Top Ten Nonfiction Books

 

It's been awhile and as always my only excuse is that life is busy. I know I owe you all a life update and hopefully I'll get to that soon. 

  But for now, my top ten favorite nonfiction books (Besides the Bible that is). I'll read almost any good book I get my hands on and many different genres but there is something about a true story that is incredibly beautiful even when it is sad. Maybe because everywhere I look in history I see God's hand. Even in the darkest of times God is with his people and is drawing beauty out of the rubble. I see history as His story. 

  I'll start with number ten and work my way to number one, saving the best for last. 

  Number Ten 

  King's Alfred's English by Laurie J. White 

  Now before you think I'm really weird or boring, this book really took me by surprise how fascinating it was. But that might just be because this book combines two favorite topics of mine, language and history.  So maybe it's just me, but to learn just how the English language came to be was almost awe inspiring. It took generations and hundreds of years to get the language we have today. And amazingly through the rise and fall of nations God directed it all, creating the most used language today. This book also helped me understand the inconsistency of the language, since it isn't really one language but an unique blend of so many languages mixed together. Ever wonder why we have different words for when an animal is alive and for when an animal is dead and being prepared for a meal? This book explains it and a lot more. 

    

  Number Nine 

One Woman Against the Reich by Helmut W. Ziefle 

  This book is the author's own story about his family during The Third Reich. He tells the story of a Christian family living in Germany during WWII. So often it is easy to paint all the Germans as evil but this book is a wonderful reminder that even in the ugly Third Reich God preserves His children. The author focuses on how his mother struggled endlessly to protect her children from the evil around them. He, himself was just a toddler when the war took place. Two of the older Ziefle boys fought in the war and it nearly broke their mother's heart. The oldest boy never supported the Nazi but was drafted. The younger boy was deceived by Hitler's message and volunteered, but later learned just how wrong he was. I've reread it several times and find it a great read every time. 

Number Eight 

Little Britches by Ralph Moody 

 

  Little Britches has long been a favorite in my family. The touching and oftentimes humorous true story of a family starting out fresh in Colorado in 1906 gives a great insight into what life was like at the turn of the 20th century. Ralph Moody gives a colorful narrative of his own childhood that is timeless. There are some swearing that we crossed out but this is a really good book to read as a family. The first time I ever heard it (my mom was reading it out loud to us kids) I cried at the end. It has both humor and the true reality of how hard life can be. I never get tired of rereading it.

Number Seven 

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom 

  I'm sure most people know the amazing true story of Corrie Ten Boom and how she survived Hitler's concentration camps. The story of courage and faith never fails to inspire me. God was with Corrie and her family even in the darkest of times and they had enough courage to reach out and help the oppressed Jews. Even though they suffered for their courage and kindness God never failed them and His strength brought Corrie through. I always had a fascination with WWII which seems kind of strange seeing as it was a very dark and sad time but it is the amazing stories like this of God's faithfulness and protection that feeds the fascination. 

Number Six 

Battle Order 204 by Christobel Mattingley 

  I first discovered this book when my older brother Kenyon got it for Christmas from my parents. I always read all the books he got plus all the books I did, Lol. The author tells the story of her husband and his incredible journey as an Australian bomber pilot. I guess one of the reasons it so fascinated me is because I so rarely think about Australia (*hides*) and the role it played in WWII. It was very interesting to read of home life there and then war torn life. I grew to love the "Skipper" and his crew and was so sad when the war sent them their different ways. I could hardly put it down, but maybe that isn't saying much since I have a hard time putting almost any book down once I get into it. It's a great read and I'd highly recommend it.   

Number Five   

The Reverend Spy As told to David P. Denton 

  My parents got this book at a homeschool convention a few years ago and the unassuming cover first deceived me. But one page in and I was hooked. Another WWII story (Yes, I read a lot about WWII) but this one is a little different. A young pastor here in the United States wanted to do his part and volunteered after Pearl Harbor was attacked, but he was turned down. The government had other ideas for him: a spy here at home protecting the US's most precious secret, the atomic bomb. He faced enemies far closer to home than he expected and had several close scrapes with death. The biggest enemy in the espionage world on the home front was our supposed ally, the Soviets. I couldn't put this book down as I was pulled into a "cloak and dagger" story about a young pastor who found courage to fight in a very unique but important way. I'm sure there are countless more stories that we will never know like this one. We should never forget those who fought to preserve our freedom. 

   

Number Four 

George Washington's Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger   

  This book had me from the first page, drawn in like a moth to a bright light at night. I always had a huge respect for the founding father's and the patriots that gave their lives for our freedom. Maybe I have a thing for spy books too? Lol, I don't know but the amazing true story of Washington's Culper Spy Ring had me fascinated. These men risked their lives to feed information back to Washington about what was going on in British occupied New York City. They're courage and sense of duty ran deep to defend country and freedom. If you like Revolutionary history at all this is a must read. 

Number Three

Endurance by Alfred Lancing 

  This book has been a favorite in our household every since we first discovered it. I would recommend the Tyndale version because they took out all the swearing in it. This story of adventure, exploration and survival is truly amazing. In 1914 Shackleton and his crew started out to cross the Antarctic overland. But long before their intended destination their ship was trapped and then crushed by ice. The crew was then stranded in the harshest of wildnesses in the ice and snow and had to fight for survival.  For five months they lived off the ice packs in an incredible attempt to escape back to civilization. The book has the real journal entries of the men, giving you a direct insight on how they lived and what these men ,who were actually there, thought and wrote about. (Thus why other versions have swearing. They say sailors have colorful vocabularies)  This true story never ceases to amaze me no matter how many times I reread it. 

 Number Two 

The First Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch 

  Colten , my oldest brother, got me this book for Christmas a few years ago and I loved it. As the title indicates, there was a evil plot to get rid of America's Commander-in-chief. The British and loyalist thought that the patriots defenses would crumble without George Washington. They found people within the continental army who would join them in their treachery and little did Washington know that some of his most trusted men were traitors. This book reads like a mystery book only it's real history which makes it all the better for me. This book tells how the plan was put in place but then how it was also foiled. You can clearly see God's hand directing the rise of our nation. There is no doubt God sees the big picture of history while we only get to see a small glimpse of it. 

Number One 

...And Pass the Ammunition by Howell Forgy  

  It was so hard to decide which book should get the honor of number one since they are all good and there are lots more that aren't even on this list but I read this book for the first time just recently and felt as though I had found a nugget of gold. It's hard to find any pictures of the actual book so I settled for a picture of the author. Chaplain Forgy writes his own WWII story, starting at Pearl Harbor followed by many long months out on the Pacific. He was on one of the ships during the bombing of Pearl Harbor and describes it in his own words. I have to admit, I cried reading this book, I was touched by this brave Chaplain's story. The book was actually published during the war so he clearly wrote it when it was still fresh in his memory or nearly so. It was published in January of 1944 but they stopped printing it now so it's really hard to find. I'd love to own this book someday but the cheapest I ever found it was for seventy-five dollars. Chaplain Forgy's words and actions inspired the WWII song, "Praise the Lord and Pass The Ammunition."  I had to find the song and listen to it after reading the book and then promptly got the catchy tune stuck in my  head!  

Honorable mentions 

'The Grandma's Attic Series' and 'The Grandma's Attic Novels' both by Arleta Richardson 

(I wasn't sure if these were really nonfiction so couldn't put them in the actual listing but didn't want to list them as just fiction either since they are based on the author's grandma's life) I'd love to own both these series but the Novels are hard to find since they are no longer printed. 

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot 

This humorous firsthand account of Herriot's life as an English vet never ceases to delight. (There is some swearing that we crossed out and some drinking that I skip over, just to warn you) 

Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder (We all know they aren't actually very accurate to her real life, right? I love them just the same though) 

Shadow of His Hand by Wendy Lawton 

(This is the children's version of Anita Dittman's own book about her holocaust experience. It's the only version we own and I'm ashamed to admit I've never read the other one) 

 

So there you have it! My top ten nonfiction books. I'll have to do a fiction list another time. Have you read any of these or curious to try any? 

Keep living each day for Jesus, He has a plan for you. 

Until next time,

Damara Nancy