One of my favorite methods of travel is time travel. I mean, I wish I had a time machine, or lived in a world where different time periods intersect, but I don't. Instead, I have Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL). MCPL is very good at supplying my time travel needs outside of visits to local museums. Reading is a gateway to other worlds, but what about our own world? What about our own past? While I read historical nonfiction, sometimes I need to explore the unknown side of history. Primary sources, like journals, can be hard to track down for the people that didn't change history, but lived the regular, day-to-day life.
That's why I read historical fiction. It merges history with the stories of the unknown and the famous. Sometimes historical fiction authors do use famous historical figures as the main characters. If you are a fan of the musical Hamilton, for instance, you might enjoy the historical fiction novel Revolutionary by Alex Myers, about Deborah Sampson, a woman who fought in the American Revolution disguised as a man.
I have many fond memories of listening to The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman in our car on a family trip, the same with The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King. We were so riveted by the latter that we sat in the living room with the CD to listen to the ending when we got home!
My personal favorite subgenres of historical fiction are historical mysteries and historical fantasy, especially if they are written by historians. My background is in museums and history, so I appreciate well-written historical fiction. I discovered the refreshing young adult series, The Agency by Y. S. Lee, about a Chinese-Irish female spy in Victorian England. The story delves into the Lascar (Asian sailor) community, which I didn't know about until I read the series. Elizabeth Peters, author of the Amelia Peabody series, started off as an Egyptologist but turned to writing mysteries. Her stories combine the history of archaeology in Egypt with social commentary on women's rights and imperialism. They're also quite hilarious.
Historians have a great appreciation for research and accuracy, which makes them valuable writers. Many include bibliographies and historical notes about accuracy and things that they changed. I have read two non-historian authors who included bibliographies in their novels, but I was disappointed when I realized they used rumor as a plot point and language that didn't fit the time period. Nor did they include historical notes. The notes help the reader see the difference between what's fact and what's fiction in the novel.
One of the best parts of Y. S. Lee's stories is that she is writing a story about a person of color in a period where history tends to be whitewashed. Another historian turned historical fantasy author, S. E. Grove, wrote a trilogy, the Mapmakers, featuring two main characters of mixed race, Sophia the granddaughter of slaves, and Theo, whose heritage is unknown, but assumed to be at least part Native American, part Spanish. Theo and Sophia travel through a fictionalized version Central America and Spain based on the author's research. This is important in a world like ours, where not everyone looks like what the media and even our schools teach us, all white and England-centric.
What is your favorite historical fiction story? What time period do you like to read about?
Want to hear more about historical fiction? Check out the latest episode of our podcast!
Sarah M.
Labels: Books, History
