What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

Hi everyone! I'm hoping you might be able to help me. I'm trying to put together a reading list for a challenge and I'm kind of coming up blank.

I need books that either (1) take place during a specific historical event (ie Pearl Harbor as opposed to general WWII) or (2) feature a real person as a main character. They need to be fiction and fit one (or both) of those criteria.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I'm open to pretty much anything, as I enjoy both YA and adult fiction. Thanks!

I can't recommend any in particular since it seems you and I have very different tastes, but here's a couple of Listopia lists to get you started.

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/30...
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/30...

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson: It's non-fiction, but reads like a historical novel.

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine: key time in the 50s when the schools in Little Rock were closed rather than be integrated

11/22/63 by Stephen King: Focuses on historical milieu around the death of JFK, with time travel and ethics, and of course a touch of creepiness. It is King after all.

Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski: The story of Mary Jemison, based largely on fact.

Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors: The historical and political setting and peoples involved during the time when the Taj Mahal is being built.

To Build a Land by Sally Watson: At the end of WWII, orphan Jewish children were gathered together and smuggled into Israel to live/work/learn on a kibbutz.

The Loser features pianist Glenn Gould as a fictional character.

The Castle in the Forest features Adolf Hitler as a child and teenager.

Shadows on the Rock takes place in 17th century Quebec and features the real Count de Frontenac as a significant character.

The Betrothed is set in Italy and much of it takes place during the plague that hit Milan around 1630.

The 19th Wife features Brigham Young's family, in particular one of his wives, as main characters.

The Minister's Wooing features Aaron Burr as a real character, and the titular minister might be a real person too...I can't remember.

Homer & Langley is a novelization of the lives of the Collyer brothers, who died in their New York brownstone as a result of their terrible hoarding.

Harlot's Ghost takes place partly during the Bay of Pigs, and features one of JFK's real lovers as a major character.

The Jump Artist is a fictionalization of the life of Philippe Halsman, a famous 20th century photographer.

The Stalin Front: A Novel of World War II features battles on the eastern front during WWII.

Apartment in Athens features the Nazi occupation of Greece.

American Wife is a novelization of the life of Laura Bush.

Black Dogs is centered around the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Plot Against America features Charles Lindbergh as president, after Roosevelt dies.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev features fictionalized events of the Stalin era imprisonments and show trials.

Eye of the Needle is a novelization of the German plans to invade Britain in WWII.

The Blue Flower is a novelization of the life of the poet Novalis.

I, Claudius is the fictionalized memoir of the Roman emperor Claudius.

Gore Vidal wrote a bunch of novels based on historical events, with historical characters, such as Lincoln and Burr.

Pretty much any of Philippa Gregory's books would fit the bill of being based on a real character (i.e., Other Boleyn Girl, etc.). As would... Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran.

Morgan Llywelyn has many historical fictions.

Dragonfly in Amber covers the Scottish '45 (which ends at Culloden and includes rather a lot of political and noble personages of the time. This is, however the 2nd book of the series.

The Sleepwalkers is a great option if you like mystery/thrillers. It's set in pre-WWII Berlin, and includes chance meetings with members of the Nazi party. There is a significant historical event in the book for those who are familiar with this time and place.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is set in rural post-WWII Britain and features a precocious 11 year old girl, with a penchant for poisons. Also, a mystery and does not really feature historical events.

I could list many others. Is there a particular period or personage that interests you?

Birds Without Wings fictionalizes the rise of Turkish leader Ataturk, and focuses on the WWI Battle of Gallipoli.

Before We Were Free follows one family during the fall of the Trujillo dicatorship in the Domincan Republic.

The Hugo classic Les Misérables tells the tale of the downtrodden during the Battle of 1832, the several-day event that preceded the French Revolution.

Warrior Girl is narrated (fictionally) by Joan of Arc.

Leviathan is set during/right after Archduke Franz Ferdinand's death, the event that caused WWI, and therefore, arguably, WWII. The novel is part-time narrated by the duke's fictional son.

The Help is set exactly when James Meredith is mobbed trying to enroll in the University of Mississippi, where the book is also set.

Similarly, The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 is set in the following year, 1963, and circulates around the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.

There is a series of books by Jane Duncan that is written in a slice of life with a historical setting. They're rather British colonial in some of the manners and expectations, but are well-written and provide an eye into a culture and way of life. A good one to start with is My friend Martha's aunt. or My Friends the Macleans.

Also, Dragonwings is set during the San Francisco Earthquake (and fire) of 1906.

Alyssa (The Shady Glade) wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm hoping you might be able to help me. I'm trying to put together a reading list for a challenge and I'm kind of coming up blank.

I need books that either (1) take place during ..."

Consider The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It is the story of the battle of Gettysburg, complete with all the historical players. The best way to describe it is as "faction" - books that incorporate the detailed facts of the event with fictionalized accounts of what the historical figure might have said or thought. It won the Pulitzer for fiction in 1975. I definitely recommend it.

Natalie wrote: The Hugo classic Les Misérables tells the tale of the downtrodden during the Battle of 1832, the several-day event that preceded the French Revolution.

The Help is set exactly when James Meredith is mobbed trying to enroll in the University of Mississippi, where the book is also set.

I'm sorry but since this is about historical fiction I need to correct the history review on these books.

Les Miz is set in 1832 but it is about a Student Revolt. The French Revolution started in 1789 and there was Napoleon ruling after that BEFORE Les Miz is set.

The Help may have occured around same time as Madison but the book is set in Jackson, MS and University of Mississippi is in Oxford, MS (about 150 miles away). Te historical event mentioned in The Help is the death of Medgar Evers in 1963 but you never meet him and he is not mentioned until his death.

Another book that would fit is The Widow of the South. The event is the Battle of Franklin, TN and the historical person is Carrie McGavock. There are even pictures of the plantation, cemetery, and Carrie and other historical people discussed in the book. And the book is HF even though most every person in the book was alive during the event.

The Birthday Boys is about Sir Robert Scott and the members of his team who died on their way back from the South Pole.

Young Adolfwhich is also by Beryl Bainbridge is about an obscure period in the life of Adolph Hitler when he lived in England for about a year with his older brother. These are fairly short books, but compelling & well written.

"Noah's Child" by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt: a Christian priest who shelters Jewish children during the Holocaust

Tariq Ali has an interesting cycle The Islam Quintet out of which I have read and really liked the first two so far:
"Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree" end of 15th century, Moorish Granada during the Reconquest
"The Book of Saladin" fantasy approach to the life of Kurdish liberator of Jerusalem, 12th century

I would also recommend Naghib Mahfuz's "Trilogy of Cairo" action is set between 1919-1944 as Cairo evolves from being a British colony towards the end of WWII. (follows the life of a family during 3 generations, including a lot of social aspects)

Tread Softly on My Dreams is about the Irish insurrection of the United Irishmen in the late 1800's to early 1900's.

A lot of good ones already mentioned. Two YA that I've always liked:

"The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen -The book is about Hannah, a Jewish girl who lives in New Rochelle, New York. During a Passover Seder, Hannah is transported back in time to 1942 Poland, where she is sent to a Nazi concentration camp and is/meets her namesake.

"Calico Captive" by Elizabeth George Speare - takes place during the French & Indian Wars. Young woman is captured by Indians (along with some of her family) and traded to the French. She ends up in Montreal where they long to return home.

I also like many of Kenneth Roberts books. They are very detailed and not a quick read but the historical setting and authenticity is great. My favorites are:

"Lydia Bailey" takes place in 1800 New England, Haiti, and north Africa.

"Rabble in Arms" takes place from the beginning of the war in New England through the Battle of Saratoga.

"The Lively Lady" takes place during the War of 1812.

Others I like:

"Celia Garth", Gwen Bristow - A young seamstress in Charleston SC during the American Revolution. She uses her position to spy on the British during their occupation.

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", Betty Smith - a classic about an immigrant family in Brooklyn from about 1900 to 1920.

"Fall on Your Knees", Anne-Marie MacDonald - Takes place on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, the story of four sisters over the course of several generations, beginning around 1900.

Alyssa (The Shady Glade) wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm hoping you might be able to help me. I'm trying to put together a reading list for a challenge and I'm kind of coming up blank.

I need books that either (1) take place during ..."


These Is My Words
The Paris Wife
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb: A Novel
Clara and Mr. Tiffany
Loving Frank
Doc
The Age of Desire
Misfit
Half Broke Horses
Filaree: A Novel of American Life

Hope this helps :)

Hope these help(will post more when i think of some)
Night
Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
Uprising
Threads and Flames
Bread and Roses, Too

A lot of posts mention YA books - not sure if that is what you are looking for- this might not fit that category, but A Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True is one of the best books I have ever read. Poland after WW2 as well as in the late 80's. Bridgid Pasulka

Also Distant Waves- about the titanic

The Crystal Cave trilogy by Mary Stewart. I can't recommend this highly enough! Arthurian legend, so some of it probably isn't actual 'history' but it's very well done and believable.

She also wrote a series about Alexander the Great.

Just a Kiss Away by Jill Barnett was set during the Philippine Revolution. I remember Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio made an appearance in the story. I didn't care for the heroine, but I was simply glad that a romance novel was set in the Philippines for once.

Forgiving by LaVyrle Spencer features a lot of historical details of Deadwood, South Dakota, in the late 1800s, including a smallpox epidemic and an appearance by Calamity Jane.

Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer is set during World War II. Midway through the story, the hero and heroine hear the news on the radio about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The hero joins the military, and then their correspondence details their experience through the war.

City of Thieves is set in the Siege of Leningrad.