Books About American War Secrets
The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer
Written by Jennet Conant, this history book recounts the events that occurred after the bombing of Bari by the Nazi forces on December 2, 1943. Soon after the attack, the wounded started exhibiting symptoms such as balloon-sized blisters and intense eye pain. American medical officer Stewart Francis Alexander who investigated the mysterious maladies, soon discovered that the sailors were exposed to mustard gas. Allied leaders blamed the Germans while trying to cover up that the gas was part of an Allied military shipment. While helping patients, Alexander realized that mustard gas could be used for cancer treatment, which led to the invention of chemotherapy.
The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West
The Three-Cornered War by Megan Kate Nelson tells the story of the war between the United States and the native-American Apache and Navajo communities. The book is written from the perspective of nine key players, including Texas legislator John R. Baylor, Apache leader Mangas Coloradas, and Navajo weaver Juanita. Nelson’s book focused on the brutalities of westward expansion and the United State’s objectives to put an end to slavery and eliminate indigenous tribes.
The History of Minorities in America
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Isabel Wilkerson presents a compelling view of how black Americans are treated by their country. She draws parallels between the United States, India, and Nazi Germany to identity the “eight pillars” of the cast system. Her well-researched and poetically written book shed light on the ramifications of dividing people into separate categories.
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X was started by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Les Payne and completed by his daughter, Tamara, after his passing in 2018. The book is a biography of a civil rights leader Malcolm X and depicts an extraordinary portrait of the man behind the icon.
One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965
Jia Lynn Yang’s One Mighty and Irresistible Tide examines the impact of the Johnson-Reed Act on America’s immigrant population. She highlights the government’s xenophobic character and puts the limelight on politicians who fought for a more inclusive immigration policy.
Any one of these five books would be a great gift and read for any history buff who is interested in American history, and history as a whole.