I know you are sick of hearing me say how much I love historical fiction, so I won’t say it again! But I will say, I also love non-fiction history books that read like fiction! Below are a few of my favorites that I have recently read and enjoyed
George Washington’s Secret 6 by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
This book is engaging from the start—but even if it wasn’t—hearing about the first spy ring during America’s fight for independence will keep you enthralled! The authors start by introducing each of the individuals associated with the spy ring. We hear about how the ring came into existence and the British plots that were overthrown, thanks to the knowledge gained by the spy ring. There is a great chance America would not have won the Revolution without the individuals in the spy ring.
The First Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
This is a little known passage from history, but an important one. It is the early years of the Revolutionary War, and America’s position in the war is shaky. As if things were not bad enough for the fledgling country, a plot is hatched to destroy America’s currency in a large-scale counterfeit operation. America’s currency was already much weaker than Britain’s and an operation of this scale would destroy any chance of America gaining her independence—but can they catch all the culprits in time?
Killer Angels by Michael Sharrah
This one has been on my TBR (To Be Read) list for years—probably close to a decade—but I never picked it up because I thought it would be boring. Boy was I wrong! Not only was it good, it was so good that I paused another novel I was reading to read this one first! Mr. Sharrah depicts the battle of Gettysburg through the rotating points of view of Lee, Longstreet, Buford, and Chamberlin. Mr. Sharrah does a great job of getting into the mind of each character in a way that is both authentic and engaging. I highly recommend this one! Be forewarned this books takes place on a battlefield with soldiers and there is a fair amount of swearing involved though nothing terribly egregious.
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
I read this one a while ago but was reminded of it when we went to the Outer Banks on vacation and decided to visit the Wright Brothers Museum, which is also site of the first flight. Mr. McCullough is a great storyteller and really brings to life the personalities of Wilbur and Orville on their quest to do what had never before been done—getting man to fly! They came so close to giving up entirely but their perseverance was rewarded!
Killing The Mob by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
Growing up I loved reading books about the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s. Old Hollywood and the glitz and glamor of it all. I too lived vicariously through the old time actors just like the women did generations before me. There was a dark side to the glitz and glamor though. This was an age of great corruption and crime. Crime ran rampant in an era where law enforcement in different states didn’t communicate with each other and running from the law was as easy as crossing the nearest state line. The authors of this book go into detail into how the crime of the ‘30s and ‘40s created the perfect environment for the mob to begin and flourish for decades. This book kept me turning pages! Be forewarned, however, as may be expected of a book that has the word ‘killing’ in the title, there are some gory parts that you may want to skip through. If you are a highly sensitive person you may want to simply skip this one.
If you are not much of a nonfiction reader and you find yourself wanting to make a foray into the non-fiction world, I hope you will give one of the above titles a chance. Let me know what you think—and if you know anyone else who is a history lover, feel free to share this post with them!