Book recommendations? Historical First-person narrative

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by mbaonline, Aug 16, 2012.

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  1. mbaonline

    mbaonline New Member

    My father-in-law was/is a very smart guy (retired neurosurgeon) but is elderly, has parkinsons and had cancer (twice!) and is having a hard time after breaking his hip in January. For the past year he has not been doing much and we were wondering if this is his last year.

    Just this week we found a book of his and my husband took it to him, suggesting that his caretaker could read it to him. He is the son of a 1918 Naval Academy grad, Pacific Fleet football captain and WWII vet. The book is Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine. It is a first-person narrative.
    .
    Well, he started reading again! It's really caught his attention. We are amazed. He said he'd be interested in reading other books "...if they were as good as this one."

    So I thought I'd ask the great folks here - any ideas? I can do an amazon search but I'm interested in personal recommendations for historical, first-person narratives - perhaps having to do with naval battles, WWII or WWI.

    Thanks in advance.
     
    mbaonline, Aug 16, 2012
    #1
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Look here:

    FIRP Home

    4,000 first-person narratives in the English language searchable by keywords.
     
    Kizmet, Aug 17, 2012
    #2
  3. mbaonline

    mbaonline New Member

    Thanks Kizmet. I am specifically looking for riveting books that can be recommended by someone who has actually read them.

    Anyone else with a personal recommendation for historical/war books that you can't put down?
     
    mbaonline, Aug 17, 2012
    #3
  4. Tireman 44444

    Tireman 44444 Well-Known Member

    Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. It is about running ( he was a Olympic 5000 meter runner) and World War II...best seller list...still on there I think...
     
    Tireman 44444, Aug 17, 2012
    #4
  5. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    If the civil war is any interest, you can't beat the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. Kindle edition is only .99.
     
    edowave, Aug 19, 2012
    #5
  6. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    I'm going to suggest any of the G.A. Henty books. There are gazillions. Some are not war-related, but all are historical fiction, all are riveting, and all are for a sophisticated reader.
     
    cookderosa, Aug 19, 2012
    #6
  7. friartuck

    friartuck New Member

    I got this for my dad to read the year before he died. He loved it, then he gave it back to me to read and we talked about it. General Eichelberger chewed my dad out while serving in the Phillipines for being out of uniform and not shaving. He had a high regard for the general. I thought it was a good book, very interesting.

    Our Jungle Road to Tokyo (Battery Classics Series): Robert L Eichelberger,Robert L. Eichelberger,Robert L. Eichelberger: 9780898391329: Amazon.com: Books

    Not exactly first person narrative but the following is one of my favorite reads. It deals with the naval buildup prior to WWI. If he likes things naval, I'll bet he'd like this.

    Amazon.com: Dreadnought (9780345375568): Robert K. Massie: Books
     
    friartuck, Aug 20, 2012
    #7

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