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Books have always provided readers with an intimate connection to the world beyond their four walls. And with Covid-19 still keeping many of us closer to home in 2021, books have become an even more important way to safely escape to other places, even different moments in time. If you’re looking for some text that will get your heart racing and your mind racing, military non-fiction will be one of your best bets. To help you sort through the mountains of options, we’ve rounded up our 19 picks for the best military nonfiction books everyone should read. these pages full of adventures, dangers, difficulties and triumphs will entertain and inform. and they’ll be a great way to read about the story while you crouch down.
19 non-fiction military books
1. terkel asparagus. 2011. the good war. the new press.
710 pages
You are reading: Best non fiction war books
Turkel, a Chicago-based journalist, received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1985 for this collection of interviews with 121 men and women from around the world about their experiences before and during World War II. (click to tweet this)
Through the words of famous and ordinary people, Turkel paints a vivid portrait of history while addressing issues like institutionalized racism, the military-industrial complex, and the origins of the cold war along the way. critically acclaimed since its release, this work of oral history becomes more important each year as there are fewer members of the greatest generation left to tell their story in person.
2. e.b. sled. 2007. with the ancient race. prison press.
352 pages
A mainstay of nearly every Marine Corps reading list since its publication in 1981, this first-person account of World War II is also a mainstay of the HBO miniseries “The Pacific.” It will be hard to find a clearer and more honest written account of the grunts on the front lines during some of the most brutal fighting in the Pacific. It’s the closest thing to living in the mud and rain of Okinawa, other than being stationed in Okinawa.
3. bowden mark. 2010. Black Hawk Down. grove press.
400 pages
this detailed account by journalist bowden draws on army logs, audio tapes, and videos to create a minute-by-minute account of how u.s. In 1993, soldiers found themselves outgunned and outsmarted in Mogadishu, Somalia, after a helicopter that dropped them off turned deadly, leading to the most intense hand-to-hand combat in America. military history since the vietnam war.
First published as a 29-part multimedia series for the Philadelphia Inquirer, this classic of war reporting was a finalist for the 1999 National Book Award for Nonfiction. (click to tweet this)
A 2001 film of the same name, adapted from the book and directed by Ridley Scott, was nominated for four Academy Awards and won for Best Sound and Best Film Editing. (click to tweet this)
4. Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. chicken coop 2004. we were soldiers once… and young. prison press.
480 pages
Perhaps not a traditional memoir told in the first person, this book is by no means a cold cut of pure historical and scholarly non-fiction. Hal Moore, who retired from the Army as a Lieutenant General, and journalist Joseph Galloway were part of the bloody Battle of Ia Drang, covered in detail in this book. A combination of the co-authors’ personal accounts and those of other survivors drawn from interviews and diaries, it is more a memoir told by the entire 1st and 2nd Battalions, 7th Cavalry Division on those fateful days than by a single person.
5. Michael Herr. 1991. dispatches. vintage.
272 pages
while the previous entry was co-written by galloway with gen. moore, this book was written entirely by a civilian.
If you think that takes away some of its impact, there are three things you need to know:
1. Seeing things from an outside perspective is a good way to learn about yourself. 2. Michael Herr spent most of 1967 to 1969 as a Vietnam War Correspondent for Esquire. 3. This book was a partial basis for Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, for which Herr co-wrote the screenplay.
so yeah, it’s definitely worth a read.
6. Stephen E. ambrose 2017. band of brothers. Simon & schuster.
336 pages
This New York Times bestseller follows “the easy company, the ordinary men who became the most extraordinary soldiers of World War II on the front lines of the war’s most critical moments.” Historian Ambrose was inspired by interviews during a meeting of the 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, detailing not only his march from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, but also the enduring bonds they developed among the company’s survivors. p>
Continue your journey with “we few, we happy few… we band of brothers” by watching HBO’s 10-part adapted series, which was nominated for 20 prime-time emmy awards in 2002 and won seven , including an outstanding miniseries and an outstanding direction. for a miniseries, movie, or dramatic special. (click to tweet this)
or just check out the show’s soundtrack on spotify to help set the mood as you turn the pages.
7. barbara w. tuchman 2004. the guns of august. prison press.
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640 pages
This bestseller focusing on the first month of World War I earned historian Tuchman the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for the year of publication 1963. (click to tweet this)
Throughout his nonfiction war narrative, Tuchman painstakingly recreates 30 days in the summer of 1914, beginning with the funeral of Edward VII and following all sides as they plan their way to war and march on the Franco-British offensive, inevitably leading to years of trench warfare. Although he doesn’t mention it directly, Tuchman was present, as a child, at one of the book’s pivotal events: the pursuit of the German battlecruiser Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau.
8. jorge wilson 1987. if you survive. ballantine books.
288 pages
When wilson’s commanding officer said, “if you survive day one, I’ll promote you,” it turned out not to be an encouraging promise, but an unsettling prediction. This incredible first-person account reveals Wilson’s experiences in World War II from the Normandy Invasion to the Battle of the Bulge. Of all the men and officers who set out in Company F of the 4th Infantry Division with him, Wilson was the only one who survived.
9. jose plumb martin. 2010. A narrative of a revolutionary soldier. seal.
288 pages
joseph martin was 15 years old when he joined the connecticut militia in 1776 as a zealous patriot ready to fight for the american cause. Over the next six years, he fought in the battles of Brooklyn, White Plains, Monmouth, Yorktown and more. (click to tweet this)
He also survived valley forge, became one of the first combat engineers in the US Army, and finished the war as a sergeant.
His account is essential reading for any revolutionary war enthusiast.
10. Adam Makos and Larry Alexander. 2014. a higher call. dutton caliber.
400 pages
This critically acclaimed international bestseller centers on the German fighter pilot Lt. franz stigler and the humanity he showed towards a crippled american. bomber piloted by lt. charlie brown. (click to tweet this)
This chivalric tale, packed with details about the plane, explains how these two men met and became friends, nearly 50 years after their chance encounter. among the compliments to the book is this col. charles mcgee, tuskegee aviator, world war ii. “It’s often said that ‘war is hell,’ and it is, yet this story reveals how the human spirit can shine in the darkest of hours.” If this story doesn’t lift your spirits, have your heart checked for lead.
11. ulysses s. grant. 2012. The Complete Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. grant. independent publishing platform createspace.
552 pages
Originally published by none other than Mark Twain, Former President Grant’s memoirs were completed in the last months of Grant’s life. Knowing that the end was near, he was motivated to put his opinion of the civil war on paper. Appreciated by military historians and literary critics alike, the great leader’s memoir does not shy away from the brutal combat he witnessed or the mistakes some accused him of making during his bloodiest battles.
12. John Leppelman. 1991. blood on the bands. prison press.
368 pages
leppelman, who served three tours in vietnam, shares his experiences as a fng paratrooper in the 173d airborne, an army sailor, and a ranger on a long-range reconnaissance patrol. From combat jumps to the enemy’s wild goose chase to the deaths of his friends due to lousy weapons, Leppleman recalls how he endured it all.
13. Andrew J. bacevich. 2016. America’s War for the Greater Middle East. random house.
453 pages
Bacevich, a 20-year Army veteran who served in Vietnam, presents a detailed assessment of the United States. foreign policy in the middle east over the past four decades, connecting episodes as varied as the 1983 beirut bombing, the 1993 mogadishu shooting, the 2003 invasion of iraq, and the rise of isis in the current decade. Seeing these seemingly unconnected events as parts of a single war, Bacevich explains how misjudgments by political and military leaders have contributed to an ongoing conflict with no end in sight.
14. Ian W. Toll. 2008. Six Frigates: The Epic Story of the Founding of the United States. uu. navy. ww norton & company.
592 pages
Dive into this extremely well-written and researched story, which won the 2007 Samuel Eliot Morison Prize for Naval Literature. (click to tweet this)
Far from being a romantic tale, the vibrant details and flowing narrative will provide incredible insight and make you feel as if you are actually facing the harsh demands of the sea during some of our nation’s earliest battles. the included images of the surgical tools alone gave us respectful pause.
15. alex kershaw 2013. the liberator. crown.
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448 pages
This dramatic true story follows us. Army officer Felix Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment during World War II. Over the course of 500 days, his odyssey takes them from the invasion of Italy to the gates of Dachau. (click to tweet this)
Unusual for the typical war drama, this book was recently adapted and released as an original adult animated series on Netflix.
16. jim fredrick. 2011. black hearts. crown.
464 pages
This bestseller detailing the costs of toxic leadership has been on west point reading lists since its publication, and for good reason.
time columnist frederick describes the deployment of a group of soldiers from the legendary 502nd infantry regiment of the 101st airborne division to iraq’s so-called triangle of death in late 2005. (click to tweet this )
Facing daily attacks and a breakdown in leadership and morale, the unit, known as the black heart brigade, turns to substance abuse and brutality, culminating in one of the us. uu. the worst crimes of the armed forces during that war. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews with 1st Platoon soldiers, this riveting tale doesn’t mince words and serves as a warning about the dangers of warfare in the 21st century.
17. james mattis and bing west. 2021. call sign chaos: learning to lead. random house.
320 pages
here’s one for all you mad dog fans out there. These memoirs of a life of war and lifelong learning follow Mattis as he rises from Marine recruit to four-star general. In three parts: direct leadership, executive leadership, and strategic leadership, Mattis’s direct writing style explains why America. he must return to a strategic position so as not to continue winning battles while waging inconclusive wars. you won’t have your hands in your pockets because you won’t be able to put this book down.
18. Nathaniel C. shit 2006. a bullet away. seafaring books.
400 pages
“if the marines are ‘the few, the proud,’ the reconnaissance marines are the least and the most proud.” (click to tweet this)
written by a former captain in the 1st marine reconnaissance battalion that fought in afghanistan and iraq, this book describes grueling quantum training, details how he endured interrogation and torture, and explains his views on the differences between military ideals and military practice.
For his uncompromising account of the 21st century battle, Fick received the William E. colby military writers award in 2006. (click to tweet this)
19. sun tzu 2019. the art of war. ixia press.
96 pages
You didn’t think we’d write about the best war nonfiction and leave this one out, did you? Because if a book on this list has stood the test of time, it’s this one. dated to about the 5th century BC. C., this ancient Chinese military treatise weaves strategy with philosophy in such a way that leaders throughout the centuries have applied its lessons on how to outwit the enemy in warfare, business, sports, and many other competitive fields.
Summarized from the text, the statement “know yourself and your enemy, and in a hundred battles you will never be in danger” resonates both with us today and with unknown multitudes of readers throughout history. (click to tweet this)
conclusion
These best non-fiction war and history books are bound to take the reader through an emotional range. Keep some tissues handy while these tales move you, but you can also grab a drink to toast the wordsmiths who teach us through these harrowing lessons.
Be sure to tell us which military non-fiction books stand out in your memory. And if you’re not in the mood to read but are still looking for military fun, check out our list of the 21 best military movies to binge-watch right now.
The appearance of us department of defense (dod) visual information does not imply or constitute dod endorsement.
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