What kind of writing teaches you most about history?
In the 21st century, information is always at your fingertips. With a few keystrokes and the push of a button, you can easily answer almost any question or research nearly any topic. Of course, this was not always the case. Before the invention of smartphones and laptops, if you wanted to learn something, you had to read about it in a book.
Which kinds of books would teach you about the history of the world? As you already know, nonfiction texts are full of carefully researched facts and are always a good choice when it comes to learning about the past. But what about fiction? Can you learn history by reading novels? Most definitely! There is an entire genre devoted to portraying historical events and figures in realistic, accurate, and entertaining ways. It’s called--naturally--historical fiction.
Have you read any of these examples of historical fiction? Click the image above each title to find out what you might learn about history just by reading the novel.
Number the Stars
In Number the Stars, a ten-year-old Jewish girl named Annemarie escapes Denmark during World War II to avoid being forced into a concentration camp. Annemarie is a fictional character, but her experiences describe what many Jewish families went through in 1943.
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Crispin: The Cross of Lead is about a thirteen-year-old peasant boy who is left to survive on his own after the death of his mother. After he is falsely accused of theft, Crispin sets out on a journey to the Great City, hoping to learn who his father was and what his mother’s cross of lead means. Even though Crispin is a fictional character, this novel accurately demonstrates the challenges, lifestyles, and religious beliefs of England in 1377 A.D.
Bud, Not Buddy
Bud, Not Buddy is set in Michigan in 1936 and follows the adventures of ten-year-old Bud, who has been living in orphanages and foster homes for the past four years. Bud’s only possessions are a few things that belonged to his mother: a blanket, a bag of rocks, and a flier for a jazz band. Soon after the novel begins, Bud runs away from his latest foster home, determined to find a place where he belongs. Although Bud’s is a fictional story, it realistically depicts the struggles that would face an orphaned African American boy during 1936.
Question
How would the experience of reading a historical fiction novel like Number the Stars differ from reading a nonfiction text that includes facts and maps about the Holocaust?
Nonfiction--by definition--consists of facts rather than made-up characters and events. Reading facts about the Holocaust might be an eye-opening, even shocking experience. However, historical fiction allows readers to connect to the characters and to imagine past events through their eyes. Those events may feel more real and may affect you more, emotionally, than reading a nonfiction book containing only facts.
