Recommendations based on A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diaryby Marta Hillers

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Rape of Nanking

    by Iris Chang
    A harrowing account of the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers during the Nanking Massacre in 1937.

    In December 1937, the Japanese army invaded the ancient city of Nanking, systematically raping, torturing, and murdering more than 300,000 Chinese civilians. This book tells the story from three ... (Goodreads)

  2. Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942–1943

    by Antony Beevor
    The epic story of the Battle of Stalingrad and its devastating impact on WWII.

    The Battle of Stalingrad was not only the psychological turning point of World War II: it also changed the face of modern warfare. From Antony Beevor, the internationally bestselling author of, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  3. King Leopold's Ghost

    by Adam Hochschild
    A harrowing account of the colonization of the Congo and the exploitation of its people.

    In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. Carrying out a ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Forgotten Soldier

    by Guy Sajer
    A memoir of a German soldier's experiences during WWII, depicting the horrors of war.

    Forgotten Soldier recounts the horror of World War II on the eastern front, as seen through the eyes of a teenaged German soldier. At first an exciting adventure, young Guy Sajer’s war becomes, as ... (Goodreads)

  5. The Fall of Berlin 1945

    by Antony Beevor
    A detailed account of the final days of World War II in Berlin, from the perspectives of both the German and Soviet sides.

    The Red Army had much to avenge when it finally reached the frontiers of the Reich in January 1945. Political instructors rammed home the message of Wehrmacht and SS brutality. The result was the ... (Goodreads)

  6. Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War

    by Evan Wright
    A journalist embedded with a Marine battalion during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, providing a raw and unfiltered account of modern warfare.

    Another nameless town, another target for First Recon. It's only five in the afternoon, but a sandtorm has plunged everything into a hellish twilight of murky, red dust. On rooftops, in alleyways ... (Goodreads)

  7. Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster

    by Svetlana Alexievich
    An oral history of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, as told by the survivors.

    Written by the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl and contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers

    by Will Durant
    History of the philosophical thought, spanning centuries of influential thinkers.

    A brilliant and concise account of the lives and ideas of the great philosophers, from Plato to Dewey. Few write for the non-specialist as well as Will Durant, and this book is a splendid example of ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Autobiography of Malcolm X

    by Malcolm X
    A gripping account of one man's transformation from criminal to civil rights leader.

    Alternate cover for ISBN 9780345350688 Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his ... (Goodreads)

  10. War's Unwomanly Face

    by Svetlana Alexievich
    An exploration of the lives of Soviet women who served in World War II.

    This book is a confession, a document and a record of people's memory. More than 200 women speak in it, describing how young girls, who dreamed of becoming brides, became soldiers in 1941. More than ... (Goodreads)

  11. Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

    by Erik Larson
    Story of the 1900 Galveston hurricane, and one man's desperate struggle to save his city.

    September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange ... (Goodreads)

  12. The Second Sex

    by Simone de Beauvoir
    A philosophical exploration of the history, struggles and oppression of women in society.

    Newly translated and unabridged in English for the first time, Simone de Beauvoir’s masterwork is a powerful analysis of the Western notion of “woman,” and a groundbreaking exploration of inequality ... (Goodreads)

  13. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

    by Erik Larson
    A family's struggle to cope with the darkness of Nazi Germany, as seen through one man's courage.

    The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Elements of Style

    by William Strunk Jr.
    A practical guide to written English, providing guidance on grammar and style.

    This style manual offers practical advice on improving writing skills. Throughout, the emphasis is on promoting a plain English style. This little book can help you communicate more effectively by ... (Goodreads)

  15. Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

    by David McCullough
    Biography of Theodore Roosevelt, tracing his humble beginnings to his rise to power.

    Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. ... (Goodreads)

  16. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

    by Stephen King
    A series of personal reflections on the art of writing, and the power of story-telling.

    "Long live the King" hailed Entertainment Weekly upon the publication of Stephen King's On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is ... (Goodreads)

  17. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

    by Charles C. Mann
    Re-examination of the pre-Columbian Americas, uncovering new evidence of its history.

    In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.,Contrary to what so many ... (Goodreads)

  18. Stitches

    by David Small
    A graphic memoir of a boy's struggle with illness, family secrets, and his own voice.

    One day David Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that he had been transformed into a virtual mute. A vocal cord removed, his throat slashed and stitched together like a ... (Goodreads)

  19. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began

    by Art Spiegelman
    A graphic novel recounting a Holocaust survivor's harrowing experience and his son's attempt to reconcile with his father's past.

    Acclaimed as a quiet triumph and a brutally moving work of art, the first volume of Art Spieglman's Maus introduced readers to Vladek Spiegleman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

    by Anne Fadiman
    Exploring the cultural divide between the Hmong people and the medical establishment.

    Lia Lee was born in 1982 to a family of recent Hmong immigrants, and soon developed symptoms of epilepsy. By 1988 she was living at home but was brain dead after a tragic cycle of misunderstanding, ... (Goodreads)

  21. If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home

    by Tim O'Brien
    A reflective memoir of war from the perspective of a young soldier.

    Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found, here, A CLASSIC FROM THE, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF, THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, Before writing his award-winning Going After Cacciato , Tim ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Year of Magical Thinking

    by Joan Didion
    A woman's reflections on life and death after the sudden loss of her husband.

    'An act of consummate literary bravery, a writer known for her clarity allowing us to watch her mind as it becomes clouded with grief.' From one of America's iconic writers, a stunning book of ... (Goodreads)

  23. Down and Out in Paris and London

    by George Orwell
    An exploration of the dark side of two cities, and how life can be different for the privileged and the destitute.

    This unusual fictional memoir - in good part autobiographical - narrates without self-pity and often with humor the adventures of a penniless British writer among the down-and-outs of two great ... (Goodreads)

  24. Not Without My Daughter

    by Betty Mahmoody
    A woman's dramatic fight for freedom from an oppressive husband in a foreign land.

    It was August 3, 1984. Moody, Betty, and Mahtob had spent two days traveling from their home in Detroit to Moody's native country of Iran. In preparation for their arrival, Betty, at Moody's request, ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Battle Cry of Freedom

    by James M. McPherson
    A comprehensive history of the American Civil War, focusing on the political and military aspects.

    Filled with fresh interpretations and information, puncturing old myths and challenging new ones, Battle Cry of Freedom will unquestionably become the standard one-volume history of the Civil War. ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Sociopath Next Door

    by Martha Stout
    An exploration of sociopathic behaviour and how to identify it in individuals.

    Who is the devil you know? Is it your lying, cheating ex-husband? Your sadistic high school gym teacher? Your boss who loves to humiliate people in meetings? The colleague who stole your idea and ... (Goodreads)

  27. French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew

    by Peter Mayle
    A humorous and informative memoir of a man's culinary adventures in France, exploring the country's food, wine, and culture.

    A delightful, delicious, and best-selling account of the gustatory pleasures to be found throughout France, from the beloved author of A Year in Provence . The French celebrate food and drink more ... (Goodreads)

  28. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

    by James W. Loewen
    Exposing the inaccuracies in American history textbooks and exploring the forces that shaped them.

    “Every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book. It is both a refreshing antidote to what has passed for history in our educational system and a one-volume education in ... (Barnes & Noble)

  29. A Girl Named Zippy

    by Haven Kimmel
    A charming account of growing up in rural Indiana, exploring the joys and hardships of life.

    When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965 in Mooreland, Indiana, it was a sleepy little hamlet of three hundred people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would bolt around the house, this small girl was ... (Goodreads)

  30. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

    by Anthony Bourdain
    A humorous and unflinching account of life in restaurant kitchens, exploring the culture and camaraderie of the culinary world.

    A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute ... (Goodreads)