baby sister dies, and some more humorous ones involving her wanting to name herself “Marjorie” and everyone flatly telling her what a terrible name that is (so much so that it becomes almost like the running joke of the book). And, once they get to America, Jean struggles to fit in to American life.

Fritz is a compelling writer, so the whole story, though fairly basic, is linked together well. Jean herself has a great personality and voice, and despite the casual names tossed around that are offensive today, we can still cheer when Jean flatly contradicts peers’ perceptions of China and scolds them for using even more offensive terms. Really, the star of this book is Jean, whose stubborn determination lights up each page and turns this book into something special.

Info: Jean Fritz; published 1982 by Putnam

Genre: Children’s, Nonfiction/Memoir

Warnings: None

Recommended Age Range: 10+

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, by John Hendrix, was published in 2018 by Amulet.

Rating: 5/5                                          

Combining stunning, full-colored illustrations interwoven with text, The Faithful Spy depicts the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor, and his role in the numerous assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler during World War II. It’s not an intensive biography; Hendrix is much more concerned with explaining Bonhoeffer’s thoughts and motivations. Using numerous exact quotations from Bonhoeffer’s writings and some poetic license, Hendrix spins a gripping tale of a madman’s attempts to rule the Western world, and the desperate people who tried to stop him.

This is a book about Bonhoeffer, but it is also a book about Hitler and Germany, because in order to explain why and how Bonhoeffer got involved with the Abwehr, the German spy agency who became dedicated to getting rid of Hitler, Hendrix also had to describe the state of Germany at the time and how Hitler rose to power. There’s so much information packed in a short amount of time, but it all flows naturally, and of course the art makes everything stand out that much more. And the best part is that everything is explained simply enough that the audience of the book (it’s a middle-grade/young adult book) would be able to completely understand, even if they didn’t know much about World War I or World War II.

Another great thing about the book is the reverence and attention-to-detail that Hendrix gives to Bonhoeffer’s faith, and to Christianity in general. Hendrix acknowledges Hitler’s manipulation of Christianity (and also truthfully states that Hitler hated Christianity because of its doctrine of love and charity), but by setting that manipulation side-by-side with Bonhoeffer’s pure faith, the reader is more able to readily see what true Christianity is (rather than the twisted version that people in power so often give).

I learned so much more about Bonhoeffer, and about Hitler and Germany, than I ever thought I would from this book. The Faithful Spy is visually appealing and comprehensive in subject; Hendrix also lists an extensive bibliography and notes at the end, which is rare to see in a book for children. I picked this up on a whim, and am so pleased that I did—truly a delight from cover-to-cover.

Recommended Age Range: 10+

Warnings: None.

Genre: Middle Grade, Nonfiction

Jesus Skeptic by John Dickerson

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.  

My rating: 5/5

I was excited to read Jesus Skeptic before I even opened it, and I was even more excited about it after reading the first ten pages. I’ve read books like it before, most recently Unimaginable by Jeremiah Johnston, but this is the first book I’ve read that dealt with so thoroughly and with such attention to primary evidence.

By primary evidence, Dickerson explains that he means things like firsthand accounts or historical documents of the time period being discussed, similar to the evidence a journalist (which Dickerson is) would use in writing a story. So, the book explores the primary evidence behind science, education, hospitals, and the abolition of slavery to explore the question of whether Jesus’s teachings have helped further justice and progress, or inhibited it. It’s the question of whether Christianity has been good for the world or not, and Dickerson explores it thoroughly, diving deep into statistics and the people behind many important movements.

I knew many things that this book talked about already, but some I did not, and I enjoyed learning more about how universities were established, the origins of hospitals, and what life was like for the majority of people until about two hundred years ago. And the best part of this book is that Dickerson uses only the words of the people who were involved and facts and statistics that can be obtained by anyone. There are pictures and documents and tons of detailed footnotes. There’s even a website, which I peeked at briefly to see if it would be useful for teaching.

This book was especially helpful for times when I forget what an impact Christianity can have on people. Dickerson shared personal stories of his own, as well as stories of people he knew—again, all primary evidence that can be independently verified. And it will be especially helpful for when my students broach the exact question Dickerson is exploring in this novel. Even if you know this information already, Jesus Skeptic is a worthwhile read—but it’s a vital one if you are not aware of the evidence that is out there for Christian involvement in education, medicine, science, and the abolition of slavery.

Warnings: None

Genre: Nonfiction, Christian

Narrative Apologetics by Alister McGrath

Disclaimer: I voluntarily received a free copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.  

My rating: 4/5

I haven’t read a really academic book in a long time, so the plunge into Alister McGrath’s Narrative Apologetics was a rough one. However, the topic is one that I am deeply interested (and invested) in, as that was the basis of my graduate school studies and something I currently teach. McGrath puts forth his arguments for presenting the Gospel as and through narrative, rather than purely reason.

McGrath introduces the topic of narrative apologetics (basically, showing people God and the Gospel through story), offers practical application, and then uses various narratives, both Biblical and otherwise, to illustrate why and how narrative is so powerful. Using several powerful narratives from the Bible, as well as mentioning narratives from C. S. Lewis, Marilynne Robison, and Dorothy Sayers, McGrath lays forth his reasoning for leaning more on story to share “the relevance, joy, and wonder” of Christianity (to borrow the subtitle), as it reaches more people.

I will admit, the language of the book really did prevent me from delving into this perhaps as deeply as I should have. It is not written for the layperson at all, but rather for the expert in the field. McGrath expects you to know a lot of things already. This is not a criticism, as this is obviously the audience of the book—I’m just trying to explain why I struggled a bit with it (I’m technically an expert, but I’m too used to more casual books). The book is rich in research and footnotes, and McGrath methodically and expertly explains everything. What I liked most about the book was the last chapter where McGrath offers suggestions for how to use Biblical, personal, and cultural narratives in teaching and showing others the Gospel. As a teacher, my mind immediately started thinking of ways to incorporate those into my classroom.

The analytical language and the academic nature of the book did throw me for a loop, but Narrative Apologetics is a book that’s worth returning to in order to take it in more deeply. I feel like I only skimmed the surface and that lots more meaning and application will come out on another read.

Warnings: None

Genre: Nonfiction, Christian

I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel

Disclaimer: I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life, by Anne Bogel, was provided by Baker Books. I received a free copy from the publisher. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.

My rating: 4/5

I’d Rather Be Reading is, as Annie Spence on the back of the book puts it, “a book lover’s delight.” Bogel cheekily describes a book-lover’s best and worst moments in this short book; hints of tongue-in-cheek humor are interspersed among more serious chapters of imagination, growth, and friendship. The beautiful cover is emblematic of the charm of the book, and a few illustrations are also scattered inside the pages, as well.

The mix of humor and seriousness is a good one, as Bogel lightly talks about her own problems as a bookworm, then highlights the foibles of any bookworm. The switch between “fun” and “let’s get serious” is a little bit jarring, but bookworms are probably more willing to bear with a book that describes them so perfectly. And, despite the fact that many of the books Bogel lists in this novel I was unfamiliar with, I was still able to resonate with the majority of Bogel’s words, her recollections and her confessions, her gentle admonitions and her strong declarations.

This was a fun book for me to read, and though I didn’t necessarily learn much, I’d Rather Be Reading resonated with me for nothing more than the fact that the author is a bookworm, writing for an audience of bookworms, and Bogel showed me that there are people, after all, who know what it’s like to be a voracious reader.

Warnings: None.

Genre: Nonfiction

You can buy this here: https://amzn.to/2pp9NCL