War Nonfiction

On April 15th, 1783, the Articles of Peace between the United States and Great Britain went into effect proclaiming that "His Britannic Majesty acknowledges the United States . . . to be free Sovereign and independent States." That recognition represented a monumental achievement for the new American nation. It also, as Samuel Flagg Bemis shows us, marked the end of a world war.

Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. He was the leader of a pack of wild dogs living off the land and barely surviving. But Nubs's life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis. The two formed a fast friendship, made stronger by Dennis's willingness to share his meals, offer a warm place to sleep, and give Nubs the kind of care and attention he had never received before.

This audiobook explores the reasons of the terrorist attack of 9/11 and how the U.S. has responded.

Follow the life of Luz, a Mexican-American war hero who fought for equality and created the oldest Latino civil rights organization in the United States.

During World War I, British and American ships were painted with bold colors and crazy patterns from bow to stern. Why would anyone put such eye-catching designs on ships? Desperate to protect ships from German torpedo attacks, British lieutenant-commander Norman Wilkinson proposed what became known as dazzle. These stunning patterns and colors were meant to confuse the enemy about a ship's speed and direction. By the end of the war, more than 4,000 ships had been painted with these mesmerizing designs.

Robert Stone was a singular American writer, a visionary whose award-winning novels - including Dog Soldiers, Outerbridge Reach, and Damascus Gate - earned him comparisons to literary lions ranging from Samuel Beckett to Ernest Hemingway to Graham Greene. Stone had an almost prophetic grasp of the spirit of his age, which he captured with crystalline clarity in each of his novels. Of course, he was also a sharp and brilliant observer of American life, and his nonfiction writing is revelatory.

Caren Stelson brings Sachiko Yasui's story of surviving the atomic bombing of Nagasaki to a young audience. Sachiko's family home was about half a mile from where the atomic bomb fell on August 9, 1945. Her family experienced devastating loss. When they returned to the rubble where their home once stood, her father miraculously found their serving bowl fully intact. This delicate, green, leaf-shaped bowl—which once held their daily meals—now holds memories of the past and serves as a vessel of hope, peace, and new traditions for Sachiko and the surviving members of her family.

From the first shot fired by his grandfather on a jungle trail in 1903 to the day his father captured plans for the Chinese invasion of South Korea, William Crawford Woods's family has fought in nearly every American war of the twentieth century.

"Abraham Lincoln: Emancipator and Defender of the Union" explores the life, leadership, and legacy of one of the most consequential figures in American history. This compelling book takes readers on a captivating journey through Lincoln's humble beginnings, his remarkable rise to the presidency, and his unwavering commitment to preserving the Union and abolishing slavery during the nation's darkest hour. By closely examining Lincoln's political career, his pivotal role in the Civil War, and his enduring impact on American society, this book offers a comprehensive and nuanced portrait of a ...

A Guided Tour of the Digitized Battlefield "You are tomorrow's soldier. You will play your part in the next major war America will wage." From these opening lines of Tomorrow's Soldier, David Alexander's excellent book on 21st century warfare, the author builds on this theme in a series of eight carefully researched and well-written chapters on combat in the combined arms battlespace of near-future conflicts. Sometimes in clear and concise descriptions of complex weapons systems such as stealth aircraft, main battle tanks and nuclear submarines, at other times in fast-paced narrative that ...

Despite the many films and television programmes over the decades since the end of the Second World War that portrays our allied heroes as grown-up men and women, the Battle of Britain was in the main actually fought and won by teenagers. The average age of an RAF fighter pilot was just 20 years old. Many of the men and women who designed and built their planes were even younger.

Eric Liddell was as close to a saint as any man in modern history has been. Renowned for his athletic prowess, it was also his deeply entrenched values that set him apart from the crowd. These qualities were never better illustrated than in the 1924 Paris Olympics when, having declined his place in the 100 metres owing to the fact that the race was run on a Sunday, he produced an astonishing performance to win gold in the 400 metres and captured the hearts of the world.

World War II was the greatest conflict of the 20th century. Fought on every continent except Antarctica and across every ocean, it was truly a “world war.” Like many other wars, over time it evolved. Modern technology and strategic advancements changed the rules of combat forever, allowing for widespread attacks from the air, the ground, and the sea. The war encompassed the feats of extraordinary heroes and the worst villains imaginable, with thrilling triumphs and heartrending tragedies. Starting with the end of World War I in 1918 and the rise of Hitler, EUROPE IN FLAMES documents the...

World War II was the greatest conflict of the 20th century. Fought on every continent except Antarctica and across every ocean, it was truly a “world war.” Like many other wars, over time it evolved. Modern technology and strategic advancements changed the rules of combat forever, allowing for widespread attacks from the air, the ground, and the sea. The war encompassed the feats of extraordinary heroes and the worst villains imaginable, with thrilling triumphs and heartrending tragedies. From D-Day to V-E Day covers the final battles that led to the end of the war in Europe.

Axel Brüggemann lässt das Klischee vom "Wolferl", dem "Donnerblitzbub", hinter sich und nimmt seine jungen Hörer ebenso ernst wie den genialen Komponisten und Musiker. Er zeigt, dass Mozart kein braver Knabe, sondern eigensinnig und unangepasst war, ähnlich wie ein Popmusiker von heute. Das Hörbuch beginnt nicht mit dem vierjährigen Wunderkind Mozart, sondern mit dem ausgezehrten, fiebernden Mozart, der auf dem Sterbebett die dramatische Musik seines Requiems diktiert und sich dazwischen an sein Leben zurückerinnert.

Er stammte aus ärmlichsten Verhältnissen und war voller Ideen: Karl May. Er konnte sich zum Hilfslehrer hocharbeiten, aber das war immer noch ein armseliger Beruf. Karl wollte höher hinaus, er wollte die Welt in ihrer ganzen Schönheit erleben dürfen. Er träumte von fremden Ländern und einem abenteuerlichen Leben und merkte, dass er davon schreiben konnte und dass die Leute ganz gebannt lasen, was er schrieb. Er wurde Schriftsteller, und zwar ein erfolgreicher.

Alles beginnt damit, dass der junge Robert von Locksley durch Betrug und Intrige seinen Besitz verliert und als Geächteter in den Sherwood Forest flieht. Dort trifft er auf Gleichgesinnte, die bald seine getreuen Gefährten und unzertrennlichen Freunde werden. Robins Stockkampf mit dem riesenhaften Little John fehlt ebenso wenig wie das Wettschießen mit dem meisterhaften Bogenschützen Scarlet oder die Begegnung mit Bruder Tuck, dem stets hungrigen Philosophen unter den Männern im Wald. Gemeinsam setzen sie sich gegen den rachsüchtigen Guy von Gisbourne zur Wehr. Und gegen Robins anderen großen Widersacher, den mächtigen Sheriff von Nottingham, der kein anderes Ziel kennt, als die Bande endlich zur Strecke zu bringen. Zahlreiche gefährliche Abenteuer sind zu bestehen, bevor Robin Hood am Ende sogar Richard Löwenherz begegnet, dem großen König von England.

Lakota-Häuptling Sitting Bull, dessen indianischer Name Tatanka Yotanka lautete, beobachtete mit Sorge, wie die weißen Siedler seinem Volk weite Teile der Prärien Nordamerikas nahmen. Die riesigen Büffelherden, einst Lebensgrundlage der Indianer, wurden nahezu ausgerottet. Eisenbahnlinien zerschnitten das Land, Siedlungen und Forts wurden errichtet und die Indianer immer weiter vertrieben.

Telemach, Odysseus' Sohn, inzwischen auch schon ein Mann in reifen Jahren, erinnert sich an früher: Daran, wie sein Vater sich versteckt hatte, als die Männer kamen, die ihn unbedingt beim Kriegszug gegen Troja dabei haben wollten, und wie er dann doch mitziehen musste; an die Nachrichten von den Heldentaten seines Vaters, die das heimische Ithaka erreichten. Noch besser erinnert er sich an seine Gefühle, als er seinen Vater, den er ja so gut wie gar nicht kannte, unverhofft auf Ithaka wiedersah.

Wer war Klaus Störtebeker? Das Schicksal dieses Piraten fasziniert die Menschen seit vielen Jahrhunderten und hat zahlreiche Legenden angeregt. In ihrer lebendigen und farbigen Erzählung porträtiert Kirsten John den "deutschen Robin Hood" und berühmten Seeräuber, der die reichen Kaufleute in Hamburg und Bremen ausraubte und seine Beute unter den Armen verteilte. Von den Kaufleuten gehasst und gefürchtet, stiegen Störtebeker und seine Männer zu Volkshelden der kleinen Leute in Norddeutschland auf.