Best Historical Fiction Books

2011's Best Historical Fiction : NPR

July 24, 2012 – 08:24 am

Priscilla Nielsen for NPR

Historical fiction invites us to experience the exotic and the unknown while confirming our common humanity. I do not believe that human nature has changed much over the centuries, and it is possible to identify with the emotions, passions, and fears of men and women long dead.

But the past is also uncharted territory; it is like visiting a country where we do not speak the language. What did these people believe? What superstitions did they share? What demons did they see lurking in the dark? We want to be transported back to that foreign country, and we want the historical novelist to act as our translator.

This is what good historical fiction does, what these five novels do. The authors allow us to empathize with their characters, to care deeply about their fates. But we never forget for a moment that they are not our neighbors, not ourselves, for their expectations and ethics and boundaries are not ours. Their lives are firmly rooted in alien soil.

Source: www.npr.org

The Tenth Witness (Henri Poincare Mystery)
Book (Permanent Press)

Books for Grades 4 to 8

2012-09-24 12:08:44 by WhyNotWhyNot

I am a great believer that the most important purpose of elementary education is training in imagination. It is a given that there is always the need for basic skills that require rote work (the 3Rs) but ultimately the most valuable skill for a lifetime is imagination (and a burning desire to pursue ideas). Adventure books, historical fiction, and biographies about people who pursued visions with great passion are the tools for training students to imagine. Your post indicates that you have the adventure books category covered. Try any or all the James Michener books for the historical fiction category

And three more good books for ages 8-18

2012-09-24 18:35:19 by -

Books for Grades 4 to 8< WhyNotWhyNot >09/24 12:08:44
I am a great believer that the most important purpose of elementary education is training in imagination. It is a given that there is always the need for basic skills that require rote work (the 3Rs) but ultimately the most valuable skill for a lifetime is imagination (and a burning desire to pursue ideas). Adventure books, historical fiction, and biographies about people who pursued visions with great passion are the tools for training students to imagine. Your post indicates that you have the adventure books category covered

Lies in the Da Vinci Code

2009-07-03 07:13:22 by xraydog

One of my current projects is to research so-called history that is actually based not upon dispassionate, objective research but upon sources that are (and always have been) questionable (if not completely fabricated).
The Da Vinci Code is probably the best poster child today. Of course, most of you will say "hey, it's just fiction." However, Dan Brown, the author, insists on page 1 of the book that the storyline is fictional, but it is based upon "true" historical facts.
The real "truth" of The Da Vinci Code is that Brown read a bunch of discredited books such as Holy Blood, Holy Grail that reputable scholars have rejected as nothing but garbage