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Quick answer: If you finished With the Old Breed, read Helmet for My Pillow, Band of Brothers, Flags of Our Fathers and Goodbye, Darkness. All are first-hand or close accounts of the Pacific and European wars, told with honesty about fear and loss.
Eugene Sledge's memoir describes his experience as a Marine mortarman at Peleliu and Okinawa in World War II, in plain, unsparing language. The books below offer more first-hand and carefully researched accounts of combat. All are nonfiction unless noted, and all are real, in-print books. They contain graphic violence.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Marine | Eugene Sledge | Adult | more Sledge |
| Helmet for My Pillow | Robert Leckie | Adult | the closest match |
| Band of Brothers | Stephen E. Ambrose | Adult | European war |
| Flags of Our Fathers | James Bradley and Ron Powers | Adult | Iwo Jima |
| Goodbye, Darkness | William Manchester | Adult | memoir and history |
| Guadalcanal Diary | Richard Tregaskis | Adult | first-hand reporting |
| Citizen Soldiers | Stephen E. Ambrose | Adult | ordinary soldiers |
| The Longest Day | Cornelius Ryan | Adult | D-Day history |
| A Bridge Too Far | Cornelius Ryan | Adult | a failed operation |
| All Quiet on the Western Front | Erich Maria Remarque | Adult | anti-war classics |
| The Things They Carried | Tim O'Brien | Adult | short story war fiction |
| Black Hawk Down | Mark Bowden | Adult | modern battle |
| The Naked and the Dead | Norman Mailer | Adult | military fiction |
| Unbroken | Laura Hillenbrand | Adult | survival in captivity |
| Battle Cry | Leon Uris | Adult | Marine fiction |
1. China Marine by Eugene Sledge
Sledge's second memoir about serving in China after the war. Shorter and less intense.
Best for: more Sledge.
2. Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie
A Marine's account of Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester and Peleliu. Vivid and honest, and a source for the TV series The Pacific.
Best for: the closest match.
3. Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose
The story of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry, from training to the war's end. Popular and well researched.
Best for: European war.
4. Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley and Ron Powers
The story of the men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. Moving and personal.
Best for: Iwo Jima.
5. Goodbye, Darkness by William Manchester
A historian recalls his time as a Marine in the Pacific. Literary and reflective.
Best for: memoir and history.
6. Guadalcanal Diary by Richard Tregaskis
A war correspondent's diary of the first US offensive. Immediate and clear.
Best for: first-hand reporting.
7. Citizen Soldiers by Stephen E. Ambrose
Follows US soldiers from D-Day to the end of the war in Europe. Detailed and human.
Best for: ordinary soldiers.
8. The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan
A classic account of D-Day told from many viewpoints. Clear and dramatic.
Best for: D-Day history.
9. A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan
The story of Operation Market Garden in 1944. Gripping and sad.
Best for: a failed operation.
10. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
A German soldier recounts the horror of World War I trenches. Short and powerful.
Best for: anti-war classics.
11. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Linked stories about soldiers in Vietnam. Beautiful, haunting and often taught in schools.
Best for: short story war fiction.
12. Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
A minute-by-minute account of a 1993 US raid in Mogadishu. Gripping and based on interviews.
Best for: modern battle.
13. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
A platoon fights in the Pacific in World War II. Gritty and psychological.
Best for: military fiction.
14. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
An Olympic runner survives a plane crash and a Japanese prison camp. Epic and harrowing.
Best for: survival in captivity.
15. Battle Cry by Leon Uris
A novel of a Marine battalion in World War II, from training to Pacific battles. Tough and popular.
Best for: Marine fiction.
How to Choose
For other Marine memoirs, begin with Helmet for My Pillow. For the European war, Band of Brothers and The Longest Day. For fiction, The Naked and the Dead and All Quiet on the Western Front. For modern combat, Black Hawk Down. These books contain graphic violence, so read them when you are ready. Memoirs of war can be hard to read, so take breaks and talk about what you read. Pair a first-hand account with a history, such as Ambrose or Ryan, to see the larger picture. Many public libraries also keep oral history collections you can listen to for free.
Related: 15 Books Like It Ends with Us You’ll Love: Emotional Romance and Hard Choices · What Age Is It Ends with Us Appropriate For? A Parent’s Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What is With the Old Breed about?
Sledge describes his service as a Marine at Peleliu and Okinawa in 1944 and 1945, including the horror and exhaustion of combat.
Is it a true story?
Yes. It is a memoir based on notes Sledge kept during the war.
Was it adapted for television?
Yes. Sledge appears as a character in HBO's The Pacific.
Is it very graphic?
Yes. It describes combat and death plainly.
Why do readers rate it so highly?
Its honesty, detail and humanity make it one of the finest memoirs of the war.
Who was Eugene Sledge?
A Marine from Alabama who served in the Pacific, later became a professor of biology and wrote his memoir from notes he kept in a pocket Bible.
Where did Sledge fight?
He fought at Peleliu and Okinawa in 1944 and 1945, two of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific.
Is the TV series faithful?
HBO's The Pacific draws on Sledge and Leckie's memoirs.
How long is the book?
About 330 pages.