Far from being dry and boring as many people imagine, there are historical non fiction books which can provide you with as enjoyable a read as any novel. Instead of reading what someone has made up, you are reading about real people, places and events which actually took place. Of course there are those plodding, dense tombs which only the most avid history scholars would attempt to read but many a history book can be gripping, with a good mix of narrative and action.
There are those who regard an understanding of the past to be unnecessary. They want to live in the present with no regard for the past. However, escaping the past is not really possible and gaining an insight into how society developed is important. Reading about past events and characters who lived in previous eras helps us to do this.
It is not always the case that facts reveal the truth. They can be presented in many different ways. The bias of an author will influence how those facts are presented. For example, an event like the French Revolution would be described very differently from the perspective of a peasant to that of an aristocrat. In a book like the Diary of Ann Frank we get a unique view of life in a time of war through the eyes of a child.
If you are interested in getting as close to the truth as possible about an event or individual in history, it is best to read several accounts by different authors. Authors who quote from original sources allow you access to the thoughts of individuals who actually lived in the time they are writing about. Some authors have a talent for using sources to put together a fascinating glimpse into motivations for actions.
The ability to draw a reader into the past is vital. For example, people should be able to experience life in another era as though they were living then. A way in which to do this is to use feelings which we still experience today such as pain, hunger, love and hope. This makes it easier for us to relate to the past.
People who love reading this genre often do so because of the increased understanding it gives them about society and human beings. They find out what similarities there are between the way people lived then and how we live now as well as how different it was. It also helps them to find out more about different countries and cultures and what influenced their current attitudes.
Reading a book of this nature can also be inspirational. We learn from history how much influence a single person or a committed group of people can have on events. Reading about the lives of people like Gandhi or Martin Luther King has this inspiring effect. Of course we also learn from history about the negative effect tyrants and dictators can have on society.
Historical non fiction is not as boring as you may think. Reading such a book may give you a chance to enrich your knowledge while being entertained in the process. You can develop a new understanding of the world, the people who live in it and what motivates them to do what they do.
There are those who regard an understanding of the past to be unnecessary. They want to live in the present with no regard for the past. However, escaping the past is not really possible and gaining an insight into how society developed is important. Reading about past events and characters who lived in previous eras helps us to do this.
It is not always the case that facts reveal the truth. They can be presented in many different ways. The bias of an author will influence how those facts are presented. For example, an event like the French Revolution would be described very differently from the perspective of a peasant to that of an aristocrat. In a book like the Diary of Ann Frank we get a unique view of life in a time of war through the eyes of a child.
If you are interested in getting as close to the truth as possible about an event or individual in history, it is best to read several accounts by different authors. Authors who quote from original sources allow you access to the thoughts of individuals who actually lived in the time they are writing about. Some authors have a talent for using sources to put together a fascinating glimpse into motivations for actions.
The ability to draw a reader into the past is vital. For example, people should be able to experience life in another era as though they were living then. A way in which to do this is to use feelings which we still experience today such as pain, hunger, love and hope. This makes it easier for us to relate to the past.
People who love reading this genre often do so because of the increased understanding it gives them about society and human beings. They find out what similarities there are between the way people lived then and how we live now as well as how different it was. It also helps them to find out more about different countries and cultures and what influenced their current attitudes.
Reading a book of this nature can also be inspirational. We learn from history how much influence a single person or a committed group of people can have on events. Reading about the lives of people like Gandhi or Martin Luther King has this inspiring effect. Of course we also learn from history about the negative effect tyrants and dictators can have on society.
Historical non fiction is not as boring as you may think. Reading such a book may give you a chance to enrich your knowledge while being entertained in the process. You can develop a new understanding of the world, the people who live in it and what motivates them to do what they do.
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