History
These nonfiction history books - ranging in topic from the very particular (London fog) to the sweeping general (world history) - are all written in a compelling narrative style that reads “like a story.” Scroll down to the bottom for links to works by other recommended narrative-history authors. (Updated June 2020)
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D-Day Girls
The page-turning story of a remarkable group of women who were recruited by Britain’s elite spy agency to work undercover in occupied France to support the resistance and undermine the Nazis.
Format: eBook
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The American Story
A collection of fascinating interviews with prominent historians on their areas of expertise, including Doris Kearns Goodwin on Abraham Lincoln, Taylor Branch on Martin Luther King Jr., and Ron Chernow on Alexander Hamilton.
Format: eBook
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American Rebels
A new account of the American Revolution, looking at how many of the key figures were childhood friends in Braintree, Massachusetts and were influenced by shared family histories.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Unworthy Republic
Drawing on primary sources, Saunt reveals the horrific history of the 1830 Indian Removal Act, in which Congress authorized the forced removal of over 80,000 indigenous Americans from their homelands, resulting in thousands of deaths.
Format: Downloadable Audiobook
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Revolution Song
Shorto takes a fresh look at the American Revolution, interweaving stories of six historical figures, including a colonial shoemaker, a Seneca chief, a freed slave, and the daughter of a British army officer.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The White Devil's Daughters
Siler illuminates the shocking history of the slave trade in Chinese girls and women that took place in California during the 1800s and 1900s, and the women who worked to rescue the victims.
Format: Downloadable Audiobook
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This Land Is Their Land
Silverman’s carefully researched history of the Wampanoag people begins before 1620 and continues to the present day, revealing their near extinction at the hands of the Europeans, and their ongoing fight for self-determination.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Empire
Strathern traces the history of imperialism across 5 millennia and around the globe in this readable work, ranging from the ancient Akkadian civilization to the Mongol Empire, the Aztecs, the Ottoman empire, and present-day America.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Women Warriors
A fascinating look at the many females who have fought in battle from ancient times through the 20th century, with an emphasis on the true stories of many lesser-known women from around the world.
Format: eBook
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The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee
Treuer, an acclaimed novelist, turns his hand to history, providing a sweeping and powerful account of Native American history combined with intimate memoir, in gorgeous language.
Format: Downloadable Audiobook
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