10 Greatest Books Based on True Stories for Your Reading List

Call me old fashioned, but I love nothing more than curling up with a good book and getting lost in the story created by someone else. This experience is only improved when the drama within the pages is actually true, and the literary adventure becomes a history lesson as well. 

While books based on true stories can be harder to read, they are often inspiring and leave far more of a lasting impression than fiction ever could. In light of this, I’ve scoured my own library and picked out ten of the best books based on true stories or events.

12 Years a Slave (Solomon Northup, 1853)

12 Years a Slave, which has since been turned into a movie starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender, is the true story of Solomon Northup. Born as the son to an emancipated slave, he had a relatively successful life in New York until he was kidnapped in 1841 and sold into slavery for 12 years. After being freed and returning to New York, he recorded his experience and all these years later, this is one book that everybody should read in their lifetime.

A Street Cat Named Bob (James Bowen, 2012)

A Street Cat Named Bob is the story of James, a down-on-his-luck former addict who finds himself homeless and hopeless. At least until he finds Bob, or rather, Bob finds him. This is a heartwarming story of perseverance, unlikely friendships, and the truth that should be universally known at this point — a cat can be man’s best friend, as well. 

A Child Called ‘It’ (Dave Pelzer, 1995)

A Child Called ‘It’ is the heartbreaking true story of author Dave Pelzer and the horrors that he experienced while at the center of one of the worst child abuse cases in the history of California. It’s actually the first book in a trilogy (The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave making up the trilogy) recounting Dave’s life as he grew up and moved past his terrible upbringing. 

The Black Dahlia (James Ellroy, 1987)

I’d be amazed if you didn’t know the true story of the Black Dahlia, aka Elizabeth Short, who was found murdered in brutal fashion in 1947. The Black Dahlia is based on this series of true events, although events within the novel are dramatized for literary purposes. Nevertheless, The Black Dahlia is an interesting and unforgettable look into Los Angeles in the years immediately following World War II.

The 57 Bus (Dashka Slater, 2017)

Back in 2013, a teenager named Sasha Fleischman was riding the 57 bus home in Oakland California when another teenager, Richard Thomas, set fire to Sasha’s skirt, leaving them with burns covering their legs. The 57 Bus is the retelling of events and the aftermath of that one brief moment in time, when bad choices changed the lives of two teenagers forever.

Call the Midwife (Jennifer Worth, 2002)

Call the Midwife is essentially the memoirs of one Midwife in East London in the years immediately following World War II. Having since been dramatized and turned into a TV series which now spans 13 seasons, the original book is more factual and full of insight into what Jennifer faced on a daily basis on her rounds. One lovely fact about this book is that Worth wrote it entirely by hand, with her husband then transcribing it for her.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Heather Morris, 2017)

Originally written as a screenplay, The Tattooist of Auschwitz focuses on Lale Sokolov, prisoner at Auschwitz in 1942, and how he fell in love with a girl that he was tattooing. That girl, Gita Furman, later went on to become Sokolov’s wife and the two were happily married for the rest of their lives. Morris, a friend of the pair’s son, spent six years meeting with Lale before turning his life into this incredible tale. 

The Family Next Door (John Glatt, 2019)

In 2018, people across the globe were left in awe when a 17 year old girl fled from her home for the first time in her life and sought help for herself and her 12 siblings. The Family Next Door looks into the events which transpired in the Turpin household in Perris, California. This one is definitely not for the faint of heart, but some stories just need to be shared and this tale of bravery in unimaginable circumstances is definitely one such story. 

438 Days (Jonathan Franklin, 2015)

Imagine being lost on a small boat, in the middle of the Pacific ocean, with absolutely no idea when or if you’ll reach land. Now imagine doing that for 438 days, or if you’d rather, 14 months. That’s what happened to Salvador Alvarenga and his crewmate, after a storm disrupted their fishing trip 80 miles off of the coast of Mexico. 438 Days is an incredible true story of resilience, and definitely needs to be on your reading list. 

The Good Nurse (Charles Graeber, 2013)

Nurses are meant to be some of the most trustworthy people in the world. They take care of us when we’re sick, and our lives are sometimes quite literally in their hands. The Good Nurse is the story of Charles Cullen, who spent 16 years working as a Nurse and used his position to take the lives of up to 400 people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Again, not one for the faint of heart.