10 Books I have Loved Pt 2

In 10 Books I Have Loved Pt 1 I talked about ten works of fiction that I have really enjoyed. Today I'm going to talk about ten of my favourite non-fiction reads and there are some belters in here.

I tend to read more non-fiction than fiction these days and particularly enjoy autobiographies, though I've not included any here. I'm also a fan of World War 2 literature and have fallen in love with Anthony Beevor's writing.

But I'll start with a book I think everyone should read. Paul Foot explores the franchise thoroughly from beginning to now, and leaves no stone unturned exposing some of the lies and myths surround the democratic vote (in the UK), as well as chronicling how we got the franchise which was finally made universal in the UK after WWII, yes, it really is that recent.

Again, as in Part 1, rather than rank these books, I've left them in the order that Blogger uploaded them in.

I'll start with a funny one... the high hopes of the '97 General election are captured brilliantly in this book with the highlight being quite obvious from the title. It was a great night!


Breathtaking!
If you haven't read it you really need to. Solomon Northup concerns himself less with the babarity of slavery than his quest to get home to his family. Thankfully he makes it. Sadly the film ruins it as McQueen misses the point of the book. 


It's rare to hear a doctor being so candid, so Henry Marsh's candour makes for a refreshing and riveting read.


John Pilger is one of my heroes, his journalism is superb and of a quality rarely seen today. Here he discusses some of his heroes.


A harrowing and moving account of Clea Koff's work in piecing together the human cost of genocides like Rwanda and Serbia. Not an easy read, but one that should be a set text at schools.


Quite possibly the most frightening book I've ever read. Tzouladis exposes the US govt's complicity with the Soviet state in leaving hundreds of thousands of US citizens stuck in Stalin's Russia to be slaughtered. Truly shocking!


If you only read on book about life in the Warsaw Ghetto and the German extermination camps, I would highly recommend this one. Betty Jean Lifton tells the story of Janusz Korczak with grace and dignity conveying his undying passion for the children in his care right up to their death in Treblinka.


Paula gave me this for a Christmas present and I had never heard of Antony Beevor. I thought it would be another shoddy rendition of the subject, boy was I wrong! Today I have 9 of Beevor's books because he's the master of his subject with few coming close to his ability on the subject.


Ian Kershaw's first volume of European history is a breathtaking read, I couldn't put it down and am currently half way through Volume II, he really is that good.