Mississippi to Madrid: Memoir of a Black American in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade - James Yates Night - Marion Wiesel, Elie Wiesel How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child - Abigail Pesta, Sandra Uwiringiyimana The Complete Call the Midwife Stories: Collection 3 Books Set Call the Midwife, Shadows of the Workhouse, Farewell to the East End - Jennifer Worth Plenty of Time When We Get Home( Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War)[PLENTY OF TIME WHEN WE GET HOM][Hardcover] - KaylaWilliams

Biographies/Memoirs

6. Mississippi to Madrid: Memoir of a Black American in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade by James Yates - first book I read in my first history class in college. That semester the class (HISTORY 101 for History Majors) was spent learning all about the Spanish Civil War and this was what my professor started with as a bridge between American history and the conflict in Spain. Many POC who fought in the Lincoln Brigade would go on to serve in WWII and had more experience fighting Germany than their white counterparts because they had already seen the destruction the Nazis could do in war via Spain. Also a theme in the book is living life under Jim Crow and then going abroad to fight for another people's liberation. Can't recommend this one enough.

 

7. Night by Elie Wiesel - should be required reading for every high school freshman in the US. And every member of the US political realm.

 

8. How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana - ditto the sentiments in number 7.

 

9. Call the Midwife series by Jennifer Worth - while I do love the show, the memoirs of a mid-wife/district nurse in the poorest area of London after the war is a must read, especially in light of how the NHS is being used as a pawn in the Brexit/PM race. The second book doesn't deal with pregnancy or childbirth but does deal with people who are otherwise invisible.

 

10. Plenty of Time When We Get Home (Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War) by Kayla Williams - Kayla and Brian were friends, meeting through different times while both served in Afghanistan. Brian was involved in roadside bombing but nobody could know the depths of his injuries until much later. Kayla and Brian eventually fell in love and got married, but dealing with their own and each other's PTSD and Brian's physical injuries were challenging. Kayla and Brian are now working in the VA, hoping to create change in culture and attitude as well as policies that hinder a veteran's progress. I follow Kayla on Twitter and she is just a great person to highlight how women veterans are faring in the VA and what we can all do to help.