Are you looking for gift ideas for family and friends who enjoy historical fiction or reading about history? This list should help you get a head start on your holiday shopping. Choices range from a new history of the United States by a distinguished professor, to a graphic novel adaptation of a classic memoir. Connect to our catalog for more information and reviews:
These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore.
A sweeping history of the United States from the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the election of Donald Trump.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.
This is an unforgettable love story based on the author's interviews with Jewish holocaust survivor Lale Sokolov. Sokolov arrived at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1942. While there, he was assigned the task of tattooing numbers on the camp inmates. He ultimately falls in love with one of his fellow prisoners.
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre.
A truth-is-stranger-than-fiction account of the career of Oleg Gordievsky. Gordievsky was a top KGB spy who was also a British double agent until betrayed by the CIA's Aldrich Ames.
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver.
Kingsolver alternates between two stories, one set in the 1870s and the other in the present. Both stories take place in Vineland, New Jersey, an actual town built in the 1860s as a utopian community.
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight.
A comprehensive account of the life of Frederick Douglass. An escaped slave, Douglass became an adviser to President Lincoln, and one of the 19th century's most prominent civil rights figures.
Transcription by Kate Atkinson.
In this gripping spy story, a young girl is recruited into the ranks of MI5 during World War II. Her assignment is to monitor the activities of British fascist sympathizers. After the war, working as a radio producer at the BBC, she finds her past comes back to haunt her.
Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown.
An irreverent biography of Britain's Princess Margaret (1930-2002). A must-read for fans of the popular Netflix series The Crown.
Circe by Madeline Miller.
A retelling of the story of Circe, a figure in Greek mythology. She is best known for her minor role in The Odyssey where she turns Odysseus's men into swine.
Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Ari Folman and David Polonsky.
This is the only graphic novel version of the diary the Anne Frank Foundation has authorized.
Milkman by Anna Burns.
Milkman is this year's Man Booker Prize-winning novel. The chair of the Man Booker Prize judges described the book as "challenging" because of its experimental writing style. Despite the challenges, this novel provides unique insight into daily life in parts of Belfast during The Troubles in the 1970s.
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