7 Historical Fiction Books that Tell a Different Story

Hello everyone, and welcome back! Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!! I’m back with another recommendations post. I recently watched the Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk on the danger of a single story (which you should all go check out) and her message really stuck with me. And today happens to be the perfect day to dive right back into this discussion. 

In the United States, October 12 marks Columbus Day, an annual federal holiday that celebrates Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas on the same day in 1492. There has been a lot of conflict around the celebration of this holiday, especially when viewing it through the lens of the centuries of Native American suffering that Columbus instigated when he first arrived in the Western Hemisphere. The atrocities that he and his men committed against the initially welcoming natives are horrendous, disgusting, and simply terrible, considering how even today Indigenous peoples are discriminated against and downtrodden. And the worst thing is that so many people aren’t even aware of it.

It is incredibly important for us to realize that history is written by the victors (usually just the white, male victors), that there are thousands upon thousands of untold stories throughout history, and that we must make an effort to celebrate and honor every single one of those untold stories. So today, I’d like to highlight a few of those stories that authors have brought to light through their works of historical fiction that are on my TBR. I am very much aware that this list is very limited, so please don’t hesitate to drop any recommendations in the comments below. And if possible, please consider donating to the Native American Rights Fund to help protect the rights of Native American tribes, especially during these times of crisis.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

Louise Erdrich is one of the most popular Indigenous writers out there, and I simply can’t wait to get my hands on a copy once my hold at the library finally arrives. The Night Watchman is based on the life of the author’s grandfather, who was a leader in the fight against Native dispossession across the country during the mid-20th century. I found a quote from this book on Goodreads: “Lastly, if you should ever doubt that a series of dry words in a government document can shatter spirits and demolish lives, let this book erase that doubt. Conversely, if you should be of the conviction that we are powerless to change those dry words, let this book give you heart.” Honestly, that’s all I needed to know.

Check it out on Goodreads!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

This book has been recommended to me several times already, and I’m at a loss as to why I still haven’t picked it up yet. This novel is set in France, 1939, and tells the story of the seldom-explored aspect of World War II: the women’s war. The sister relationship described in the blurb already sounds amazing. Plus, you know that I’m always here for some feminist historical fiction.

Check it out on Goodreads!

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

Ahhhhhh I’m SO EXCITED to read this book. We Are Not Free is about a group of teenagers who, along with thousands of other Japanese American citizens, are forcibly relocated into concentration camps during World War II. It was recently longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and I’ve read so many raving reviews — including Prutha’s and Orianna’s on their respective blogs!! It sounds like absolute perfection and the story seems so important to read about, especially in this day and age!!

Check it out on Goodreads!

The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami

Do I have this book on my shelf? Yes. Does that blurb hook me in immediately? Yes. Have I read it? 

… no.

I discovered this book when I was learning about the Spanish conquistadors in school a few years back. I had just finished a project on Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, one of the New World explorers and one of the four survivors of the1527 Narváez expedition, along with a Spanish nobleman named Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, a young explorer named Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, and Dorantes’s Moroccan slave, Mustafa al-Zamori. These four men trekked across America in an eight year long journey, suffering countless perils along the way. When they finally reached civilization, the three white men’s accounts were written down once and forever preserved in history; Mustafa’s was not. The Moor’s Account is Lalami’s imagining of his account of the story.

Isn’t that the most fascinating HF premise ever?? Why have I not read this?! What am I even doing with my life?! 

Check it out on Goodreads!

Between Shades of Gray (Ashes in the Snow) by Ruta Sepetys

Honestly, any of Ruta Sepetys’s books could have made it onto this list, but I decided to go with one of her most beloved works. Between Shades of Gray is the story of Lina, a fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl, and her family when they are forced out of their home and exiled to Siberia by Soviet officers. I had absolutely no idea of the suffering that the people from the Baltic states went through during WWII, and it’s more devastating when you think about the fact that the few survivors were kept under constant surveillance even after the war in an attempt to silence their accounts of what they went through.

Check it out on Goodreads! You can find my review here.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

Disclaimer: This book is by no means fiction!! However, it does fit the prompt for this list if we take out that one word. Stamped was all over the bookish community a few months ago, and for good reason. For those of you who don’t know, Stamped is a remix of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning. It tells a comprehensive history of racism spanning hundreds of years and connects this history to the racism seen in America today. Jason Reynolds’s adaptation of the original text is perfect for young readers, and I greatly appreciated his attempts at humor at various points throughout the book. They kept me from going into a full-on mental breakdown over the hopelessness of humanity. I’m afraid I didn’t get to finish it before my library loan expired (UGHHGHGH) but I’m definitely going to come back to it as soon as it becomes available again. 

Check it out on Goodreads!

In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives by Kenneth C. Davis

Anddddd we’ll be closing off with a book that seriously changed the way I looked at history. In the Shadow of Liberty is a nonfiction book that tells the stories of five enslaved people owned by four of the US’s most famous presidents. I read this book in middle school, and it completely changed my worldview. I was disgusted and horrified by the revelation that the Founding Fathers did not, in fact, believe that all men were created equal. We need more books that tell the truth about our country and its history with slavery in American classrooms. If all schools were equipped with books like this and Stamped, I can guarantee you that the next generation will be more open-minded and willing to change the racism that still affects millions of people today.

Check it out on Goodreads!

That’s it for today, everyone — thank you so much for reading! Again, please don’t hesitate to drop any and all recommendations below, and tell me your thoughts on this post in the comments! Have a lovely day everyone 😍