List of 65 Books Based on World War II


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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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