Military Reads

Our Military Reads Collection features works that examine military service, conflict, and peace. Representing global perspectives and a broad range of literary genres, these selections explore the impacts of wars both real and imagined on civilians and service members alike.

Publication year 2018

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Nation

Tags History: European, Politics / Government, Military / War, History: World, Russian Literature, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Biography


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: War, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism, Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Gender

Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Survival Fiction, Military / War, Asian Literature, History: World


Publication year 1927

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Society: Class, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Indian Literature, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government, History: Asian, History: World, Health / Medicine, Poverty, Military / War, Race / Racism, Relationships, Social Justice

The Story of My Experiments with Truth is the autobiography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more widely known as Mahatma Gandhi. A key political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement, Gandhi penned this work to narrate his quest for truth and the principles that underpinned his life’s journey. Originally published in 1927, this memoir provides a meticulous account of Gandhi’s spiritual, moral, and political evolution. The literary era in which this was... Read The Story of My Experiments with Truth Summary


Publication year 1986

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Society: Nation

Tags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Military / War, Gender / Feminism, Historical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

The Storyteller is a best-selling novel by prolific author Jodi Picoult. Published in 2013, it is Picoult’s 20th novel. Picoult is a prolific author known for tackling complex social themes and is the recipient of many awards, including the 2019 Hale Award and a lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America. In The Storyteller, she weaves together several different narratives, delving into complex power dynamics and exploring themes of forgiveness, morality, and freedom... Read The Storyteller Summary


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, French Literature


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Natural World: Flora/plants

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Race / Racism, American Civil War, African American Literature, Grief / Death, History: U.S., Love / Sexuality, Post-War Era, Military / War, History: World


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Military / War, History: World, Historical Fiction, Politics / Government

The Sympathizer is an historical spy novel told in the first-person by an unnamed half-French, half-Vietnamese narrator. The story unfolds as the narrator’s confession to a man referred to as the Commandant. The narrator begins his story with the fall of Saigon, where he is the aide-de-camp to a high-ranking General in the Special Branch, the central intelligence organization of the anti-Communist South Vietnamese Army. Quickly, we learn that the narrator is not all he appears... Read The Sympathizer Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Holocaust, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a historical novel by New Zealand author Heather Morris. Published in 2018, the narrative retells the true story of Lale Sokolov (born Ludwig Eisenberg), a Slovakian Jew and Holocaust survivor. The novel centers on the love between Lale and Gita, a young woman he meets while tattooing prisoners. Lale is the titular tattooist, forever marking his fellow Jews and other prisoners with the numbers that replace their identities in the... Read The Tattooist of Auschwitz Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: War, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Military / War


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure, Military / War, Climate Change, Relationships, Futurism, Fantasy, Romance

Published in 2013,The Testing is the first in a dystopian young adult trilogy by Joelle Charbonneau; it is Charbonneau’s first venture into YA fiction. The Testing is often compared to Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games due to its dystopian setting and the similarity of the brutal, life-or-death situations to which each series’ teen protagonists are subjected. The Testing received the Anthony Award for Best Children’s/Young Adult Novel in 2014 and was nominated for several other... Read The Testing Summary


Publication year 1990

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Society: War

Tags Military / War, American Literature, Creative Nonfiction, Vietnam War, Education, Education, History: World, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Published in 1990, The Things They Carried is a collection of interrelated short stories about the Vietnam War written by American author Tim O’Brien. The historical fiction collection is considered essential literature about the Vietnam War and is often used to teach fiction writing techniques. An authorial persona, Tim O’Brien, narrates the stories in the first-person about his experiences during the war. The collection explores themes of Survivor’s Guilt, Talking as a Way of Processing... Read The Things They Carried Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Parenting, Military / War, History: European, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, History: World, Romance


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Jewish Literature, Military / War, History: World, Historical Fiction


Publication year 1844

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Teams, Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge

Tags Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, French Literature, History: European, Military / War, Love / Sexuality, History: World

The Three Musketeers (1844), by French novelist and playwright Alexandre Dumas, is a novel that borrows tropes from the swashbuckling genre, historical fiction, and romance to recount the adventures of a group of king’s guard who face off against the machinations of nefarious political factions set on destabilizing the monarchy. It was first published through serialization in 1844 to great popularity. Though set in the mid-1600s, the novel connected with the philosophical underpinnings of the... Read The Three Musketeers Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Animals, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy

Set in an imaginary modern-day Balkan country, Téa Obreht’s The Tiger’s Wife chronicles the effects of prejudice, isolation, and war on both a personal and universal scale. Obreht’s characters struggle to survive and live meaningful lives under the shadow of a lengthy war and its aftermath.Natalia Stefanović, a young female doctor and the narrator of the novel, learns that her beloved grandfather has died far from home on his way to visit her. Her investigation... Read The Tiger's Wife Summary


Publication year 1959

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Society: War, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Military / War, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, German Literature, Classic Fiction

The Tin Drum is a 1959 novel by German author Gunther Grass. In the novel, a man named Oskar tells the story of his life, particularly focusing on his experiences during World War II. The novel employs satire, absurdism, magical realism, and allegory to wrestle with the pain and trauma of life under Nazi rule. The Tin Drum was adapted into an Oscar-winning film in 1979 and has been hailed as a landmark in literary... Read The Tin Drum Summary


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Relationships, Arts / Culture, Military / War, American Literature, Children's Literature

The Titan’s Curse (2007) is the third installment in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, following The Lightning Thief (2005) and The Sea of Monsters (2006) and preceding The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008) and The Last Olympian (2009). The series centers around the adventures of Percy Jackson, a boy who is the son of the Greek god of the sea Poseidon and a mortal woman named Sally Jackson. Percy learns that he... Read The Titan's Curse Summary


Publication year 2001

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: War, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Politics / Government, Military / War, Education, Education, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy