Amazon Best Sellers: Does History Really Repeat Itself?

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours”
― Alan Bennett

Kindle History Best Sellers are the perfect way to lose yourself in the past.  Find an old friend, make a new one…Discover something about yourself that you never knew before.  Here are 10 of the top 100 History Best Sellers from November.  Don’t take our word for it though–take some time to peruse their offerings and discover for yourself what they have to offer!

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

This true story of nine farmboys from 1936 reads like a novel, but it’s a very true story.  Joe Rantz, and his eight man oar team row their way to history during the Great Depression.  Seamlessly woven into the story is the story of the crew itself, and the power of determination and what it takes to find glory.

Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl

In this day and age, when everyone is writing a memoir designed to outshock the guy before them comes a refreshing look at a happy childhood.  Carol Bodensteiner captures life in rural middle America during the middle of the 20th century.  Her stories of growing up on her family’s dairy farm will warm you to the heart and remind you of your own stories, back when life was a lot simpler.

GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love

During WWII, thousands of American GI’s were stationed in Great Britain.  When they returned home, they brought more than just a victory…over 70,000 of them brought a bride.  Here are the true stories of four young women who left everything to follow the men that they loved across the ocean to a world they didn’t know, to begin a life in the United States.  Each of their journeys was unique–from heartwarming to heartbreaking–and when you finish reading, you’ll feel like you have found four new friends.

President’s Speech: The Stories behind the Most Memorable Presidential Addresses

The President of the United States is arguably the most powerful man in the world–and whether or not you like the man behind the podium–you have to respect the mind behind the man.  Here are 25 of the most memorable speeches by more than two dozen presidents over the years.  Even if you’re heard them before, you will discover the often conflicting points of view that shaped each one, and the nuances that often went unsaid.  For the true history buff, this is a must read that you won’t be able to put down.

Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot

In November of 1963, four bullets fired on a Dallas street changed the course of history, and the reverberations are still being felt today.  John Fitzgerald Kennedy was arguably one of the most beloved presidents ever to grace the Oval Office, and his death marked the end of an era.  Best-selling author Bill O’Reilly examines the assassination of JFK–the events leading up to it and the resulting turmoil–in page-turning detail that will open your eyes, even if you thought you already knew what happened.

Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

A rare glimpse into the life of a young woman in Saudi Arabia, one of the most repressive nations on Earth for a female.  The niece of a king, Sultana is valued for nothing more than her ability to serve her husband and bear his children.  Married off to a man who values her mind and her spirit, Sultana dares to challenge the injustice that has been inflicted on the women of her country for thousands of years.  Named one of the 500 Great Books by Women since 1300, Princess provides a never-before-seen look into the life of a woman who was determined to make a difference.

Victoria: A Life

When Queen Victoria died in 1901, she had been on the English throne for 64 years.  Widowed early in her reign, she went on to lead by herself, raising nine children and asserting her independence in a world dominated by men.  She is Britian’s longest reigning monarch, and her life still fascinates us, even more than 100 years after her death.  A poignant look at one of the most compelling women of the 19th century, and the legacy that she leaves even today.

Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was a brilliant war strategist, a fierce fighter and so far ahead of his time that his battle techniques are still studied today.  In 1862, he was just another Confederate general fighting a losing battle.  In June of that year, he staged what is arguably the greatest military campaign in American history and gave the South a new found courage to stand and fight another day.  For Civil War buffs, there is no greater read.

Night (Night Trilogy)

Elie Wiesel’s first person account of the horrors of Nazi Germany and life in a concentration camp is arguably one of the most poignant stories ever written.  More than just accounts of the horrors, Wiesel looks deeply into the minds of the men behind the torture, and why they were willing to kill for a cause that they didn’t truly understand.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, death, and hope in a Mumbai undercity

The dramatic stories of the families of Annawadi, a slum settlement in the shadow of the Mumbai airport.  As the city begins to prosper, those who make their living sorting trash in the dump are hopeful–looking to a better life.  False accusations and a global recession bring simmering tensions to the boiling point and threaten to unravel everything they’ve hoped for.  A gripping look into a world on the cusp of change, and the families whose destiny hangs in the balance.

This is just a sample of the Best History Kindle Books available right now.  There are hundreds more to choose from, stories of the past that compel us to look at where we’ve come from and where we’re going.  Take some time and peruse the selections on the Amazon Kindle site, and tell us in the comments below which ones you couldn’t put down.