We can all agree that reading is important. But in our current times where it seems as if we are living a mew historical event every other month, it can be important to remember the events before us. History doesn’t have to be boring with what we learned in textbooks during high school.
Here are some good historical nonfiction books that anyone can enjoy:
A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
Read about the life of Virginia Hall from her upbringing where she enjoyed more of the outdoor activities such as fishing and hunting to her role in WWII. During her time working for the State Department, she would lose her leg, and then become one of the most wanted spies working for Special Operations Executive, fleeing on foot over the Pyrenees Mountains to Spain, and then back into German occupied France.
Last Boat out of Shanghai by Helen Zia
When Mao Zedong emerged from the Chinese Civil War as victorious, he would declare the People Republic of China the single party of the country controlled by the Chinese Republic of China. Concerned on how the communist ideologies would impact them, those living in Shanghai with why means to fled in any direction they could. Several young Shanghai residents tell their stories of abandoning everything to live as refugees.
Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch
As the first book of a trilogy, this book chronicles the rise of Martin Luther King Jr. The monumental scope of this book will take you through the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides, and the siege of Birmingham. Hear the stories, and history made in this impactful series that will give you new understanding and appreciation of the civil rights movement.
American Rebels by Nina Sankovitch
What does John Hancock, John Adams, Josiah Quincy Jr, Abigail Smith Adams, and Dorothy Quincy Hancock all have in common? They were all born as loyal British subjects who would become American Rebels. They would each play an important part in fomenting revolution on their convictions and desire for freedom. These families would witness the Boston Massacre, battles of Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill and the siege of Boston. Each event leading them and others on the other to the Declaration of Independence.
The Black Death by John Aberth
The first recorded pandemic in history was the Black Plague of the medieval age. This book covers the entire period of the plague from 1357 to 1500. Aberth gives a thorough examination of the pandemic to include religious responses, environmental and demographic impact as well as forensic and DNA evidence. While we may be living in the tome of the current pandemic, read how the first pandemic changed the course of civilization.
