History / Military Books

This compelling account of two major engagements in Vietnam's la Drang Valley in November 1965 is written by the man who commanded the battalion that was involved and by a war correspondent who was there. Both spent years interviewing soldiers who made it through and families of those lost in battle.

The story of the Battle of Iwo Jima is told through the lives of six young men pictured in the famous news photo of the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi. Hailing from different parts of the United States, these young men can be seen as representative of the generation that grew up in the '30s and went off to fight in the '40s.

The Nebraskan town of North Platte, now dotted with stripmalls and fast food restaurants, lies on the rail line where, sixty years ago, American soldiers preparing to head off to World War II would stop. The hospitality they received there was a homegrown sort, volunteered by the citizens of North Platte and topped off with hot coffee. Chicago Tribune columnist Green takes a look back at what made North Platte such an exceptional town.

This investigative report on the secret CIA operations during the 1980s Russia-Afghanistan war tells of the billion-dollar-a-year effort to arm, supply, and train the Afghan resistance, and to maintain relations in the region--all centered on an American Congressman, Charlie Wilson from Texas. This true story reads like a thriller as Crile describes the larger-than-life Wilson, who was head of the House Appropriations Committee, and the many CIA operatives, ex-CIA operatives, gun runners, and freedom fighters who were involved in carrying out the operation. The story has added significance because these same weapons later fell into the hands of the Taliban and were used against us. A New York Times Notable Book for 2003.

Biographer and historian recounts the lives and adventures of a single World War II infantry unit, the "Easy Company" of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. E-Company saw more than its share of action: they parachuted behind enemy lines at the Battle of Normandy and Operation Market Garden, fought at the Battle of the Bulge, discovered concentration camps, and were among the soldiers to capture Hitler's Eagle's Nest. The book is filled with vivid narrative detail, and also includes interviews with the veterans of E-Company, adding a distinctly human flavor to the rich military history. Ambrose's book was later adapted into an award-winning television mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

This study of Hitler's rise to power in Germany analyzes that country's demise from Europe's most modern and progressive state, in 1900, to one that, by 1930, was ready to choose a man like Hitler to lead them. This is the first volume in a projected three-volume history of Nazi Germany.

In this WW II history, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS author Bradley tells the story of nine Americans who were shot down and taken prisoner by the Japanese. He tells of their training and background, and deals with issues of war, racial attitudes, atrocities, and retribution.

In 2005, Marcus Luttrell and his four-man Navy SEAL team were in the mountains along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan hunting down a dangerous al Qaeda leader. The mission, Operation Redwing, suddenly came into jeopardy when they stumbled into a group of goat herders. They had two choices: kill the unarmed men, a violation of the rules of engagement, or let them go, risking discovery. Luttrell voted to let them go--a decision he has regretted ever since. Soon the team was surrounded by 80-100 al Qaeda warriors and not only did Luttrell's comrades die, but a quick-response helicopter carrying 16 other soldiers was also shot down. Luttrell himself was badly wounded, but managed to crawl seven miles to a Pustan village, where the villagers, obeying their ancient customs of hospitality, and risking a massacre at the hands of al Qaeda, hid Luttrell and nursed him back to health. In his best-selling memoir, Luttrell tells the harrowing account of the worst disaster in Navy SEAL history and his own miraculous survival.

Noted journalist and historian Studs Terkel interviewed hundreds of ordinary Americans about the Second World War for this book. People offer not only their memories of the war, but also their interpretations of what it meant at the time, and what it means decades later.

This seminal work of military history explores the nature of battle through the eyes of the men and women most closely involved in the action. Historical examples and influential samples of war literature lend context to the narrative, which centers on three intense, bloody, and climactic conflicts: Agincourt, October 25th, 1415; Waterloo, June 18th, 1815; and the Somme, July 1st, 1916.

The first English-language history ever written about the Japanese army's 1937 conquest of China's capital and the massacre of its inhabitants. Chang, a freelance journalist, describes the circumstances under which the Japanese killed a quarter of a million Chinese (nearly all of them civilian noncombatants) during the first few months of their occupation of the city. A "New York Times" Notable Book for 1998.

Historian Ambrose evokes what it was like to be in a B-24 as pilot, gunner, bombardier, or navigator, as these planes flew missions over German territory during World War II. He chronicles their training and assesses their contribution to the Allied victory--which was often at great cost to these freedom-loving men who made a difference. Much of the book focuses on pilot George S. McGovern, who was later to be the 1972 Democratic presidential candidate. A New York Times Notable Book for 2001.

One of the most valuable and informative artifacts of the holocaust, THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL is the actual diary of Anne Frank, a German-Jewish girl living in Amsterdam during World War II. The diary begins on June 14, 1942, shortly after Anne's 13th birthday. While initial entries focus on Anne's life at school and her relationships with her friends and family, she does touch on the ever-growing power of the Nazi party and the increasing persecution of Jewish people. In July of 1942, fearing deportation to Auschwitz, the Franks go into hiding in a "secret annex" in the attic of Mr. Frank's former business. Soon after, they are joined by the Van Daan family and a dentist named Mr. Dussel. For over two years, Anne recorded what life was like in the annex--the fear, tension, frustration--and even boredom--of a life lived under very compromised conditions. Much of the diary centers on Anne's difficult, if typically adolescent, relationship with her mother as well as on her crush on the Van Daan's teenage son, Peter. Anne also shares her hopes for her life after the war--and her dream of becoming a writer. In this way, the diary introduces readers to a very typical teenage girl--a girl whose thoughts and emotions put a human face on the almost incomprehensible horror of the Holocaust. First published in 1947 by Anne's father (the only member of the group to survive the war), THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL has since been translated into 31 languages and serves as an eloquent memorial to all those who died in the Holocaust.

This military history of the French and Indian War (known as the Seven Years' War in Europe) provides a fascinating narrative of the conflict that preceded the American Revolution. Anderson tells how the colonists' encounters with British troops resulted in a clear sense of their own subordinate place in the empire. He also tells how the the war upset the beneficial relations with the Indians, causing a rift which was never to be repaired.

Clive Cussler's first nonfiction book features descriptions of 10 shipwrecks he has discovered over the years. He recounts the histories of these ships and describes their demises and eventual discoveries.

The heroic exploits of Major Dick Winters and Easy Company are known to us through Steven Ambrose's bestseller, BAND OF BROTHERS. Now, in his own words, Winters draws on his wartime diary as well as on anecdotes from his comrades to tell many new stories about D-Day, the push into Germany, and the liberation of a concentration camp--as well as his subsequent service during the Korean War.

Picking up where SEA HUNTERS left off, Cussler and his team travel the Mississippi, along the coast of Texas, and through the South Pacific in search of shipwrecks and downed aircraft. Blending the history of the quarry with a detailed recount of the search, SEA HUNTERS II puts readers alongside the author and his band of salvagers as they hunt for some of history's most memorable founderings, including Salle's 17th-century flagship, a dirigible lost in a storm off the New Jersey coast in 1933, and the PT-109.