Six historical fiction books based on true stories

Katie Moench is a librarian, runner, and lover of baked goods. A school librarian in the Upper Midwest, Moench lives with her husband and dog and spends her free time drinking coffee, trying new recipes, and adding to her TBR list.

At Book Riot she tagged six historical fiction titles based on real people and events, including:

How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

Set in Singapore during World War II, How We Disappeared sheds light on a lesser-discussed aspect of the Japanese occupation and weaves together the past and present. In 1942, 17-year-old Wang Di is kidnapped and taken to a Japanese military brothel where she is forced to work in sexual slavery as a “comfort woman.” In 2000, her grandson Kevin hears a mumbled admission from his ailing grandmother, which drives him to begin searching for the story of her life. The novel flows between 1942 and 2000, showing how the tragedies Wang Di suffered during the war have affected her and her family’s lives. As she grows more ill, even more secrets are revealed. Praised for its skilled structure and evocative writing, the book was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize and longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Read about the other novels on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue