10 Historical Fiction Books that ARE NOT Set in WWII
One of my most memorable days as a librarian was the day a few teenagers came to my desk. They were all in the same English class and needed to read a historical fiction book for the term. I pulled out my few go-to books, only to be met with a (rather dramatic and hardly appropriate for the library) wail from one of the boys.
“Oh. My. GOSH. Is WWII the only thing that happened in history?! I don’t want to read about that anymore!!”
Ummmm… okay. Someone must have joined theater this year.
But then I spent two hours trying to find something that was interesting, age appropriate, and not set in WWII.
I found one book.
I was vexed. And two of those teenagers went home with nothing for their assignment so they probably failed that class.
But now I’ve made you a list of 10 books that I both loved while reading and also sparked my interest into deeper research. We’re saved!
1. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
I’ve read books that mentioned the prevalence of prostitutes in history, especially how some of them didn’t have any other options available to them to survive. But you know what I never thought about? Some of those prostitutes probably had children. And as one of those children, how do you leave the only life you’ve ever known, especially when people bar you for things you couldn’t control?
Out of the Easy follows high school senior Josie, living in the French Quarter of New Orleans, 1950. The daughter of an aging prostitute, she lives in the brothel, but her biggest dream is to leave the Big Easy and go to college. But college takes money, reputation, and recommendations from influential people. And then Josie is tied to a crime she didn’t have any part in, and suddenly she’s spending every moment of her life dodging the life that seems insistent on keeping her hostage.
Out of the Easy will make you appreciate your privilege of choice and reputation. So many of the men and women in this story will appear pitiful and then shock you at the end by how resilient and inspiring their behind-doors lives were led. Because the conflict does involve the culture of prostitution —an incredibly important demographic we should not forget about— I would advise parents to read the book before giving it to their children. Maturity is needed to read some of the harder realities in this book.
But there are beautiful love stories between many of the characters, and the ending is more than satisfying if you are a lover of realistic happily-ever-after endings.
2. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
What can I say? Ruta Sepetys is the queen of historical fiction. And this novel takes us into Communist Romania.
One of my best friends grew up in Romania at exactly this time. I read I Must Betray You to understand her perspective. And my eyes will never see the same.
Before this book, “communism” only made me think of Germany, maybe China or Russia, but definitely not Romania. To be honest, I didn’t even know where Romania was before this book. Even more shocking was realizing that this history was barely 30 years behind me.
This book follows Cristian Florescu, age 17, growing up in 1989 Communist Romania. There are many laws to keep everyone inline, and the strongest detterent for breaking the law is fear. Cristian’s parents believe it’s safer to follow the government, but Cristian’s grandfather is outspoken, and the strained relationships between the adults only heightens the terror. Are the secret police listening to their conversations through microphones hidden in their apartment? Are their neighbors informing on them? Are the teachers and students at school?
I Must Betray You captures the paranoia and uncertainty that prevailed in Romania, but it also reminds that teenagers are much more than society’s stereotypes label them. They change the world, and they often make it better.
3. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Did you just gag? Well, swallow it, because a book that is typically assigned for AP English can still be enjoyable!
A Tale of Two Cities, while not written in modern English, is still easier to understand than Jane Austen (though I adore her). Set during the French Revolution, an atypical love triangle opens the story. Even more strange, our two contenders for Lucie Manette’s affections—Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay—bear an uncanny resemblance to each other. This doesn’t seem to be a problem until both men become involved in the French Revolution; is Charles the real target of these war crimes, or should it be Sydney?
Spying, treason, and a tangled mystery that started decades before the Revolution even began will pull you to the very end. Who is the real villain of this story? Who really demonstrates true love?
You probably already know the answers, but it’s been a while since high school English. Have fun refreshing your memory!
4. The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay
The Cold War—closely connected to WWII—but rarely focused on after its explosive predecessor.
The story starts right before the Berlin Wall goes up, at least the first version of the wall. Haris Voekler went to bed one night believing in his government, and the next morning awoke to a barbed-wire division between East and West Germany. Even worse, his in-laws in West Germany can now see, but not hold, their daughter in East Germany. But his wife’s grief is not just about her parents…
Luisa Voekler works for the CIA as a decoder in the late 1980s. She can’t tell her family who she works for, and then she finds another secret she must hold back from her family and her boss. A collection of letters from behind the Iron Curtain have made their way into her hands, and if she isn’t mistaken, they’re actually coded messages.
The Berlin Letters gives you an intimate glimpse into the years before and during the Cold War and how much a parent’s love can overcome.
5. The Scarlet Pimpernel
Let’s go back to the French Revolution, shall we? I thought this was a fairly well-known book, but when I got to college, I was shocked to discover that my English professor had never read it. If you want to debate the origin of the masked hero, look no further. I did my whole final paper on this topic. I will win.
Any way.
If you’ve seen the movie adaptations of The Scarlet Pimpernel, you will be familiar with the foppish Sir Percy Blakeney. Hopelessly in love with French actress Marguerite St. Just, Sir Percy is gutted when he discovers that his new wife was a key part in the demise of a Marquis’ family he was trying to protect. Unknown to all but 20 English aristocrats, Sir Percy is actually the talk of the town—the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel who sneaks into France and extracts the French aristocrats destined for Madame Guillotine.
Unlike the movie adaptations, the ending is different and not okay in how certain cultures are represented. The plan had good intentions, but it was published in 1905, so public opinions have drastically changed.
6. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
I’m pretty darn sure that my history classes never covered the yellow fever epidemic that tore through Philadelphia in 1793. Thankfully, I stumbled upon this gem while perusing through the young adult section of my library.
Mattie Cook, a young teenager, has to leave the only world she’s ever known and escape the city with her grandfather before the dreaded yellow fever catches them. Leaving behind her already stricken mother, she’s terrified to discover that the fever isn’t just contained to Philadelphia and people are turning desperate.
You’ll feel the heat wave like Mattie, but hopefully not the fever. Laurie Anderson is an incredible author and her writing will never fail to put you into Mattie's head.
7. The Work and the Glory Series by Gerald N. Lund
Taking a turn into religious history, The Work and the Glory chronicles the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as Mormon or LDS).
The fictional Steed family has just moved to the community of Palmyra, New York, where they hire two hard-working brothers, the very real Hyrum and Joseph Smith. But befriending the Smith brothers comes with consequences in this town. People are whispering about Joseph’s bold claims that he saw an angel and his claim that God is still speaking to man. Later there are rumors about a gold bible that Joseph claims to be translating, and a slew of attacks on his family muddy the waters even more.
Parents Benjamin and Mary Anne Steed struggle to see the solution to these rumors. Joshua Steed, the oldest son, thinks these claims are ludicrous and joins the mobs harassing the Smith family. Nathan Steed, the second son, finds himself being drawn to this hated new religion… and Joshua’s sweetheart, Lydia McBride.
Tempers run high in the wake of America’s Great Awakening, but Joseph Smith Jr. refuses to back down. Follow the Steed family through nine books as the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ makes its way across America.
8. Esther the Queen by Heather B. Moore
For those who want to delve even further back into history, Esther the Queen blends fact and fiction beautifully. The biblical story of Esther is enhanced by a third-person narrator, beginning a few years before King Xerxes calls all the eligible women to his palace.
Esther’s internal battle of staying true to her God while falling in love with the King of the Persian Empire grows more complicated as the historical aspects come into play. What was required of the women preparing to meet the King? Did Esther expect any kind of relationship with the King? And how do you function every day when you know your status didn't protect the last queen?
While I think this book was much kinder to King Xerxes character than he probably was in real life, I loved how their courtship and marriage were portrayed. A Cinderella story with God on her side? Much better than a fairy godmother.
9. Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen
1901.
No major historical landmark comes to mind, but you might recognize a few significant events: J.P. Morgan made the first billion-dollar business through steel; President McKinley was assassinated and Theodore Roosevelt would replace him; New York became the first state to require license plates on automobiles (I’m sure you remember that tidbit from history class); and, more related to our story, the Tenement Act was put in place in an effort to improve living conditions for the many immigrants entering the United States.
Molly Murphy, a spirited Irish woman, has killed someone. It was self-defense, but she’s also a woman, so she’s guilty. To escape certain imprisonment, she boards a boat bound for American shores, only to tangle with yet another man intent on pushing her around as the Statue of Liberty comes into view.
Upon disembarking, she bumps into handsome police captain Daniel Sullivan. While he might think her charming, he doesn’t agree with her decision to work with P.I. Paddy Riley in the seedier parts of the city. And he really doesn’t agree with her when she is accused of murdering the man she fought with on the boat ride over.
Molly Murphy has 21 books in the series, so don’t worry about running out of things to read. Happy sleuthing.
10. It Happened at the Fair: A Novel
A few years before Molly Murphy hit the scene, Della Wentworth took the world stage.
1893 puts us in Chicago at the World’s Fair. Maybe the world didn’t have as much technology as we do now, but the technology they did have was certainly loud. Among the many displays at the Chicago World’s Fair, the Machinery Hall is where leading man Cullen McNamara would love to display his invention. But all the noise from the machines makes communication with potential investors impossible. Or is his hearing failing after being around machinery all day?
Della Wentworth teaches deaf students how to read lips, and Cullen thinks she’s perfect— I mean, the perfect solution to his communication problems. His lip reading seems to be different than her lip reading, though.
It Happened at the Fair will take you through not just the exciting turn of the century, but also the overlooked deaf community and the schools that were in place. As someone who studied ASL for years, this book was a lot of fun.
Alright. There. 10 books to make you smart and cultured about events outside of WWII. Don’t let your head get too big.
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