Nonfiction books about the cold war

Ive read and adored tons of nonfiction books over the years. In addition to the top 10 nonfiction books listed above, i have put together more specific book recommendations by category. Ten histories of the cold war worth reading council on. The 14 best military nonfiction books of alltime americas. Can anyone recommend some good nonfiction spy books. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Ten unconventional cold war books looking at comic books, atomic.

Spies, ciphers, and guerrillas, 19391945, by max hastings. Oct 26, 2017 as such, it has to be a landmark in cold war noir. The story of the romanovs, the last royal family of russia, is one thats always seemed too strange to be true. What follows is a look at some gripping stories, both fiction and nonfiction. Thus, i dont think its possible for me to squeeze all my favorites into a single post. Richard sorge, stalins master agent by owen matthewsthe greatest spy of the twentieth century. Advising the householder on protection against nuclear.

The top one or two books in each category are listed at the beginning of each page. I dont think john le carre cares much for the film, but it, like the book, has a stark simplicity, showing a cold war growing inevitably out of blurred margins of the hot one. Now that its over, its crucial to our future to understand how the cold war has shaped us and, especially, to recognize it as the economic and. Startling cold war revelations of a soviet kgb chief kindle edition by tennent h. American race relations in the global arena thomas borstelmann, author.

Nov 05, 2014 if you want to know the facts about the cold war, you should read histories and memoirs. The true story of world war iis most highly decorated spy by larry loftis tells the true story of odette sansom, the british spy who operated in occupied france and fell in love with her commanding officer during world war ii. I thought i had read all the important main books on the cold war, but ben macintyre comes through and gives us a true life narrative of one of the wests greatest heroes oleg gordievsky. Similiar to our list of 100 fiction books to read in a lifetime, this list of 50 nonfiction books contains recommendations you might actually read if you havent already. I have been watching the new show on fx called the americans and i find it really interesting. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the cold war. This novel written during the time of the cold war and published in 1963 centers on british.

The best books on forgotten cold war thrillers recommended by jeremy duns. Aug 20, 2019 welcome to my long list of 40 of the best nonfiction books of all time in my personal opinion of course. We read quite often, and not surprisingly considering were a bunch of military veterans, those books often deal with military topics. A history from beginning to end kindle edition by history, hourly. A double portrait of two of the cold wars most successful. Childrens nonfiction history military wars books alibris. The house of one thousand eyes by michelle barker set in cold war era east germany during the 1980s, this story follows 17yearold lena altmann, who had lost her parents in a factory explosion and was living with her strict, partyobservant aunt. There was no single cause, no single driving force and no single factor that brought. That was true even back in the cold war, when two unlikely and, apparently, unpatriotic friends discovered how easy it was to sell american. The cold war was an economic, ideological and political confrontation. The long, nucleararmed standoff that followed the second world war was a terrifying parody of peace which inspired some brilliant literature. Sep 07, 2017 i also skipped over comics and graphic novels, which could be another list altogether. Winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, this debut novel could fit into half a dozen genres of vietnam war books from war narrative to immigrant story, from mystery to political, from metafiction to historical and even dark comedy.

Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy by john le carre, smiley. Notable nonfiction books in 2016 the washington post. These ten books are by no means the only cold war histories worth reading. Nonfiction an intimate history of killing by joanna bourke. At 19, he moved from cleveland to new york, and in 1979, when he was 21, kuper. It is in his understanding of politics or rather, what happens when politics break down that clausewitz really made his contributions. Jun 20, 2019 15 nonfiction spy books more thrilling than john le carre when it comes to spy stories, the truth is often strangerand more compellingthan fiction. The best books on forgotten cold war thrillers five books. Best cold war books list of top nonfiction about the cold war. The cold war is revisited twenty years after its ending, with the use of new archives and memories of its contemporaries. The spy and the traitor is the latest of ben macintyres nonfiction narratives about spies of the last century, operating in wars hot and cold.

Top 10 books about the cold war books the guardian. Shop childrens nonfiction history military wars books at alibris. Books about nuclear war are, to many people, the founding cornerstones of post apocalyptic fiction. Not completely sure if we can call this non fiction since thermonuclear war never became a reality thanks goodness, but hermann kahns on thermonuclear war was the theoretical basis of all the strategic decision leading to what is now known as cold war. Startling cold war revelations of a soviet kgb chief. Spies, ciphers, and guerrillas, 19391945, by max hastingsa revisionist view of intelligence in world war ii, questioning the value of humint an impeccable spy.

May 15, 2015 the 14 best military nonfiction books of alltime we here at watm love putting together lists and rankings, so it makes sense for us create one for nonfiction books. Best nonfiction books to read about cold war usrussia counterintelligence. As the cold war intensified with revolution in cuba and the bay of pigs invasion, engle must face the tension between the homes that she loves. Apr 22, 2016 from the familiar award winners to the films you didnt know were inspired by novels, here are 11 of the many nonfiction books that became movies worth watching. With those caveats, lets jump in to 10 great works of ya nonfiction. Gaddis objectively analyses the events of the war as well as the reasons for such a turn of events. The british author of 24 books mostly on military history the united states and africa, etc. In terms of tactical warfare, this book would probably be better titled on war against napoleon, because thats really what clausewitz was writing about. This list of nuclear holocaust fiction lists the many works of speculative fiction that attempt to describe a world during or after a massive nuclear war, nuclear holocaust, or crash of civilization due to a nuclear electromagnetic pulse. Shop childrens nonfiction history military wars books at. Sign up for true story to receive nonfiction news, new releases, and. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.

After all, it was the dawning of the nuclear age that brought the possibility of imminent catastrophe to the forefront of the public consciousness, a time when total atomic annihilation seemed never more than a buttonpush away. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Kim philby and the great betrayal by ben macintyre, the triumph of improvisation. In an era of renewed tension between the united states and russia, looking back on a. In the book, which is based on true events, marie mitchell, a black fbi intelligence officer, joins a shadowy task force to undermine the charismatic president of burkina faso thomas sankara who has earned the. Pages in category cold war fiction the following 26 pages are in this category, out of 26 total. Before his death, legendary crime writer mickey spillane entrusted the completion of his. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading spymaster. Cold war berlin bursts to life in this riveting, lively german bestseller chronicling the fierce rivalry between zoos on either side of the iron curtain by journalist mohnhaupt. Jan 20, 2016 top 10 books about the cold war the long, nucleararmed standoff that followed the second world war was a terrifying parody of peace which inspired some brilliant literature francesca kay. This curated list covers the gamut of nonfiction, from compelling war stories to key feminist texts, to unbelievable struggles for survival, to tales of life in the culinary trade. This golden age of post apocalyptic fiction birthed and inspired.

The best books on forgotten cold war thrillers five. Non fiction skip to main search results amazon prime. These books have been chosen for their authoritative content, their. But the book deserves quite high marks for how much it pulls together, as well as offering a viewpoint on the cold war not nearly.

Jun 24, 2001 at the age of 4, peter kuper read crockett johnsons harold and the purple crayon and decided to be an artist. Carters 6 favorite books about the cold war the week. Despite how one may feel about the war, the universal themes bourke exposes re. Covering world war i, world war ii, and the vietnam war, this book does an exceptional job illuminating the psychological aspects of wartime on those who do the killing. An engaging range of period texts and theme books for as and a level history. On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall, the daily beast sorts through the best new and old books on the cold war and the fall of communism. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Ben macintyres new book, the spy and the traitor, recounts the extraordinary stories of the. My story of che guevara, war in the congo, and the communist threat in africa.

Pat nixon, 19121993 nonfiction 5 books 1 voter cold war literary fiction. List of the best books about the cold war, including jacket cover images when available, voted on by fans of the cold war nonfiction genre. The two officers were at the center of many important cold war intelligence confrontations, culminating in the cia and fbi hunt for a mole who virtually destroyed american intelligence capacity in. First off this is pretty much an establishment history that looks at the cold war from the commanding heights. Jun 04, 2019 in the realm of cold war books dominated by male novelists and white protagonists, lauren wilkinsons american spy stands out. Cold war books this selection of cold war books has been recommended by alpha history authors. Nov 07, 2018 ive arranged these books in alphabetical order by the authors last names within each of the three lists below the top 5, books about women in espionage, and other books about world war ii. The korean war nonfiction 91 books 2 voters first ladies.

Be enlightened and entertained by these excellent ya nonfiction books, featuring books on girls who code, the romanovs, and more. Best cold war books list of top nonfiction about the. Best nonfiction books to read about cold warusrussia. Ten cold war novels worth reading council on foreign relations. When it comes to reading nonfiction works on the cold war, john gaddis is a recognised historian of the epoque. A man who helped, particularly the uk, inform the goings on of the kgb and all the boris and natashas and helped hasten the end of that nasty politik. The history of the cold war has been the history of the world since 1954. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written. He was also an exceptional writer who gave us the great iconic story of the cold war and revolutionized, in the process, the art of espionage. Shop the international spy museums wide selection of spy gear, gadgets, equipment, kits, games, toys, books, clothing, gifts and accessories. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading cold war. Learn more about the cold war with these novels dedicated to the time when the world was on the brink of nuclear war.

A new history kindle edition by gaddis, john lewis. A history, a wideranging narrative by awardwinning political commentator martin walker, which was one of the first major studies of its kind. Most nonfiction books about the central intelligence agency are not very good. Daphne park, britains cold war spy master by paddy hayes. It was filmed a couple of years later with james mason as smiley, renamed dobbs. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written each year, seemingly dozens of new titles emerge to offer fresh perspectives and uncover. Discover the best espionage true accounts in best sellers. The national book award for nonfiction is one of five annual national book awards, which are given by the national book foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by u. Thousands of books and articles have been written on the subject. The greatest espionage story of the cold war ben macintyre. A double portrait of two of the cold wars most successful double. Author jeremy duns says maksim isaev was a kind of soviet james bond and when they rerun the old black and white tv shows the russian crime rate drops because everyone is indoors watching them.