I am currently reading ‘Hunting Eichman’ by Neal Bascomb. It is the true story of Adolph Eichman’s horrendous WWII war crimes in the SS, his escape from Germany to Argentina, and his eventual capture by Mossad, trial and execution.
I love history, but it’s always better if presented as a riveting story then as a dry book of facts. This book is flying by because it’s done like that. You can really see how the Nazi hunters never gave up on finding him and bringing him to justice.
I’d like suggestions of more books like this. Stories of real historical events (no fictionalized novels) where real people or groups of people serve as sympathetic protagonists in the story of a battle or other historical event.
Another book I have read like this is ‘The Things They Carried’ by Tim O’Brien about the Vietnam War. It’s actually classified as a novel because names have been changed, but the stories are true, and it was extremely moving.
Thanks for any advice.
by pktrekgirl
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Bastard Brigade
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing – Shackleton and crew attempt to cross the Antarctic in 1914
Can we discuss The Things They Carried? I thought it was fiction – one guy’s girlfriend comes and stays with the patrol but then starts going on raids with the Rangers – ? Hang on, let me look at some reviews…
Try books by Ben Macintyre, e.g. The spy and the traitor, it is non-fiction, but has real people as protagonist and is focused on spies, double agents, etc., so it’s not boring to read at all!
Anything by Erik Larson, especially *Devil in the White City*.
Also *Killers of the Flower Moon* and *The Indifferent Stars Above*.