The best narrative historical books about social injustice

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of several works of historical fiction. My writing explores the untold stories of past generations and the impact of their actions and choices on those who follow. All across the country, the landscape is dotted with abandoned farmsteads and buildings whose walls are filled with stories of heartache and happiness. As each generation struggles with the unequal distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society, they pave the way for succeeding generations. These are the stories I tell and the ones I love to read. 


I wrote...

Book cover of The Stone House Legacy

What is my book about?

Reverend Simon Kingsley is caught between two opposing world views when he attempts to revitalize the legacy of ecumenical thought and understanding that began in an old stone house deep in the limestone hills of Indiana. Simon Kingsley returns from observing Vatican II in Rome with visions of a new order of religious and cultural tolerance that he believes is paramount to world peace and understanding. Unfortunately, there are forces working against him who view this idea as a threat to their current way of life and a direct link to communist thought.

Set in the birthplace of the John Birch Society during the turbulent years of the early 1060s, The Stone House Legacy reveals mankind’s stubborn inclination to repeat the mistakes of past generations.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Zebra Affaire: An Apartheid Saga

Wanda DeHaven Pyle Why did I love this book?

As an indie author myself, I am committed to supporting other independent authors and Mark Fine is one of the best. Fine has created an epic love story set against the backdrop of South Africa’s apartheid in the 1970s. When a beautiful white model falls in love with a black man, they become prey in a deadly manhunt that stretches from the golden city of Johannesburg to the dangerous wilds of the African bushveld. The author’s compelling characters and vivid descriptions shine a light on the effects of tribalism and social injustice during a dark period in this nation’s history. This story will keep you riveted until the last page is turned.

By Mark Fine,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Zebra Affaire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When affairs of State battle affairs of the heart, ordinary people become heroes! The critically acclaimed novel set in 1976 apartheid South Africa. It tells of the courage of love across the color divide – especially in the face of an unyielding racist police state, and the extreme lengths a man and a woman must go to remain together.
When Stanwell Marunda, a proud descendant of the Zulu, meets the beautiful Elsa, the daughter of a white farmer, he is certain his bad luck has just begun. She has just rescued him, bloodied and hurt, from a car wreck.

As…


Book cover of Edge of Eternity

Wanda DeHaven Pyle Why did I love this book?

I consider Ken Follett one of the greatest historical fiction writers of our time. His Century Trilogy follows the fortunes of five intertwined families as they make their way through the trials and tribulations of the twentieth century. As the final book in the series, Edge of Eternity covers one of the most tumultuous eras of all: the 1960s through the 1980s. Follett is a master storyteller who uses historical events as the backdrop, but never loses sight of the characters as a central focus of the action. It is impossible not to become emotionally vested in their lives as they struggle with the social injustice and racial prejudices of the times.

By Ken Follett,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Edge of Eternity as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ken Follett's extraordinary historical epic, the Century Trilogy, reaches its sweeping, passionate conclusion.

In Fall of Giants and Winter of the World, Ken Follett followed the fortunes of five international families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh-as they made their way through the twentieth century. Now they come to one of the most tumultuous eras of all: the 1960s through the 1980s, from civil rights, assassinations, mass political movements, and Vietnam to the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, presidential impeachment, revolution-and rock and roll.

East German teacher Rebecca Hoffmann discovers she's been spied on by the Stasi for years and…


Book cover of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

Wanda DeHaven Pyle Why did I love this book?

This journalistic account of the Reign of Terror against the Osage people sheds light on one of the most ruthless and shocking crimes against humanity in our country. After oil was discovered beneath their land in the 1920s, the people of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma became one of the richest people per capita in the world. Then, one by one, they began dying under mysterious circumstances. As the death toll rose, the case was taken up by the newly created FBI exposing one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history. Masterfully crafted through narrative nonfiction, the author’s use of vivid description brings the reader into the story in such a way that they experience the action along with the characters. Truly a memorable read. 

By David Grann,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked Killers of the Flower Moon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, they rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. As the death toll climbed, the FBI took up the case. But the bureau badly bungled the investigation. In desperation, its young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. Together with the Osage he and his undercover…


Book cover of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Wanda DeHaven Pyle Why did I love this book?

This heartfelt and quietly moving story reminds us of the innocent lives impacted by a shameful episode in American History. In 1986, Henry Lee, a Chinese American, joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel in Seattle’s Japantown where the owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. One item belonged to a young Japanese American girl with whom Henry forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. He is reminded of the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, and for country. The author combines historic detail with the sentimentality of youthful romance to explore the age-old conflicts between father and son and the depths and longings of lost love.

By Jamie Ford,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

1986, The Panama Hotel The old Seattle landmark has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made a startling discovery in the basement: personal belongings stored away by Japanese families sent to interment camps during the Second World War. Among the fascinated crowd gathering outside the hotel, stands Henry Lee, and, as the owner unfurls a distinctive parasol, he is flooded by memories of his childhood. He wonders if by some miracle, in amongst the boxes of dusty treasures, lies a link to the Okabe family, and the girl he lost his young heart to, so…


Book cover of The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

Wanda DeHaven Pyle Why did I love this book?

Erik Larsen’s suspense-filled narrative puts the reader in the center of the action during the London Blitz. Hitler had invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it’s also an intimate domestic drama set against the backdrop of Churchill’s prime-ministerial country home. The story takes readers out of today’s political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership. The fast pace and intensity of the action create an intimate portrait of Churchill and reveal the man behind the caricature. The book is a fresh, fast, deeply moving account of a nation coming together to face a brutal assault on its democracy and the challenges of leadership that go along with it.

By Erik Larson,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Splendid and the Vile as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz—an inspiring portrait of courage and leadership in a time of unprecedented crisis
 
“One of [Erik Larson’s] best books yet . . . perfectly timed for the moment.”—Time • “A bravura performance by one of America’s greatest storytellers.”—NPR 
 
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • Vogue • NPR • The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • The Globe &…


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Me and The Times: My wild ride from elevator operator to New York Times editor, columnist, and change agent (1967-97)

By Robert W. Stock,

Book cover of Me and The Times: My wild ride from elevator operator to New York Times editor, columnist, and change agent (1967-97)

Robert W. Stock Author Of Me and The Times: My wild ride from elevator operator to New York Times editor, columnist, and change agent (1967-97)

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Journalist Punster Family-phile Ex-jock Friend

Robert's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Me and The Times offers a fresh perspective on those pre-internet days when the Sunday sections of The New York Times shaped the country’s political and cultural conversation. Starting in 1967, Robert Stock edited seven of those sections over 30 years, innovating and troublemaking all the way.

His memoir is rich in anecdotes and admissions. At The Times, Jan Morris threw a manuscript at him, he shared an embarrassing moment with Jacqueline Kennedy, and he got the paper sued for $1 million. Along the way, Rod Laver challenged Stock to a tennis match, he played a clarinet duet with superstar Richard Stoltzman, and he shared a Mafia-spiced brunch with Jerry Orbach.

Me and The Times: My wild ride from elevator operator to New York Times editor, columnist, and change agent (1967-97)

By Robert W. Stock,

What is this book about?

An intimate, unvarnished look at the making of the Sunday sections of The New York Times in their pre-internet heyday, back when they shaped the country’s political and cultural conversation.

Over 30 years, Robert Stock edited seven of those sections, innovating, and troublemaking all the way – getting the paper sued for $1 million, locking horns with legendary editors Abe Rosenthal and Max Frankel, and publishing articles that sent the publisher Punch Sulzberger up the wall.

On one level, his memoir tracks Stock’s amazing career from his elevator job at Bonwit Teller to his accidental entry into journalism to his…


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Interested in apartheid, Japanese Americans, and murder?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about apartheid, Japanese Americans, and murder.

Apartheid Explore 42 books about apartheid
Japanese Americans Explore 44 books about Japanese Americans
Murder Explore 915 books about murder