In my review of Assassin’s Apprentice I mentioned I’d mainly read historical fiction prior to being introduced to Science Fiction. If you want to be introduced to the genre, you could do no better than to read Leon Uris.
Want to know what happens when a narcissistic but hypnotic leader entrances a nation? Try QB VII (set in a courtroom, Queens Bench 7, where a libel suit is used as a vehicle to show the horrors of the concentration camps) or Mila 18 (an address in the WWII Warsaw Jewish ghetto). Want to learn how Israel started, from a Jewish view – read Exodus. From the Arab view, try the Haj. His book, Trinity, poignantly explained the North Ireland mess and is one of 5 or so books I’ve read twice.
But the book I enjoyed the most was his quasi auto-biographical tale “Battle Cry” –drawn from his experiences as a Marine in World War II (Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and New Zealand).
I read the books from age 13 on or so. And I still have them. Brian has noticed them them in our library and I think he’s ready to read them.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Historical fiction can be better at revealing truths of history because it processes the past through the minds of imagined observers with human emotions. Whether it does more for you than academic or popular history depends on your attitudes. Each branch of history has its defenders. Historical fact, after all, is merely necessary, not sufficient, to explain what happened, why it happened, and what its implications are for future people almost certain to be faced with the same dilemmas. Names and dates are optional; the nature of the dilemma is what we want to understand.
I hope you have a good library for your children, and a healthy attitude to convey on the interpretation of history.
May 20th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
If by healthy you mean focusing on Thomas Jefferson diddling the help and not te Decl of Independence, then I’m pretty unhealthy.