Litsy Reading Challenge 2017 discussion
13: Based on an historical event
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Are there any qualifiers on "major" or "historical"? I'm thinking of reading Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist, which is based on the WTO protests in Seattle in 1990. Will that work?
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Absolutely! When I decided on this topic, it was somewhat selfish - I read a TON of WWII fiction, and I'd like to expand my historical horizons! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's picks and recommendations for this topic!
Kris wrote: "I picked Night by Elie Wiesel."SUCH a good book!
Should it be historical fiction based around a historical event (if I'm making that clear) or could it be a straight non-fiction book?
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Whatever you choose!!! (And yes that was very clear, to me at least!!!)
Jessica wrote: "Jen wrote: "Should it be historical fiction based around a historical event (if I'm making that clear) or could it be a straight non-fiction book?"Whatever you choose!!! (And yes that was very cl..."
Thanks!! Then I'm probably going with Ekaterinburg by Helen Rappaport.
Theresa wrote: "Are there any qualifiers on "major" or "historical"? I'm thinking of reading Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist, which is based on the WTO protests in Seattle in 1990. Will that work?"Oh, I got this one on my kindle. Could be my pick aswell...
I think I will finally read Year of Wonders about the Great Plague of 1665-1666. If I double (or triple up) on categories, it could also be my takes place over 150 years ago and on TBR list over a year. I am going to try not to double up, but if 2017 gets away from me like 2016 did...
I just grabbed a Kindle version of Epitaph for $0.99, so I think I'll use that for this category. It's a sequel and the first book develops the characters, so I'll read Doc first! Because what I really needed was more books on my TBR...
Andrea wrote: "I think I will finally read Year of Wonders about the Great Plague of 1665-1666. If I double (or triple up) on categories, it could also be my takes place over 150 years ago and on TBR ..."Oh that's a good idea -- I have this on my shelf. Would be a great way of getting it read!! Thanks for the idea!
I've heard Fear: A Novel of World War I referred to as the Catch-22 of WWI... it has been on my list now for awhile so it will be my pick for this one!
You can't go wrong with Erik Larson or David McCulloch. Joseph Ellis is pretty good too. I may go with Dan Jones' Magna Carta. Larry McMurtry's The Last Kind Words Saloon would fit too.
I'd like to add a recommendation. Here in Canada we had Residential Schools which were government & church run. Their purpose was to "civilize the Indians". The last school closed in 1996 (so its long history only recently ended). The trauma of these schools (Aboriginal children were unwillingly taken from families; parents faced jail if they dared to object) weighs heavy on most Aboriginal communities to this day. It's a terrifying part of Canadian history and one we struggle to comprehend and 'right'. ANYWAY, that long intro is to recommend the amazing book "Indian Horse" by Richard Wagamese. Years later it has lingered with me as the writing and narrative are so well done. I cannot recommend it enough.
I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford for this one. The story centers around the Japanese internment during WWII, but it brought an interesting perspective that I hadn't considered before - the way that other non-Japanese immigrants experienced these events.
I used Columbine for this, it wasn't what I had planned, but after listening to the book, I realized it would fit. I feel like it was a definitive point in US history, there's a before and after Columbine in my mind.
The Zookeeper's Wife looks interesting. I like reading books made into movies.
I read Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War the real-life accounts of 4 undercover women during the civil war. Great read!
Kristen wrote: "I'd like to add a recommendation. Here in Canada we had Residential Schools which were government & church run. Their purpose was to "civilize the Indians". The last school closed in 1996 (so its l..."I have only read his memoir, One Native Life, so far, just a couple months back: connecting as deeply as did with his writing there, I was devastated to hear of his untimely passing last week. Can't wait to read all the rest of his stuff.
I read, The Scarlet Pimpernel (by Emmuska, Baroness Orczy) - I almost feel like I'm admitting to a guilty pleasure, but I loved this novel! Set during the Reign of Terror in Eighteenth century France, The Scarlet Pimpernel is the name of a masked hero who rescues doomed nobility from the guillotine; and Lady Blakeney is a treacherous Englishwoman who betrays the French aristocrats to Citizen Chauvelin. Now, she is tasked with tracking down the Scarlet Pimpernel, with the stakes a matter of life and death for those whom she loves. The story has adventure, romance, intrigue, and a ridiculous amount of melodrama... It also introduces the concept of the masked avenger, the precedent for the likes of Zorro and Batman. While La Terreur was a very real and grisly chapter in French history, the heroics of The Scarlet Pimpernel are pure fantasy. Nonetheless, it's a fun piece of historical fiction. (★★★★)
this is one that i don't have a book already read... I'm trying to decide between The Underground Railroad or Gone With the Wind.... both of which are on my TBR list.
Litsy Reading Challenge 2017
Books mentioned in this topic
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (other topics)One Native Life (other topics)
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War (other topics)
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (other topics)
The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty (other topics)
More...
A book based on a major historical event