Hi guys! I'm hoping that one (or many) of you can recommend a book either written during or about the Civil War time that is actually non-fiction but reads like fiction.
I know it's fiction, but Gone with the Wind is one of my top 5 books of all time. Please help me learn about this era in US history, but make it an interesting read at the same time.
Okay, to be honest, a fictional read would be okay, but I would prefer non-fiction. thank you in advance
by PBLAMB
10 Comments
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson: the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. I haven’t read it but my uncle recommended it
Michael Shaara, *The Killer Angels* is a brilliant book on the Battle of Gettysburg.
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Abbott Kahler
A little off topic, but should tick your boxes: Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horowitz
Someone else mentioned the killer angels, highly recommend. The authors son wrote several more about the civil war. They are fiction, but heavily researched. Start with The Killer Angels.
Anything by Bruce Catton. His books are older and harder to find new (I see his stuff quite a bit in used stores though) but from the perspective of having a literary style he is the best there is.
Erik Larson has a recent book about the lead up and attack on Fort Sumter called The Demon of Unrest that is very good.
If you are interested in biographies, Grant by Ron Chernow, Rebel Yell (Stonewall Jackson) by S.G. Gwynn and Custer’s Trials by TJ Stiles are are all excellent reads
James McPherson and Bruce Catton are probably the most engaging historians on the American Civil War, and would be your best bets for books that have the feel of creative non-fiction, and are not dry academic tomes (though in McPherson’s case, he’s an academic through and through). For McPherson, go with *Battle Cry of Freedom*.
Catton was a journalist (and the first editor of *American Heritage*), so his work is more popular history than pure academic works. Try *This Hallowed Ground*.
I also second the previous recommendation of *The Killer Angels* by Michael Shaara. While it’s technically historical fiction, it is so well-researched, it’s as close to creative non-fiction as you’re going to get for anything on the war itself.
I haven’t yet read it, but Erik Larson wrote *The Demon of Unrest*, a look at the months leading up to open hostilities. Larson is one of the best narrative non-fiction writers out there. I will probably put this on my to-read list as it is.
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
You’re searching for Narrative nonfiction. Sometimes just knowing the name of a genre can help your search!
Grant biography by Chernow. I could not put it down, cried at the end. I learned SO MUCH about the war and reconstruction. Heartbreaking and fascinating.
The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer is fantastic
Manhunt by James L Swanson is fantastic, it is the basis for the Apple TV miniseries of the same name