We Go Together: Historical Fiction and Nonfiction Pairings
Explore historical events through the lens of both factual accounts and creative storytelling!
April 26, 2024
This book list offers a unique journey through history by pairing each historical fiction novel with a similar work of non-fiction. Each pairing has been selected to complement one another, allowing you to explore historical events through the lens of both factual accounts and creative storytelling.
The Forest Of Vanishing Stars + Defiance
The Forest Of Vanishing Stars
Kristin Harmel
An evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis–until a secret from her past threatens everything.
Defiance
Nechama Tec
Chronicles the activities of a group of Jewish partisans in Belorussia during World War II, who were responsible for the largest armed rescue of Jews by Jews.
I, Eliza Hamilton + Eliza Hamilton
I, Eliza Hamilton
Susan Holloway Scott
In this beautifully written novel of historical fiction, bestselling author Susan Holloway Scott tells the story of Alexander Hamilton’s wife, Eliza–a fascinating strong-willed heroine in her own right and a key figure in one of the most gripping periods in American history.
Eliza Hamilton
The Extraordinary Life And Times Of The Wife Of Alexander Hamilton
Tilar J Mazzeo
From the New York Times best-selling author of Irena’s Children comes a comprehensive and riveting biography of the extraordinary life and times of Eliza Hamilton, the wife of founding father Alexander Hamilton, and a powerful, unsung hero in America’s early days.
America’s First Daughter + Jefferson’s Daughters
America’s First Daughter
Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie
A carefully researched tale based on thousands of original sources imagines the experiences of third American President’s daughter Patsy, who while accompanying her father to Paris struggles with his past affair with a slave and falls in love with his protégé against a backdrop of a growing revolution.
Jefferson’s Daughters
Three Sisters, White And Black, In A Young America
Catherine Kerrison
A portrait of the divergent lives of Thomas Jefferson’s three daughters reveals how his white daughters struggled with the realities of lives they were ill-prepared to manage, while the daughter he fathered with a slave did not achieve freedom until adulthood.
The Nickel Boys + The Boys Of The Dark
The Nickel Boys
Colson Whitehead
Follows the harrowing experiences of two African-American teens at an abusive reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.
The Boys Of The Dark
A Story Of Betrayal And Redemption In The Deep South
Robin Gaby Fisher
Documents the horrifying practices witnessed by the authors at their 1950s reform school, where students were terrorized by sadistic guards who assaulted, raped and possibly murdered students, in an account that also traces the authors’ determined efforts to expose and confront their abusers.
Enchantress Of Numbers + Broad Band
Enchantress Of Numbers
A Novel Of Ada Lovelace
Jennifer Chiaverini
Educated in math and science by her mother, the only legitimate child of Lord Byron is introduced into London society before forging a bond with Charles Babbage and using her talents to become the world’s first computer programmer.
Broad Band
The Untold Story Of The Women Who Made The Internet
Claire Evans
The YACHT lead singer and VICE reporter celebrates the lesser-known contributions of women to the history of technology, sharing brief profiles of such boundary-breaking innovators as Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, Elizabeth “Jake” Feinler and Stacy Horn.
See What I Have Done + The Trial Of Lizzie Borden
See What I Have Done
Sarah Schmidt
A reimagining of the infamous Lizzie Borden murder case profiles a volatile and loveless Borden home where the events surrounding the shocking murders of the parents are presented from the viewpoints of Lizzie, her elder sister, their housemaid and an enigmatic stranger.
The Trial Of Lizzie Borden
A True Story
Cara Robertson
Drawing on twenty years of research and recently discovered evidence, an account of the infamous Lizzie Borden trial explores professional and public opinions while considering how Gilded Age values and fears influenced the case.
The Chanel Sisters + Coco Chanel
The Chanel Sisters
Judithe Little
Raised by pious nuns, Antoinette, the younger sister of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, escapes to Paris, where her shared effort to launch a fashion brand is challenged by discriminating conventions and the horrors of World War I.
Coco Chanel
An Intimate Life
Lisa Chaney
Documents the controversial story of the iconic 20th-century designer, chronicling previously unexplored aspects of her private life as drawn from newly discovered letters and other records to offer insight into such topics as her drug habit, her lesbian affairs and allegations about her relationship with a Nazi spy.
The Four Winds + The Worst Hard Time
The Four Winds
Kristin Hannah
A Depression-era woman confronts a wrenching choice between fighting for the Dust Bowl-ravaged land she loves in Texas or pursuing an uncertain future in California.
The Worst Hard Time
The Untold Story Of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl
Timothy Egan
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist brings together an oral history of the American Dust Bowl that devastated the Great Plains during the Great Depression, following several families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region and their desperate struggle to persevere despite the devastation.
The Tattooist Of Auschwitz + Auschwitz: A New History
The Tattooist Of Auschwitz
Heather Morris
An international best-seller based on the true story of an Auschwitz-Birkenau survivor traces the experiences of a Jewish Slovakian who uses his position as a concentration-camp tattooist to secure food for his fellow prisoners.
Auschwitz: A New History
Laurence Rees
Insights gleaned from more than one hundred original interviews shed new light on history’s most famous death camp, with the testimonies of survivors providing a detailed and chilling portrait of the camp’s inner workings, in a companion volume to the PBS documentary.
Lilac Girls + The Nine
Lilac Girls
Martha Hall Kelly
The lives of three women converge at the Ravensbrück concentration camp as Caroline Ferriday resolves to help from her post at the French consulate, Kasia Kuzmerick becomes a courier in the Polish resistance, and Herta Oberheuser takes a German government medical position.
The Nine
The True Story Of A Band Of Women Who Survived The Worst Of Nazi Germany
Gwen Strauss
Presents the previously untold World War II story of nine female resistance fighters who banded together to survive the camps and ultimately escaped from a final death march across war-torn Germany.
Beheld + Mayflower
Beheld
Tarashea Nesbit
The best-selling author of The Wives of Los Alamos retraces the story of the Pilgrims from the perspectives of the rebel Billington family, whose disputes with Puritan neighbors under the influence of a newcomer escalate into Plymouth’s first murder.
Mayflower
A Story Of Courage, Community, And War
Nathaniel Philbrick
A history of the Pilgrim settlement of New England challenges popular misconceptions, discussing such topics as the diseases of European origin suffered by the Wampanoag tribe, the fragile working relationship between the Pilgrims and their Native American neighbors, and the devastating impact of the King Philip’s War.
The Girls With No Names + Bringing Down The Colonel
The Girls With No Names
Serena Burdick
After her father commits her older sister to a New York “House of Mercy,” Effie Tilden hatches a plan to free her, but soon finds that privilege and wealth are no protection.
Bringing Down The Colonel
A Sex Scandal Of The Gilded Age, And The “Powerless” Woman Who Took On Washington
Patricia Miller
Bringing down the Colonel : a sex scandal of the Gilded Age, and the “powerless” woman who took on Washington / Patricia Miller.
A Fall Of Marigolds + Triangle
A Fall Of Marigolds
Susan Meissner
Two women living one hundred years apart who experience similar tragic losses of love–Clara’s in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, and Taryn’s in the collapse of the Twin Towers–are connected through time by a scarf.
Triangle
The Fire That Changed America
David Von Drehle
Describes the devastating 1911 fire that destroyed the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York’s Greenwich Village, the deaths of 146 workers in the fire, the Jewish and Italian immigrants, mostly women, who made up the majority of the victims, and the implications of the catastrophe on twentieth-century politics and labor relations.
The Children’s Blizzard + The Children’s Blizzard
The Children’s Blizzard
Melanie Benjamin
Draws on oral histories of the Great Plains blizzard of 1888 to depict the experiences of two teachers, a servant, and a reporter who risk everything to protect the children of immigrant homesteaders.
The Children’s Blizzard
David Laskin
Describes the deadly 1888 snowstorm in the Great Plains that killed more than five hundred people including numerous schoolchildren, discussing how the storm devastated immigrant families and dramatically affected pioneer advancement.
The Invention Of Wings + Civil War Wives
The Invention Of Wings
Sue Monk Kidd
Traces more than three decades in the lives of a wealthy Charleston debutante who longs to break free from the strictures of her household and pursue a meaningful life; and the urban slave, Handful, who is placed in her charge as a child before finding courage and a sense of self.
Civil War Wives
The Lives And Times Of Angelina Grimké Weld, Varina Howell Davis, And Julia Dent Grant
Carol Berkin
In the life stories of three “accidental heroes”–women whose marriages provided them with position and perspective they would not otherwise have had–one of the nation’s premier historians offers a unique understanding of the tumultuous social and political landscape of their time.
Hamnet + Will In The World
Hamnet
A Novel Of The Plague
Maggie O’Farrell
The award-winning author of I Am, I Am, I Am presents the evocative story of a young Shakespeare’s marriage to a talented herbalist before the ravaging death of their 11-year-old son shapes the production of his greatest play.
Will In The World
How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
Stephen Greenblatt
A young man from a small provincial town moves to London in the late 1580s and, in a remarkably short time, becomes the greatest playwright not of his age alone but of all time. How is an achievement of this magnitude to be explained? Stephen Greenblattbrings us down to earth to see, hear, and feel how an acutely sensitive and talented boy, surrounded by the rich tapestry of Elizabethan life, could have become the world’s greatest playwright.
Victoria + Victoria The Queen
Victoria
Daisy Goodwin
Drawing on Victoria’s own diaries, which she first started reading when she was a student at Cambridge University, Daisy Goodwin brings us the brilliantly imagined life of a young woman about to make her mark on her nation–and the world.
Victoria The Queen
An Intimate Biography Of The Woman Who Ruled An Empire
Julia Baird
An account of the life of the longtime English monarch offers insight into the passionate and sensuous aspects of her character, placing her reign against a backdrop of dynamic world events while sharing insights into her relationship with Albert and her pivotal role in building the British empire.
The Last Kingdom + The Vikings
The Last Kingdom
Bernard Cornwell
Captured and raised by Danes in the ninth century, dispossessed nobleman Uhtred witnesses the unexpected defeat of his adoptive Viking clan by Alfred of Wessex and longs to recover his father’s land.
The Vikings
A History
Robert Ferguson
Presents a history of the Nordic warriors and explorers who plundered and traded their way across Europe, and discusses how their conquests helped spread and enhance accomplishments in the arts, culture, and government.
I Was Anastasia + The Romanov Sisters
I Was Anastasia
Ariel Lawhon
In this historical suspense, Ariel Lawhon unravels the extraordinary twists and turns in Anna Anderson’s 50-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov. Is she the Russian Grand Duchess, a beloved daughter and revered icon, or is she an imposter, the thief of another woman’s legacy?
The Romanov Sisters
The Lost Lives Of The Daughters Of Nicholas And Alexandra
Helen Rappaport
Draws on personal writings and private sources to challenge common misperceptions and illuminate the daily lives and vibrant personalities of the four Russian Grand Duchesses from their own perspectives, revealing their awareness of family turmoil and the approach of the Russian Revolution.
The Book Of Lost Friends + Slavery By Another Name
The Book Of Lost Friends
Lisa Wingate
A modern-day teacher discovers the story of three Reconstruction-era women and how it connects to her own students’ lives in this latest from the New York Times best-selling author of Before We Were Yours.
Slavery By Another Name
The Re-Enslavement Of Black Americans From The Civil War To World War Ii
Douglas A Blackmon
Bringing to light a shameful chapter in American history, a shocking study reveals how, from the late 1870s through the mid-twentieth century, thousands of African-American men were arrested and forced to work off the outrageous fines by serving as unpaid labor to small-town businesses, provincial farmers, and even large corporations.
The Spymistress + Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy
The Spymistress
Jennifer Chiaverini
Pledging her loyalty to the North at the risk of her life when her native Virginia secedes, Quaker-educated aristocrat Elizabeth Van Lew uses her innate skills for gathering military intelligence to help construct the Richmond underground and orchestrate escapes from the infamous Confederate Libby Prison.
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy
Four Women Undercover In The Civil War
Karen Abbott
The never-before-told story of four real-life women who risked everything to take on a life of espionage during the Civil War.
The Mystery Of Mrs Christie + The Christie Affair
The Mystery Of Mrs Christie
Marie Benedict
Claiming amnesia after going missing for more than a week in late 1926, up-and-coming mystery author Agatha Christie pens a chilling story that brashly implicates her war-hero husband.
The Christie Affair
Nina De Gramont
Brilliantly reimagining the unexpected 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie that captivated the world, this novel is told from the point of Miss Nan O’Dea, who infiltrated the Christies’ wealthy, rarified world to destroy their marriage.
The Aviator’s Wife + Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The Aviator’s Wife
Melanie Benjamin
Despite her own major achievements–she becomes the first licensed female glider pilot in the United States–Anne Morrow Lindbergh is viewed merely as Charles Lindbergh’s wife. The fairy-tale life she once longed for will bring heartbreak and hardships, ultimately pushing her to reconcile her need for love and her desire for independence, and to embrace, at last, life’s infinite possibilities for change and happiness.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Her Life
Susan Hertog
Drawing on more than five years of interviews and access to personal family papers and correspondence, this fascinating biography offers a stunning portrait of a world-famous couple and their marriage, the tragic kidnapping and murder of their infant son, and Lindbergh’s links to the German Reich.
Before We Were Yours + Before And After
Before We Were Yours
Lisa Wingate
A tale inspired by firsthand accounts about the notoriously corrupt Tennessee Children’s Home Society follows the efforts of a Baltimore assistant D.A. to uncover her parents’ fateful secrets in the wake of a political attack and a chance encounter with a stranger.
Before And After
The Incredible Real-Life Stories Of Orphans Who Survived The Tennessee Children’s Home Society
Judy Christie, Lisa Wingate
The best-selling author of Before We Were Yours and an award-winning journalist document the true stories of the victims of a notorious adoption scandal who discovered that they were kidnapped as infants before eventually reuniting with their birth families.
Rise To Rebellion + 1776
Rise To Rebellion
Jeff Shaara
The 1770 killing of civilians by British troops during the Boston Massacre and the tumultuous trial that follows ignites the flames of revolution that will culminate in America’s epic struggle for independence, in a richly textured historical novel that interweaves real-life events with stunning portraits of Ben Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, and other colonial leaders.
1776
David Mccullough
Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known. But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost — Washington, who had never before led an army in battle.
Beloved + The War Before The War
Beloved
Toni Morrison
Sethe, an escaped slave living in post-Civil War Ohio with her daughter and mother-in-law, is persistantly haunted by the ghost of her dead baby girl.
The War Before The War
Fugitive Slaves And The Struggle For America’s Soul From The Revolution To The Civil War
Andrew Delbanco
Explains how fugitive slaves escaping from the South to the northern states awakened northerners to the true nature of slavery and how the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act divided the nation and set it on the path to civil war.
The Tubman Command + She Came To Slay
The Tubman Command
Elizabeth Cobbs
Harriet Tubman was a scout for the union army and led a successful raid up the Combahee River in South Carolina that freed 750 men, women, and children. This is the historical novel of her heroic raid.
She Came To Slay
The Life And Times Of Harriet Tubman
Erica Armstrong Dunbar
Explores the complexities and achievements of iconic abolitionist Harriet Tubman, combining rare commentary with new and public-domain photographs to offering modern insights into Tubman’s role in the Civil War, suffrage and emancipation.
American Wife + First Women
American Wife
Curtis Sittenfeld
When her husband is elected president of the United States, Alice Blackwell finds her new life as first lady increasingly tumultuous as she recalls her early life, her courtship and marriage, and the crisis that nearly destroyed their relationship and reflects on the privileges and difficulties of her position as her private beliefs conflict with her public responsibilities.
First Women
The Grace And Power Of America’s Modern First Ladies
Kate Andersen Brower
Presents an intimate examination of the true influence of White House First Ladies from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama, which draws on previously untapped and candid sources to document their stories.
The Editor + Jackie
The Editor
Steven Rowley
A struggling writer in 1990s New York City gets his big break from none other than Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. By the author of Lily and the Octopus.
Jackie
Public, Private, Secret
J Randy Taraborrelli
Based on hundreds of new interviews, this often startling look at the life of the legendary former first lady explores the flaws and contradictions that only served to make her even more iconic.
Great Circle + Come Fly The World
Great Circle
Maggie Shipstead
A century after daredevil female aviator Marian Graves’s disappearance in Antarctica, actress Hadley Baxter is cast to play her and immerses herself in the role as their fates — and their dreams — become intertwined.
Come Fly The World
The Jet-Age Story Of The Women Of Pan Am
Julia Cooke
A lively, unexpected portrait of the jet-age stewardesses serving on iconic Pan Am airways between 1966 and 1975.
Glory Over Everything + Master Slave Husband Wife
Glory Over Everything
Beyond The Kitchen House
Kathleen Grissom
Continues the experiences of Jamie, who in 1830 after escaping slavery passes himself off as a wealthy white silversmith, only to risk everything to save a beloved servant who has been captured and sold in the South.
Master Slave Husband Wife
An Epic Journey From Slavery To Freedom
Ilyon Woo
Presents the remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled white man and William posing as “his” slave.