You may be writing a historical fiction story about the civil war as a way to explore the drama of the war or as part of an assignment for a class. Popular historical fiction civil war books goodreads. Like any good war history book, the civil war books on this list take a deep dive not only into the untold horrors of warfare, but also the perspectives, personalities, and motivations behind it, as well as the ramifications. The killer angels by michael shaara, gone with the wind by margaret mitchell, cold mountain by charles frazier, gods. May 06, 2016 10 nonfiction books about the civil war that will fascinate any history buff. Our constitution requires the government to recognize rights that are inherent in humanity. I suppose that if you come to it without my civil war baggage, it would be a good read, providing you dont get worn out by the excessive detail. The best civil war books of all time analysis civil war monitor. We wanted to include a variety of volumes to appeal to many different tastes. All quiet on the western front by erich maria remarque, catch22 by joseph heller, the book thief by markus zusak, all the. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers.
American civil warteen fiction, historical fiction. From james mcphersons definitive history to tony horwitzs adventures among obsessives, here are the 11 best books on the civil war in time for the. Great deals on civil war nonfiction books 19001949 publication year. Which is like, shaara multiplied by a thousandfold.
Browne has also included a subject bibliography and sixteen annotated documents for study and discussion. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. By allan nevins written from a national perspective, its the most comprehensive account of the war. In its 952 pages, youll find a fullbodied history of the civil war, recounting the key events that led to the historic conflict and the political and military strategies, as well as notable figures and memorable battles that defined the war. Jan 17, 2017 no civil war reading list is complete without james mcphersons seminal work. Apr, 2011 the history books can tell us much about the trauma of war, but for those who prefer the emotional truths that can be conveyed by a good novel, here are 10 classic stories of the us civil war. From there, i began grabbing everything i could find, both fiction and nonfiction, and i now have a library. Nov 25, 2017 as the most utilized era for american literature in the 20 th century, the civil war has captured the imagination in many a book and story. Best civil war fiction score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Although the book isnt exclusively about the civil war, since it also discusses grants childhood and early life, about threequarters of the book, which is about 290 pages, is devoted to the war and is told through grant. Feb, 2019 this list of novels about the civil war is sponsored by the cassandra, the new novel by sharma shields, winner of the washington state book award. Aug 14, 2017 historical fiction lovers have it good. I happened to read the alligators of abraham by robert kloss, which is an incredible novel set during the american civil war era, and that led me to grab the killer angels by michael shaara.
Five years ago, i learned something surprising about myself. Inman, a wounded deserter from the confederate army near the end of the american civil war who walks for months. Christian fiction new and coming soon from top authors and. All in all, the book is the story of a man overcoming many obstacles to reach the woman that he loves and concluding with an ending that was signalled chapters earlier. The south denied the northern states right to ignore slavery and brought about a war. While some of the earliest works written about the war tended to be onesided, the authors of today try to take a more balanced view of both sides of the conflict. The political genius of abraham doris kearns goodwin. If you havent read the entire 3 volumes, or dont want to, you could always read that portion of the book.
Nancy pritchard finds herself a widow with a world of problems. These historical fiction books capture life during the civil war in epic sagas about strength. Aug, 2012 the civil war was not only the last war fought entirely on u. Grant is one of the best primary sources on the civil war. Five greatest books about the civil war nonfiction history. Shelby foote also edited chickamauga and other civil war stories, a collection of short stories from authors. Dec 26, 20 there are several good onevolume treatments of the naval war out there. See more ideas about historical fiction, fiction and books. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. From james mcphersons definitive history to tony horwitzs adventures among obsessives, here are the 11 best books on the civil war in time. Jan 29, 2020 part of longmans seminar studies series, this book offers a compact introduction to the spanish civil war, covering such topics as international aid, terror tactics and the conflicts legacy. A fictional so far history of the second american civil war. Jul 07, 2017 vividly depicting the drama of the civil war and reconstruction, mitchells classic book features scarlett ohara, the spoiled, manipulative daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, who arrives at young womanhood just in time to see the civil war forever change her way of life.
Theres also the famous classic, the red badge of courage if you wanna go back farther. Andersonville is 788 pages of the most stellar prose fiction you can find outside of fitzgerald or faulkner. Not only that, it covers a few themes that are quite important to the civil war. Those who appreciate a solid overview will find much to. These historical texts are anything but dry, and if you love a. The american civil war is one piece of history that is filled with treats for fans of the form high drama, hazy battle lines between good and bad, black and white.
Stephen crane interviewed actual civil war soldiers for that story. A narrative has a good in depth chapter about chancellorsville. The killer angels by michael shaara, the last full measure by jeff shaara, mrs. Jun 23, 2019 the civil war was the bloodiest conflict in american history, turning brother against brother and devastating large regions of the country. This is a list about the best novels about the civil war. It has even occasionally found its way to the big screen. Winner of the 1997 national book award, cold mountain tells the story of w. Part of the miraculous generation born in the years between the start of the second american civil war in 2074 and its end in 2095, benjamin chestnut arrived in. Books about the civil war, including fiction and nonfiction selections. Michael shaara shelved 5 times as historical fictioncivilwar avg rating 4. Theres a huge market now in swordandsandal historical fiction drawing on the chaos of roman politics and wars.
Civil war nonfiction books 19001949 publication year for. American civil warteen fiction, historical fiction teen. Gifted and cursed with the ability to see the future, mildred groves takes a position at the hanford research center in the early 1940s. The history books can tell us much about the trauma of war, but for those who prefer the emotional truths that can be conveyed by a good novel, here are. A drums story a veteran and his grandchildren lincoln and tad the defenses of washington story of the second bull run campaigning with grant a drummer boy in gray war story told in churchyard an adventure on the eastn sho heroines of 61 and barbara frietchie down the fairfax pike major mallory of malloryville the strange case of geo. Though this book is fiction and was at the time extraordinarily popular and eventually a bad movie, it is actually quite good.
These historical texts are anything but dry, and if you love a good piece. From james mcphersons definitive history to tony horwitzs adventures among obsessives, here are the 11 best books on the civil war in time for the 150th anniversary. Hulbert, james marten, and amy murrell taylorfor their opinions on a variety of popular topics, including the war s most overrated and underratred commanders, top turning points, most influential women, and best depictions on film. Division means tension, choice the things that stories feed on. This civil war saga centers on the wartime experiences of geneva chatfield, who disguises herself as a boy and runs off to join her husband fighting on the confederate side. Feb 20, 2020 the american civil war is a popular historical resource for fiction writers and it continues to woo readers of the genre. The best civil war books of all time analysis civil war. These historical texts are anything but dry, and if. Six books on the civil war these six histories of the civil war that are mustreads if you want to better understand the conflict a group of officers in culpeper, virginia reading. The civil war was the bloodiest in american history, and also resulted in some of the most incredible stories. Alcotts wonderful autobiographical novel about her experiences as a wartime nurse. Best civil war fiction score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Hulbert, james marten, and amy murrell taylorfor their opinions on a variety of popular topics, including the wars most overrated and underratred commanders, top turning points, most influential women, and best depictions on film. Jun 22, 2017 published in 1885, this memoir by union general ulysses s.
The best civil war books of all time analysis civil. Fowlers under two flags, and the venerable by sea and by river by bern anderson. These suspenseful and heartwrenching stories will interest. Chamberlain raised his saber, let loose the shout that was the greatest sound he could make, boiling. For our latest newsstandonly special issue, the civil war almanac, we asked a panel of civil war historiansj. Popular fiction american civil war books goodreads. No wonder, then, that the war has been the subject of so many dramatic films and documentaries.
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