From the Trojan War to World War II to the Iraq War, history has been shaped by humanity's tragic capacity to wage war. In this thematic collection, we have gathered fiction and nonfiction texts that investigate both the lessons and the senselessness crystallized in the aftermath of military conflict.
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Society: Class, Society: Nation
Tags Historical Fiction, Latin American Literature, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Romance, Fantasy, New Adult, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2024
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Teams, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags Politics / Government, History: World, Military / War
Publication year 1905
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Nation
Tags Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature, Education, Education, Military / War, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government
Publication year 1977
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Society: War
Tags Military / War, Education, Education, History: World, Historical Fiction, Canadian Literature, WWI / World War I, Classic Fiction
The Wars by Timothy Findley is a 1977 novel about Robert Ross, a young Canadian officer who enlists in the military and fights in the First World War. The novel uses first, second, and third person narrative points of view. By switching between the different perspectives, the novel gives the reader the sense that they are a historian searching through archives, looking at photographs, and interviewing people from Robert’s life. The book is an example... Read The Wars Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags American Civil War, History: World, History: U.S., Military / War, Politics / Government
Publication year 2005
Genre Poem, Nonfiction
Themes Society: War
Tags Lyric Poem, Military / War, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, History: World, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: War, Self Discovery
Tags British Literature, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Society: War, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, History: U.S., Vietnam War, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, History: World, Humor
Gary Schmidt’s middle grade novel, The Wednesday Wars, follows seventh grader Holling Hoodhood as he navigates the difficulties of junior high in the late 1960s. Published in 2007, Schmidt’s novel blends historical fiction with a coming-of-age theme, and was given the Newbery Medal in 2008. Other works by Schmidt include Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (2004), Okay for Now (2011), and The Labors of Hercules Beal (2023).This guide refers to the Clarion Books 2009... Read The Wednesday Wars Summary
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Military / War, WWII / World War II, British Literature, History: World
Publication year 1995
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mythology, Action / Adventure, Military / War, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World
The Winter King is a 1995 novel by Bernard Cornwell. It is the first volume of the Warlord Chronicles series, a reimagining of the legend of King Arthur stripped of magic and romance and instead steeped in the grim realities of Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire. It was followed up by Enemy of God (1996) and Excalibur (1997). By the time Cornwell published The Winter King, he had established his reputation as... Read The Winter King Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Military / War, History: World, Romance
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War
Tags Historical Fiction, Military / War, WWI / World War I, WWII / World War II, History: World, French Literature
Publication year 1942
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Society: War, Society: Nation, Life/Time: The Past
Tags WWI / World War I, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World, Biography
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Society: War, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, Vietnam War, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Tags Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction
Told as a retrospective narrative after the narrator, Bart (John Bartle’s), part in the Iraq war is over, The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers, published in 2012 and Finalist for the National Book Award, begins with Bart and the rest of his platoon holding a position atop a building outside of a town called Al Tafar, Iraq, the locale at the novel’s center. Over the course of the novel, subsequent chapters will move backward and... Read The Yellow Birds Summary
Publication year 2005
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Immigration, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Education, Education, Military / War, History: World, Biography
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Siblings, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World
Publication year 2007
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Society: War, Natural World: Animals
Tags WWII / World War II, Holocaust, History: European, Animals, Military / War, History: World, Biography
The Zookeeper’s Wife, by Diane AckermanThe Zookeeper’s Wife is a non-fiction narrative recounting the heroic efforts of Antonina Żabińska and her husband, Jan Żabiński, during World War II. When soldiers of the Third Reich invade Poland on September 1, 1939, Jan is the ambitious director of the Warsaw Zoo. Antonina is an amazingly gifted woman who connects emotionally with all the animals in the zoo and the multitudes of human visitors and officials drawn to... Read The Zookeeper's Wife Summary