18 books like Recollections of an old soldier

What to read after Recollections of an old soldier — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

Army Life in a Black Regiment Thomas Wentworth Higginson · 1870 · ★ 3.9 · 232p · ≈ 7h · Challenging "Army Life in a Black Regiment has some claim to be the best written narrative to come from the Union [side] during the Civil War," wrote historian Henry Steele Commander. "Higginson's picture of the battle which was the origin of 'praise the Lord and pass the ammunition' and his reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to the black regiment are unsurpassed for eloquence." A Union colonel wrote… Shares: Personal narratives, Soldiers, Biography & Memoir, History

Death Comes to the Village Catherine Lloyd · 2013 · 332p · ≈ 11h · Moderate Major Robert Kurland has returned to the quiet vistas of his village home to recuperate from the horrors of Waterloo. However injured his body may be, his mind is as active as ever. Too active, perhaps. When he glimpses a shadowy figure from his bedroom window struggling with a heavy load, the tranquil facade of the village begins to loom sinister. Unable to forget the incident, Robert confides… Shares: Soldiers, History

The Rough Riders Theodore Roosevelt · 1894 · 128p · ≈ 4h · Challenging "The Rough Riders (1899) is the story of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, the regiment Roosevelt led to enduring fame in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Roosevelt recounts how the regiment was raised from an unusual mixture of hardened southwestern frontiersmen and privileged northeastern college graduates, and how it trained in Texas and then sailed "southward through the topic seas… Shares: Personal narratives, Biography & Memoir, History

Andersonville; a story of rebel military prisons John McElroy · 1879 · 624p · ≈ 20h · Demanding "McElroy, with a detachment of his regiment, was guarding a supply route to Cumberland Gap when his entire company was captured in a surprise attack one morning during the winter of 1862-63. He and his comrades were taken to Lippy Prison, and from there they were sent to Andersonville. McElroy spent the rest of the war as a prisoner. His story of attempts at escape, of comrades tracked through… Shares: Personal narratives, Soldiers, Biography & Memoir, History

Gravity's Rainbow Thomas Pynchon · 1973 · ★ 4.0 · 1160p · ≈ 38h · Challenging Winner of the National Book Award"The most profound and accomplished American novel since the end of World War II." —The New Republic“A screaming comes across the sky. . .” A few months after the Germans’ secret V-2 rocket bombs begin falling on London, British Intelligence discovers that a map of the city pinpointing the sexual conquests of one Lieutenant Tyrone Slothrop, U.S. Army, corresponds… Shares: Soldiers, Biography & Memoir, History

Torches Together Emmy Arnold · 1964 · 220p · ≈ 7h · Moderate Not many people talk about "joy" these days. Emmy Arnold's memoir radiates just that - an enthusiasm for life and an unflagging optimism grounded in faith. In a genre awash in sordid sex and dysfunctional relationships, she offers a refreshing account of a hard life lived victoriously, of people brought together, despite their own weakness and turbulent times, to experience new levels of freedom,… Shares: Biography & Memoir, History

Gifted hands Ben Carson · 1990 · ★ 4.4 · 232p · ≈ 7h · Moderate In 1987, Dr. Benjamin Carson gained worldwide recognition for his part in the first successful separation of Siamese twins joined at the back of the head. The extremely complex and delicate operation, five months in the planning and twenty-two hours in the execution, involved a surgical plan that Carson helped initiate. Carson pioneered again in a rare procedure known as hemispherectomy, giving… Shares: Personal narratives, Biography & Memoir

Persepolis 1-4 Marjane Satrapi · 2000 · ★ 4.3 · 352p · ≈ 11h · Moderate From inside front cover: The story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a ... loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private and public life in a coutnry plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trails of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming -- both sweet and terrible; and,… Shares: Personal narratives, Biography & Memoir, History

Captivity and Restoration Mary White Rowlandson · 1682 · ★ 3.5 · 64p · ≈ 2h · Demanding In February 1676, during King Philip's War, the frontier village of Lancaster, Massachusetts, was attacked by a party of Nipmuck Indians and completely destroyed. As relief from Concord approached, the attackers withdrew, taking with them 24 captives, including Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and her three children. For almost three months the little family was forced to live with their captors and endure… Shares: Personal narratives, Biography & Memoir, History

How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling Frank Bettger · 1949 · ★ 4.9 · 276p · ≈ 9h · Challenging A business classic endorsed by Dale Carnegie, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling is for anyone whose job it is to sell. Whether you are selling houses or mutual funds, advertisements or ideas—or anything else—this book is for you. When Frank Bettger was twenty-nine he was a failed insurance salesman. By the time he was forty he owned a country estate and could have retired.… Shares: Personal narratives, Biography & Memoir

The Library of American Biography Jared Sparks · 1846 · 402p · ≈ 13h · Challenging This book itself comprises and also is a collection of letters by varied political and social personalities in reference with the American Revolution. These letters are also concerned with the foreign relations of United States during the whole revolution. Also, it reflects the political framing in the United States. Shares: Biography & Memoir

A history of autobiography in antiquity Georg Misch · 1950 · 364p · ≈ 12h · Moderate This is Volume IV of 9 historical works from the International Library of Sociology. This is part one of two looking at the history of the autobiography. Appearing in isolation as they do, autobiographies demand for their description and appreciation, a comprehensive view of the development of the human mind. This volume covers the conception and the origin of autobiography, looking at ancient… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Mr. Nice Howard Marks · 1996 · 468p · ≈ 15h · Moderate This candid crime memoir by Britain's most famous drug baron is "frequently hilarious, occasionally sad, and often surreal" (GQ).   During the mid-1980s Howard Marks had 43 aliases, 89 phone lines, and owned 25 companies throughout the world. From local bars to recording studios to offshore banks—all of his "businesses" were in fact money laundering vehicles serving his one true business:… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Autobiography Anderson L Staff · 2001 · 166p · ≈ 5h · Moderate Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote ''Confessions'', the first Western autobiography ever written, around AD 400. Portrait by Philippe de Champaigne, 17th century.]] Shares: Biography & Memoir

Two Sisters Gore Vidal · 1970 · ★ 4.0 · 236p · ≈ 7h · Moderate Originally published in 1970 this fairly short novel (174 pages) contains, according to the blurb on the dust jacket of the first edition, “Gore Vidal’s singular speculations on love, sex, death, literature and politics.” Shares: Biography & Memoir

Missing Persons Mary Evans · 1998 · 176p · ≈ 5h · Moderate Auto/biography is currently one of the most popular literary genres, widely supposed to illuminate the study of the individual and his or her personal circumstances. Missing Persons suggests that auto/biography is, in fact, based on fictions, both about the person and about what it is possible to know about any one individual. Organised into chapters which consider particular kinds of… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Marse Henry : An Autobiography Henry Watterson · 1919 · 325p · ≈ 10h · Challenging "Marse Henry: An Autobiography" is a fascinating memoir by Henry Watterson, a prominent American journalist, and editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal. The book details Watterson's life from his birth in Kentucky in 1840 to his rise as a prominent political figure and newspaper editor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Watterson's memoir is full of vivid anecdotes and colorful… Shares: Biography & Memoir

Money to Burn William D. Cohan · 689p · ≈ 22h · Moderate INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom the bestselling author of House of Cards and Power Failure comes the sweeping tale of a powerful and controversial financial empire, set against the turbulent backdrop of a rapidly changing Wall Street.On March 22, 2021, Leon Black, the brilliant and fearsome billionaire founder of investment firm Apollo Global Management, resigned. For more than three… Shares: Biography & Memoir

About the book Recollections of an old soldier →