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The Best History Book

Last updated on August 6, 2023

We looked at the top 9 History Books and dug through the reviews from 60 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best History Books.

Best History Book

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  • You’ll likely choose a history book based on an event you simply want to learn more about. If you’re fascinated with the history of man, Yuval Noah Harari’s “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” will appeal to you. Gregory A. Freeman’s “The Forgotten 500” focuses on 500 specific men, covering Operation Halyard, which was part of World War II. Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” homes in on American history, tossing out the history taught in schools with the goal of teaching the unvarnished truth about our country. Donnie Eichar’s “Dead Mountain” tells the fascinating story of nine experienced hikers who died mysteriously after inexplicably exiting their tent during a camping trip.
  • Readability is huge with a history book, especially if you prefer a more casual, laid-back approach to storytelling. Gregory A. Freeman’s “The Forgotten 500” reads like a suspense novel, taking you along on the adventure. Donnie Eichar’s “Dead Mountain” is also immensely readable, retelling an already riveting story based on years of research. Yuval Noah Harari’s “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” on the other hand, is 464 pages and does tend to read a bit like a textbook.
  • The best history books go beyond merely telling a story, instead conveying a theme that can serve as a mirror of what humanity is going through today. Yuval Noah Harari’s “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” poses questions that make readers think. The author explores the reasons behind humans building large populations, compared to other primates that keep things small.
  • Some historical novels are worth reading simply because they tell a story that’s long overdue to be told. Gregory A. Freeman’s “The Forgotten 500” brings to light the men who had to fight hard to get back to their families, also acknowledging those who died for their right to do so.
  • Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” is not objective, but that’s part of the book’s charm. With passion, the author tells the stories of the Americans often forgotten in history books — namely women and people of color, as well as factory workers and immigrant laborers.
  • Donnie Eichar’s “Dead Mountain” tells the well-known Dyatlov Pass mystery, which has yet been solved. Although Eichar does detail the facts leading up to the hikers’ mysterious sudden departure from their tent into the blustery cold, snowy night, the rest is his own theory into what happened. He does pull as many facts as possible into making those statements, and his theory is better than most of the others that have been proposed in this case.
  • As valuable as all the other factors are, if the historical novel you’re reading isn’t accurate, it isn’t worth reading. Even when a book is accurate, though, you’ll usually find the author has no choice but to occasionally inject a personal opinion or two. In Yuval Noah Harari’s “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” for instance, the author structures an argument that the agricultural revolution was one of the biggest mistakes in history. Gregory A. Freeman’s “The Forgotten 500” shows a bias toward Draza Mihailovich, who was a Yugoslav Serb and friend of the U.S. during World War II. Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” does assert heavily that the ruling class’s oppression of a part of the population is to blame for everything that has happened in America. In Donnie Eichar’s “Dead Mountain,” the author offers a scientific, weather phenomenon-related explanation for nine people rushing from a tent, separating and later being found dead in various conditions.

Our Picks For The Top History Books

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Yuval Noah Harari Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

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Yuval Noah Harari

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Books covering the evolution of man often focus on science. Yuval Noah Harari's "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" looks into why the human species has evolved the way it has vs. other species that took a different path. Harari does inject personal opinion into some of the writing. But it's from the perspective of a professor with a PhD in hi...

Overall Take

Books covering the evolution of man often focus on science. Yuval Noah Harari's "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" looks into why the human species has evolved the way it has vs. other species that took a different path. Harari does inject personal opinion into some of the writing. But it's... Read More

Pros
" Fortunately, Sapiens doesn’t read like a textbook. It entices the readers from the first page and flows well, connecting lots of information in an interesting way."
Cons
"As much as I enjoyed Sapiens, there was plenty to disagree with in the book. For example, Harari sets out to prove that the agricultural revolution was one of the biggest mistakes in human history. Agricultural societies also created social..."

Donnie Eichar Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident

Donnie Eichar

Dead Mountain

Donnie Eichar's "Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident" covers a mystery that has haunted people for decades. The telling of the story comes backed by years of research. However, the author also offers his own informed theory of what happened on the mountain that evening.

Overall Take

Donnie Eichar's "Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident" covers a mystery that has haunted people for decades. The telling of the story comes backed by years of research. However, the author also offers his own informed theory of what happened on the mountain that evening.

Pros
" The author deftly explores theories common and uncommon, the most off-putting being an infrasonic wave known to cause hallucinations and disorientation. It’s not a revelatory portrait of the incident, but for Western readers, it’s a well-told and accurate whodunit."

Howard Zinn A People’s History of the United States

Howard Zinn

A People's History of the United States

You learned about American history in school, but primarily from one perspective. Howard Zinn's work takes a look at history through the eyes of those whose stories are rarely told. The book connects oppression to many of the issues that America has faced over the years.

Overall Take

You learned about American history in school, but primarily from one perspective. Howard Zinn's work takes a look at history through the eyes of those whose stories are rarely told. The book connects oppression to many of the issues that America has faced over the years.

Pros
" So Zinn has an important, necessary story to tell in “A People’s History.” This was especially true in 1980 when his book was first published. Then, it was a tonic to the hyper-propaganda that passed for history in our textbooks..."
Cons
"The book is, obviously, quite biased."

Gregory A. Freeman The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II

Gregory A. Freeman

The Forgotten 500

Gregory A. Freeman's "The Forgotten 500" tells the story of Operation Halyard during World War II, the biggest rescue operation of American Airmen in history. You won't be able to put the book down, thanks to the suspense and adventure in the tale. Most importantly, you'll learn about the men who escaped, as well as those who gave their lives so t...

Overall Take

Gregory A. Freeman's "The Forgotten 500" tells the story of Operation Halyard during World War II, the biggest rescue operation of American Airmen in history. You won't be able to put the book down, thanks to the suspense and adventure in the tale. Most importantly, you'll learn about the men who... Read More

Pros
" Sixty years ago, more than five hundred Allied airmen—starving, frightened, hiding from the Germans—lurked in the hills of Yugoslavia. They’d been shot down during years of relentless bombing runs against a crucial target: the Romanian oil fields that supplied the..."
Cons
"The author's bias in favor of Mihailovic must be something to keep in mind."
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Our experts reviewed the top 9 History Books and also dug through the reviews from 60 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best History Books.

DWYM is your trusted roduct review source. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. Learn more.

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What to Look For

Writer and philosopher George Santayana once wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But before you can remember the past, you first must know about it. History class probably taught you all the basics, but it’s up to you, as an adult, to take a deep dive into various events.

The history section of a bookstore is as diverse as any other genre. It captures a span of centuries and events, covering everything from mysterious happenings to war heroes. As you browse, you’ll likely be drawn to the type of subject matter that best suits your interest. But more goes into a good historical novel than the topic it’s covering.

With any historical telling, you’re getting one person’s perspective on the events. A good author will conduct thorough research and even conduct numerous interviews in order to present all the facts to the reader. But many historical books are written with at least a little bias, as the author can’t possibly provide every single perspective. Make sure before you read that you’re going to get as accurate a portrayal as possible, rather than simply reading an author’s thoughts on what happened.

That said, there are some history books that require a bit of speculation. Even historical experts sometimes contribute their thoughts to these books. If you’re reading about a war, for instance, you may only get one side’s perspective, requiring you to pick up another book to get the full picture.

In the end, though, whether a history book is enjoyable or not will have a lot to do with how it’s written. Some history books are very straightforward, like a textbook, but many others inject humor or the author’s unique voice into the writing to keep you turning the page. Read a few pages of the book before you buy to make sure the writing suits your own personal tastes.

More to Explore

There have been many theories about the Dyatlov Pass Incident since it happened in 1959. The tent had been cut open from the inside, and there were eight to nine sets of footprints leading to the edge of the nearby woods. What caused the hikers to cut a hole in the tent and run? All nine had died from hypothermia, but why they ran, and why they couldn’t make their way back to the tent later, remains a mystery. Some experts have theorized an avalanche, but there were no signs that an avalanche had happened. Experts have explored the possibility that the team stumbled into a radioactive weapons testing area and were forced out of their tent due to that. More recent theories have dismissed those, using what science knows today to provide a more plausible explanation for what happened there.

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