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 😍

Never heard of any of those books. I have a similar scenario in relationship to that project you were talking about: I focused on Don Quixote for a Spanish Project- that project led me to wanting to read the book and eventually its musical (Man of La Mancha)
What is surprising to people is that I actually love the classics. Dickens, Hugo, Cervantes, and Homer were authors who wrote books I love.
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Ooh that’s a cool story! It’s always interesting to see how things from other parts of our lives can affect our reading 😊
There are definitely some amazing classics out there!! Not all of them are up my alley, but I have discovered some genuine gems in the classics pool.
I hope you get to pick up some of the books I mentioned here, Meg, and thanks for reading 💕
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Defiantly not going to read nonfiction
Well, as a classic fan, I don’t like all of them. How can anyone love or like every book in their favorite genres?
Parts of our life can also lead to some of the books we are writing- that seems to be the case for some of my WIPS
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Such a fantastic idea for a post, Abby. I haven’t read any of those books, but The Nightingale is one that I have been meaning to pick up!
Happy reading! I hope you’ve had a lovely day ❤
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Thank you so much Stephen! I’m so happy you enjoyed 🥰 The Nightingale has been on my TBR for so long now… I’d love to hear your thoughts if you get to pick it up anytime soon!
Happy reading to you as well! Thanks for reading and commenting 💖
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Hey Abby this is a really insightful post… I would highly recommend Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson and the whole trilogy which tells of the American Revolution from the perspective of two black slaves. Its a middle grade book but really spoke to me and highlighted the contribution of the Blacks during that part of history and thus I think it would definitely fit the theme of “telling a different story”.
Yessss do I see The Nightingale?! ☺️
I’m definitely going to get into We Are Not Free, it’s a perspective that I as a historical fiction maniac have not encountered before!
Thank you so much for all the recs again!! 💗
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I’m so glad you enjoyed Cherelle!! And yes omg I loved Chains and the rest of that trilogy — I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it as well!! The way the author challenges the American ideal of freedom through Isabel’s perspective was really thought-provoking and is I think something everybody should know about. I was considering putting it on this list but I ended up switching it out for Stamped instead…. I just might need to make a part 2…. 😉
Yess you indeed see The Nightingale!! 😂😅 I was looking at its Goodreads page and it has a whopping 4.57 stars based on over 692K ratings — even more reason to pick it up 😱 And yess!!! We Are Not Free sounds so good already!!!!
It’s my pleasure! Thanks for reading 💖
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Ah you’ve read it!! Indeed it was so heartbreaking and yet hopeful but I really got extremely attached to Curzon and Isabel for their courage to question the norms. This series really made Laurie Halse Anderson a fav for me! ☺️
Yes haha, I may have dived into The Nightingale because of the crazy high rating… but I think the hype is pretty well deserved! 😆
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YES, WE ARE NOT FREE!! I hope you enjoy it! Between The Shades Of Gray is on my TBR!!
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YES I’m so excited to read it!!! I loved reading your review and it convinced me to immediately pick it up 😊 And Between Shades of Gray was also amazing!!! I hope you enjoy it when you get to pick it up! Thanks for reading, Prutha 💕
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This is wonderful, Abby! Thank you for sharing these books with us.
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Thank you so much, Esmeralda — I’m so glad you enjoyed 💗
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Great post, Abby! I agree with you that it’s important to listen to the “untold” stories, to look at history through perspectives other than the victors’. It will help us understand the world around us better and be more open-minded when we study historical events. I haven’t read any of the books on this list, but I really want to pick up The Nightingale as well as any Ruta Sepetys work soon. Being European, I’ve never really though of the concept We Are Not Free touches on (only because I’m still learning about our heavy WWII history), so that’s a really interesting book I hope to read one day.
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Thank you so much Nefeli! I really couldn’t have summed it up better — all stories are important, regardless of whether or not history defines you as one of the “victors.”
The Nightingale sounds amazing, and I know for a fact that Ruta Sepetys’s books ARE amazing!! And I completely get you about We Are Not Free. The history books tend to shift focus away from the injustices happening in the United States during WWII, and We Are Not Free seems like such an important book in eradicating that way of thinking.
Let me know your thoughts on these books if you get to pick any of them up! Thank you for reading and leaving such a thoughtful comment, Nefeli! 💕
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Oooh, I love this list! I really want to read We Are Not Free, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it! I did read Stamped, and I thought it was rather engaging. Did you read it or listen to the audiobook? I listened to it, and it was a great experience! Definitely recommend the audiobook.
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We Are Not Free sounds amazing!! And yes Stamped is definitely so engaging! I loved the author’s writing style, and how he made history so conversational. Ooh I’ve heard that the audiobook is wonderful as well! I’ll have to see if I can get my hands on it!
Thanks for reading and commenting Sammie 🤗
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Wow, you read a lot of books! I have to check these books! I love historical fiction books too!
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Historical fiction is amazing!!! Definitely one of my favorite genres 😍 Haha, reading a lot of books is sort of my thing 😂 Thanks for stopping by, Ariela ✨💖
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