List of 65 Books Based on World War II
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For every order ProofreadingServices.com processes, we donate one book to a homeless shelter. If you'd like to support our social mission, you can order proofreading, translation, or resume writing.
Want some books whose story takes place in a specific setting? Here's a handy list of books based on WW2. You'll be sure to find the reading material you need here.
Title | Author | Publishing Year | Genre |
Alan Turing: The Enigma | Andrew Hodges | 1983 | Biography |
All the Light We Cannot See | Anthony Doerr | 2014 | Novel, Historical Fiction |
An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 | Rick Atkinson | 2002 | Nonfiction |
Band of Brothers | Stephen E. Ambrose | 1992 | Nonfiction |
Beneath a Scarlet Sky | Mark Sullivan | 2017 | Historical Fiction, War story, Spy fiction, Biographical Fiction |
Between Shades of Gray | Ruta Sepetys | 2011 | Historical Fiction, historical novel |
Black Dove White Raven | Elizabeth Wein | 2015 | Fiction |
Born Survivors | Wendy Holden | 2015 | Biography |
Catch-22 | Joseph Heller | 1961 | Novel, Satire, Historical Fiction, War story, Dark comedy, Humorous Fiction, Absurdist fiction |
City of Thieves | David Benioff | 2008 | Novel, Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction |
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II | Liza Mundy | 2017 | Biography |
Code Name Verity | Elizabeth Wein | 2012 | Novel, Young adult fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Spy fiction |
Corelli's Mandolin | Louis de Bernières | 1994 | Novel, Romance novel, Historical Fiction |
Dust of Eden | Mariko Nagai | 2014 | Historical Fiction |
Empire of the Sun | J.G. Ballard | 1984 | Novel, Autobiographical novel, War story, Fictional Autobiography |
Everyone Brave Is Forgiven | Chris Cleave | 2016 | Historical Fiction, Romance novel |
Flags of Our Fathers | James Bradley, Ron Powers | 2000 | Biography, War story |
Flyboys: A True Story of Courage | James Bradley | 2003 | Biography |
Flygirl | Sherri L. Smith | 2008 | Novel, Young adult fiction, Historical Fiction |
Front Lines | Michael Grant | 2016 | Young adult fiction, Novel, Alternate history, War story |
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission | Hampton Sides | 2001 | History, Nonfiction, World War II |
Girl in the Blue Coat | Monica Hesse | 2016 | Novel, Historical Fiction, Mystery |
Hiroshima | John Hersey | 1946 | Nonfiction |
Hitler: A Study in Tyranny | Alan Bullock | 1952 | Biography |
In My Enemy’s House | Carol Matas | 1999 | Fiction |
Irena's Children | Tilar J. Mazzeo | 2016 | Biography |
Mare’s War | Tanita S. Davis | 2009 | Fiction |
Maus | Art Spiegelman | 1980 | Comics, Graphic novel, Novel, Comic book, Biography |
The Monuments Men | Robert M. Edsel | 2009 | Biography, True crime |
Night | Elie Wiesel | 1956 | Novel, Memoir, Autobiography, Personal narrative, Non-fiction novel, Fictional Autobiography |
Number the Stars | Lois Lowry | 1989 | Novel, Children's literature, Historical Fiction |
Prisoner of Night and Fog | Anne Blankman | 2014 | Historical Fiction |
Rose Under Fire | Elizabeth Wein | 2013 | Novel, Young adult fiction, Historical Fiction |
Salt to the Sea | Ruta Sepetys | 2016 | Novel, Young adult fiction, Historical Fiction |
Sarah's Key | Tatiana de Rosnay | 2006 | Novel, Historical Fiction |
Slaughterhouse-Five | Kurt Vonnegut | 1969 | Novel, Science Fiction, Satire, Metafiction, War story, Historical Fiction, Dark comedy, Time Travel Fiction |
Sophie's Choice | William Styron | 1979 | Novel, Fiction, War story, Bildungsroman |
Stalingrad | Anthony Beevor | 1998 | Nonfiction |
Survival in Auschwitz | Primo Levi | 1947 | Memoir, Biography, Fictional Autobiography |
The Alice Network | Kate Quinn | 2017 | Novel, Historical Fiction, War story, Spy fiction |
The Book Thief | Markus Zusak | 2005 | Novel, Young adult fiction, Historical Fiction |
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas | John Boyne | 2006 | Novel, Children's literature, Historical Fiction, Fable, historical novel, Postmodern literature, Historical drama |
The Boy on the Wooden Box | Leon Leyson | 2013 | Biography |
The Diary of a Young Girl | Anne Frank | 1947 | Biography, Autobiography |
The English Patient | Michael Ondaatje | 1992 | Novel, Historical Fiction, War story, Historiographic metafiction |
"The Good War": An Oral History of World War II | Studs Terkel | 1984 | Biography |
The Machine Gunners | Robert Westall | 1975 | Children's literature, Novel, Historical Fiction, War story, historical novel |
The Narrow Road to the Deep North | Richard Flanagan | 2013 | Novel, Historical Fiction, War story |
The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust | Edith H. Beer | 1999 | Biography |
The Night Watch | Sarah Waters | 2006 | Novel, Historical Fiction, War story |
The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah | 2015 | Novel, Romance novel, Historical Fiction, War story |
The Paris Architect | Charles Belfoure | 2013 | Novel, Historical Fiction, Thriller |
The Pianist | Wladyslaw Szpilman | 1946 | Nonfiction, History, World War II, Holocaust, Biography |
The Plum Tree | Ellen Marie Wiseman | 2012 | Historical Fiction, Romance novel |
The Reader | Bernhard Schlink | 1995 | Novel, Romance novel, Psychological Fiction |
The Second World War | John Keegan | 1989 | History, Nonfiction, Military History, War |
The Silver Sword | Ian Serraillier | 1956 | Children's literature, Novel, Fiction |
The Winged Watchman | Hilda Van Stockum | 1962 | Fiction |
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption | Laura Hillenbrand | 2010 | Biography |
Wait for Me | Caroline Leech | 2017 | Young adult fiction, Historical Fiction |
Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall | Spike Milligan | 1971 | Humor, Biography, Nonfiction, History, War |
Warlight | Michael Ondaatje | 2018 | Novel, Historical Fiction, Coming-of-age story, War story |
What I Saw and How I Lied | Judy Blundell | 2008 | Historical Fiction, historical novel, Bildungsroman |
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa | E.B. Sledge | 1981 | Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, War story |
Wolf by Wolf | Ryan Graudin | 2015 | Novel, Science Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Alternate history |
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