tammyw Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I couldn't put the book down. I've been sick all week and just wanted to read. What an amazing story. I'm a non-fiction lover anyway. I've decided this is the year I want to spend reading/learning more about history (the area of my education that's always been sorely lacking). Can anyone recommend more historical non-fiction books that are that fascinating? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Walter Isaacson's bio of Benjamin Franklin was really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Have you read Band of Brothers? Excellent, another WWII story. Be sure to see the superlative miniseries afterwards (though probably not for little eyes - preview first). Ghost Soldiers: Epic Account of WWII's Greatest Rescue Mission? Yet another WWII story, very similar in some ways to Unbroken. How about Devil in the White City? A surprisingly gripping tale of the Chicago World's Fair circa 1896. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I was really surprised at how fascinating "Devil in the White City" was too. "Thunderstruck" by the same author (Erik Larson) was really good as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionJack Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I loved Unbroken as well. Another one I thought was fascinating and really well done was Columbine, by Dave Cullen. I just finished Mao's Last Dancer and really enjoyed it--really neat story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I haven't read Unbroken, but I have discovered that my favorite nonfiction is nonfiction with a plot, and it sounds like Unbroken fits in that category. With that assumption, I have two recommendations: Operation Mincemeat (about a WWII espionage plot to plant false evidence for the Germans to throw them off our invasion of Sicily) and Brunelleschi's Dome (about how Brunelleschi solved the engineering and architectural puzzle of how to build the dome on the cathedral in Florence). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I haven't read it but dh has and he has also really enjoyed Bonhoeffer by Metaxas and 1776 by McCullough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I loved Unbroken, too. Seabiscuit is another good one by the same author (I see it has been recommended already). The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough is wonderful! Basically, anything by David McCullough is going to be very readable. :) Another one I recently read by him is Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Grew Up to Be Theodore Roosevelt. Fascinating stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 My dad gave us this book. It's on my list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Great suggestions so far! Thank you! I finished the book last night, but this morning, I woke up feeling really sad that it is over :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I will second Ghost Soldiers and Mao's Last Dancer and also suggest The Forgotten 500 and Endurance, Endurance takes place just before WWI breaks out, which is probably why the story did not receive wider acclaim at the time. And the survivors (and it spoils nothing to tell you right off the bat that they all survive) came home, went off to WWI and got on with their lives. Anyway, amazing story of some amazing individuals. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Great suggestions so far! Thank you! I finished the book last night, but this morning, I woke up feeling really sad that it is over :( I hate that feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Seabiscuit is good. Of course, I'm a horse person that has worked with a lot off the track horses, so I am biased! :) I read In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Erik Larson) recently and thought that was pretty interesting. Different, but still *sort of* historical non-fiction is Jared Diamond's stuff. Guns, Germs, and Steel was fascinating, in my opinion. Technically it's science, but the anthropology aspects make it feel more like history, to me anyway. But not non-fiction with a plot like Seabiscuit or Unbroken (disclaimer: he's also probably not your guy if you are a strict creationist or YE'er). I don't read a ton of non-fiction, so that's about all I have to throw out there right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Seabiscuit is good. Of course, I'm a horse person that has worked with a lot off the track horses, so I am biased! :) I read In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Erik Larson) recently and thought that was pretty interesting. Different, but still *sort of* historical non-fiction is Jared Diamond's stuff. Guns, Germs, and Steel was fascinating, in my opinion. Technically it's science, but the anthropology aspects make it feel more like history, to me anyway. But not non-fiction with a plot like Seabiscuit or Unbroken (disclaimer: he's also probably not your guy if you are a strict creationist or YE'er). I don't read a ton of non-fiction, so that's about all I have to throw out there right now! I just ordered (and received a few days ago) Guns, Germs, and Steel, so that's good to hear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Would anyone have suggestions for the Middle East? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggie96 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Another one...Ordinary Heroes: A Novel by Scott Turrow..great as an audio book (narrated by Edward Herrmann--awesomeness!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I recently finished River of Doubt, about Teddy Roosevelt's expedition to discover part of the Amazon River. That book was riveting! I have Unbroken in my to-read "pile" (on my Kindle); the person who rec'd that also rec'd River of Doubt. :) I'm much more into non-fiction as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Shackleton! Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage is an amazing story. It's one of my favorites, right up there with Unbroken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I loved Unbroken and am glad you got so many responses! I can't wait to read some of these. I read Bonhoeffer; I thought it was excellent. A bit heavy at times, but good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Shackleton! Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage is an amazing story. It's one of my favorites, right up there with Unbroken. Thank you! It sounds amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Well this is very exciting - after doing some research this morning, I think my husband and I will be able to see Louie Zamperini speak!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I haven't read Unbroken, but a couple of the best non-fiction/history/autobiography books I've read are: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World Into Thin Air Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Would anyone have suggestions for the Middle East? Charlie Wilson's War, and this is fiction but I cannot recommend A Thousanf Splendid Suns enough. Loved it way more than Kite Runner. It is sort of a fictional sequel to Charlie Wilson's War. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Have you read Band of Brothers? Excellent, another WWII story. Be sure to see the superlative miniseries afterwards (though probably not for little eyes - preview first). Ghost Soldiers: Epic Account of WWII's Greatest Rescue Mission? Yet another WWII story, very similar in some ways to Unbroken. How about Devil in the White City? A surprisingly gripping tale of the Chicago World's Fair circa 1896. Band of Brothers is my favorite series EVER. Loved it. My Dad was wounded on Normandy beach and lived, after 2 years in the hospital. I've not read Ghost Soldiers, and I thought I'd seen all the WWII stuff by now. Winter of the World by Ken Follett is fiction, but extremely detailed, and he is known for his historical research. This particular novel is set in WWII Europe, and I've really enjoyed it so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I hate that feeling. Me too! I always feel like I have "moved" away from the setting of the book where I have been "living". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryE Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I just finished reading Shadow of the Banyan - it's about a young girl and her family during the Khmer Rouge period in Cambodia. Very good writing, heartbreaking, yet hopeful. I didn't realize until I got to the author's note at the end it was autobiographical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionJack Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Charlie Wilson's War, and this is fiction but I cannot recommend A Thousanf Splendid Suns enough. Loved it way more than Kite Runner. It is sort of a fictional sequel to Charlie Wilson's War. Terri I completely agree. Thousand Splendid Suns was amazing...the writing was incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Well this is very exciting - after doing some research this morning, I think my husband and I will be able to see Louie Zamperini speak!! He is still alive??? I had no idea! Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 He is still alive??? I had no idea! Terri Yes! He actually lives really close to me, and I contacted the group who books his speaking gigs - they told me to google my city name and his name, and voila, I found a perfect event for us to attend where he will be the keynote speaker. To say I'm excited would be an understatement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Yes! He actually lives really close to me, and I contacted the group who books his speaking gigs - they told me to google my city name and his name, and voila, I found a perfect event for us to attend where he will be the keynote speaker. To say I'm excited would be an understatement! How exciting! You know you will have to post back and tell us all about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 How exciting! You know you will have to post back and tell us all about it! I will, I will, I promise!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Yes! He actually lives really close to me, and I contacted the group who books his speaking gigs - they told me to google my city name and his name, and voila, I found a perfect event for us to attend where he will be the keynote speaker. To say I'm excited would be an understatement! I would love to hear him speak in a live event. I've heard a recorded interview and enjoyed him very much. I've heard there is a movie in the works.... Very inspiring story--when my life is tough, I remember all he and others went through.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Another one that was fascinating was The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson. It's about how a doctor in 19th century London followed his new-fangled ideas about the spread of disease to trace the source and then stop the spread of a cholera outbreak. His work was instrumental in getting the authorities to accept the concept of germ transmission of disease. It reads like a mystery novel--very fascinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Ooooh, I love Unbroken. I love how well the writer captured the mood, the atmosphere, athe intricate feelings, and all. Thank you for starting this thread. I, too, am very excited to find out that Louis is still alive. I will read the recommended books here. Thanks, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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