Tuesday, January 26, 2021

The Consolations of History

Congratulations to our own Hank Phillippi Ryan, whose novel THE FIRST TO LIE has been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award!!

 

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's no secret I'm a big fan of history. I double-majored in history and theater as an undergraduate, and when in grad school for museum studies, my academic concentration was 17th century colonial history. 

 

When I switched from working in museums to law school, I wrote my thesis on 17th century colonial legal codes (a good writer never throws away material, she only recycles.) 

 

 

As a reader, I love historical fiction, historical mystery, historical romance, etc. etc. I’m not sure of my love of studying the events of the past come from being dragged around Important Sites in Europe as a child, touring the revolutionary battlefields of eastern New York, or just hearing tales of my own family in days gone by.

 

However, I’ve recently discovered, along with most of the rest of us, that actually living through History-with-a-capital-H is not as much fun as one might suppose. Many the time I have wondered, “What was it like for people living through --------?” Fill in the blank with war, migration, plague, invasion, etc. Well, now I know. It sucked, that’s what it was like, and the ordinary folks of the 11th or 14th or 17th century (or those living through WWI and the Spanish Influenza) spent a lot of time wishing things would just calm the heck down and go back to the way they used to be.

 

Lately, for consolation, I’ve been listening to a new history podcast (having already gone through Mike Duncan’s excellent History of Rome and Patrick Wyman’s riveting The Fall of Rome.) The latter introduced me to my new obsession: The Fall of Civilizations, by writer and man of letters Paul M.M. Cooper.

 

So far, I’ve made it through the end of Roman Briton, the Mediterranean Bronze Age collapse, the disappearance of Vikings from Greenland, the toppling of the Mayan empire and the fall of the mighty Khmer empire, once centered at the great city of Angkor. There are themes in common: most of the civilizations that went down relied on scarce resources, often from far away. They were part of networks of trade and alliances that worked until they didn’t. And almost every one so far suffered from climate change; ether the end of the Roman Climactic Optimum, some nasty volcanic explosions, or the Little Ice Age. No cities fallen into disuse and people scattered due to a warming earth—yet. I’m only up to the 16th century, after all.

 

Why am I enjoying the experience of reliving so many disasters? It actually gives me hope. The Maya and the Khmer and the Britons didn’t disappear from the earth, after all. They went different places, and lived different lives. Now, were they as comfortable and easy as in days of yore? No. But they did go on, to quote Celine Dion.

 

And so will we.

 

So, dear readers, what periods of history do you find fascinating? And which ones inspire you?

97 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Hank!

    History is quite intriguing . . . I'm particularly fascinated with Egyptian history, the early explorers, and the Renaissance.

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    1. Thank you! I was so incredibly surprised and thrilled!

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    2. Joan, when I was a girl I wanted nothing more than to be an Egyptian archaeologist. Sadly, I discovered it was not quite the way it was in the 19th century!

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  2. Yay, congratulations Hank on your Mary Higgins Clark award nomination!

    As a teen, I was fascinated with both Greek and Egyptian mythology, and also enjoyed reading their history.

    In terms of mystery fiction, I tend ONLY read books set in either WWI or WWII.
    But I do enjoy reading the QUAKER MIDWIFE mysteries by frequent commenter EDITH MAXWELL that are set in the 1880s.

    And it's funny that the Lefty Awards (Left Coast Crime) has a historical mystery award for any book set BEFORE 1970! I don't consider the 1960s as old enough to be historic (since I was born during that decade), but that is their cut-off period.

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    1. Grace, US historic preservation laws set 50 years prior to the present as 'historic', maybe that has something to do with the Lefty Awards' cut-off date.

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    2. FLORA: Thank you for that information. The Lefty awards moved their eligible period for the historical award last year, and I had wondered why they had done so. That makes sense now.

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    3. I agree, Grace! I always think that is hilarious. That makes us historicals, right?

      And thank you so much!

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    4. HANK: Yes, I am in DENIAL about being part of the historical era, lol.

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    5. Youngest studied the Vietnam war - which I recall seeing on TV! - in high school. And she considered it as about as far in the past as WWII! I have never felt so aged.

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    6. I was born late in 1932, and was a wife and mother during the 1960s--that's just yesterday! I was not quite 13 when World War II ended, so that era is well imprinted in my memory. I really appreciate Rhys's books set during both world wars.
      Congratulations, Hank--that nomination is so well deserved! Lenita

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  3. Brava to Hank!

    I've made quite a study of the end of the nineteenth century, as Grace so kindly mentioned, and am fascinated by so much changing at once. More recently I've been delving into the 1920s - even more rapid change.

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    1. Thank you! And yes, I bet the 20s are fascinating…

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    2. Edith, I often think of my grandmother, who was born in 1909 and died in 1996, just before her 88th birthday. What a sweeping cultural and technological change in one person's lifetime.

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  4. Congratulations Hank! Sweet, sweet, sweet!

    I was a history minor in college. In ancient history I loved studying about Greece, Rome and the ancient Middle East. The American Revolution was the other period I enjoyed studying about.

    I like historical fiction and don't think I choose it for the time it depicts although I have read a lot about WWII.

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    1. Judy, I feel as if there are trends in historical fiction in the US. When was a teen, every book seemed to be about colonial days/the revolution. Then for a while it was all Civil War. Now WWII is super popular. I predict there will be loads of fiction around the Vietnam war in 2040.

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    2. I'll be a very old lady in 2040. It is interesting how authors of historical fiction select the period for their stories. I love how you wove the different eras together in your last book and made each one feel so real.

      My grandmother was born around 1890. I often think of how the world changed during her lifetime. From horse-drawn carriages to 747's.

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  5. Congratulations to Hank!

    One of my degrees is in history, my concentration was the US and Great Britain from 1800 to 1900. Especially fascinating was the relationship between the two countries during that period. My particular area of interest was in the social aspects of the time. The most inspiring time was more modern. It's 1950 Great Britain. The era of mend and make due. A wonderful case study in how to rebuild a society and a lifestyle while maintaining balance.

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    1. Thank you! And yes, interesting how so much has to do with the peoples’ attitude and response.

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    2. Kait, the differences between life in the UK in the 50s and life in the US at the same time are striking. I'd love to read a work of historical fiction that highlights that period/ those places.

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  6. Congratulations, Hank!

    Like Edith, I'm fascinated by the late 19th century. The Gilded Age has a lot to teach us about our lives today: the fast pace of technological change, inequities in the distribution of wealth, civil rights changes (for better and worse), crazy politics (check out the election of 1876). Sound familiar?

    There are so many other historical periods that also interest me (history major here). I'm intrigued by the podcast you listed, Julia. I have to check those out. As a reader of historical fiction, I was sad to hear about the death of Sharon Kay Penman. I spent many hours lost in the worlds of Richard III, Henry II and Eleanor and their children, and the Welsh princes.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, the Gilded Age… I am about to dive in, actually. xx

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    2. Chris, I had not known Sharon Kay Penman died. I loved her books! THE SUNNE IN SPLENDOR made me fall in love with Richard III - I have to find a copy and reread it.

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    3. Edited to add: it's still in print after almost 40 years! That makes me happy.

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  7. Congrats Hank! History...my father tried desperately to get me interested in British history, but I wasn't interested, much to my chagrin these days. He also took our family on road trips to see Civil War battlefields. I think he found them immeasurably sad and needed to witness the pain. I love your rendition of why history feels so important now, Julia. thank you!

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    1. You're welcome!

      I've never been a battlefield buff, but I remember Ross and I visiting Culloden on our honeymoon in Scotland. It is, of course, a grave site as well as a battlefield, with most of the thousands of dead buried where they fell. It's a lovely, green place, but it seemed as if sadness was steeped into the land.

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    2. Y dad used to take us to Revolutionary War sites all around the area near the town where I grew up, among my cherished childhood memories of my dad.

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  8. Congratulations, Hank! Woot, woot!!

    We moved between Canada, England and Germany while I was growing up, and each school system taught different subjects at different times. The result is that I am resilient in the face of change, but have major serious gaps in some of those subjects -- history being one of them. I vividly remember learning about Henry VIII and his wives: wow, all those wives. That was amazing to me. But I recall nothing else from that term. Not sure what that says about me...

    As for reading, WWII is fascinating to me, especially the French Resistance and the British agents recruited to be flown over to France and dropped into a field to help the various networks.

    For watching, nothing has yet beaten the excellent French series, A French Village, set in WWII. The interplay of the people -- on all sides -- is simply riveting. French w/ English subtitles, I have the series on DVD.

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    1. Yes, we love that show! And thank you! and I have to say, every time I begin to get cranky about the pandemic, I think of the French resistance, and I think – – let it go.

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    2. Amanda, I hadn't heard of this, and it sounds fascinating! Going to see if I can order the DVDs right now.

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  9. Congrats, Hank!

    I am interested in history, mostly American history, and mostly about the people who came here. I think of those on the Mayflower, for example, who couldn't have really had any idea what they were getting into. I doubt if they were at all prepared for the rigors of the journey, let alone life when they got here. And similarly I am fascinated by what I call the wagon train people, those who packed up everything they thought they needed and started on a two thousand mile trek, for which they were probably just as unprepared as those on ships were. Even now we have people all over the world making a journey to what they hope will be a better life for them.

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    1. Judi, I am constantly in awe of the bravery - then and now - of people who leave everything behind in the hopes of making a better life. Youngest has a high school friend whose father was a physician in Sudan. When they came to America, his English wasn't good enough to pass the US Medical Licensing Exam, so he became... a taxi driver. Can you imagine an American doctor driving cabs in a foreign country to offer their kids a better future? His oldest daughter, Youngest's friend, got a full ride to Bowdoin, the most competitive school in the state. That's a family that will make a difference here in the US.

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    2. That certainly is good to hear and more people need to keep hearing stories like this!

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  10. Congratulations, Hank!

    Obviously, I like WWII - so much change. And I often find myself saying, "Even the Spanish Flu pandemic ended."

    What is that Chinese curse? "May you live in interesting times?" I'm okay with going back to boring times, thank you.

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    1. Liz, I used to laugh at that saying. Then 2020 happened and I discovered why it's a curse.

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  11. Congratulations Hank!! So exciting!

    Growing up, I never caught the history bug. Sad to say, I was that kid who found it all boring. Now I often wish I knew more history. What I really wish is that more history educators would focus on history as the stories of people.

    Currently, I read a lot of fiction set in WWI and WWII, but still not much other history. I have to say, Julia, THE FALL OF CIVILIZATIONS sounds interesting. I am going to recommend it to my son, who has been gripped by despair over the future of our country.

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    1. For a long time history classes were all about events and dates : very boring as you say.
      But the a Latin professor who was passionate about history brought to life what it was like living in the roman period and it changed my perspective on history.

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    2. SUSAN AND DANIELLE: Yes, it is sad that history classes taught in school were not done in a way that engaged the students. Memorizing events and dates was pretty tedious and not that interesting for me, too.

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    3. I had a fabulous history teacher back in 7th or 8th grade who taught the American Revolution by assigning us all different occupations and colonies (merchant in Boston, farmer in Virginia, etc) and had us analyze each event leading up to 1776 in light of how it affected us personally. Then we had to decide if we were going to revolt, stay neutral, or be loyalists. It was such a lively, unique way to teach, especially back in the day when it really was usually about memorizing names and dates.

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    4. Wow, what a fabulous teacher, Julia! Talk about making the learning relevant to the students.

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  12. Congrats to Hank!

    During the pandemic, our lives are similar to the WW2 home front: victory gardens, isolation, fear of the uncertainty. My Navy vet father never discussed his years of service. I wonder if the front-line workers in our current pandemic will do the same?

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    1. Wow, Margaret, that's an interesting thought: The frontline accounts I've heard and seen documented in photos from today's healthcare workers are *scary*. I think you're right that, maybe, many of them will never speak of the trauma they have experienced as providers of care. My heart goes out to them, every single one of them. Such an overwhelming burden of sadness...

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    2. Margaret, one of the things I've seen remarked upon is how little mention there is of the 1918-1919 epidemic in popular fiction or literature. It makes me wonder how much of our current struggle will get swept under the collective rug of our imaginations.

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  13. Congratulations Hank!

    I was not into history, however I did like the 60s with the civil rights movement. I actually like the songs and hymns that came out of this period. Also some powerful and future leaders that took us further than we have even been before. I hope we continue to gain more grounds.

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  14. How exciting, Hank. Congratulations on the nomination!

    It's funny, I was completely uninterested in history as a kid, and I think a lot of it has to do with the way it was taught. First, it was not taught linearly, in time order, which offends my own sense of order. (As soon as I saw the book The Timetables of History by Grun I bought it, for that very reason.) And secondly, the emphasis on wars and other male-dominated pursuits left me cold. I could not see my self in any of the situations we were taught about, and that, too, offended a part of my sensibilities.

    I saw this playing out in my own children's education, too, until the American Girl series of books came out, placing preteen girls in several different periods of history, with period-appropriate clothing and home furnishings. I saw the light in my daughters' eyes as they read or were read to, and the light went on in my own mind.

    Historical fiction has given me a different perspective, since it is usually either written by or about women in some capacity, and I've gotten lots more interested. Rhys, Jackie Winspear, Edith Maxwell, Laurie R. King, and many other authors have made history a lot more accessible to me. I find that I'm much more interested in the daily domestic lives from various periods in history than the struggles for land and treasure between powers.

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    1. Karen, I got a wonderful book as a Christmas present when I was 12 or so: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD HISTORY. It was so old, it ended after WWI - and not because there was another volume! It gave dates, names, and brief highlights of every era dating back to prehistory, for every part of the world. It had timelines, and dynastic trees, and it was cross indexed. I loved it SO much.

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    2. The Timetables of History that I have was published in 1991, after several new editions: 1946, 1963, 1975, and 1979.

      Can you imagine how much history has been made since then? It's a moving target!

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    3. They're going to have to have an entire new volume just devoted to 2020...

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  15. "Norseman in Greenland!" was how Anthony Garvan, my American Civilization professor began first day of class.I've found this story fascinating ever since, even as we learn more via new methods of study like DNA. Thanks for pointing me to this podcast.

    Congratulations, Hank!

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    1. Barb!
      Thank you! And so wonderful to see you !

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    2. How can you not be fascinated by the romance, Barb! Especially knowing it was from Greenland the Vikings set sail to Vinland. It's always intriguing to wonder if they made it as far south as Maine...

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  16. Congratulations, Hank!!
    I minored in art history in college, and I particularly enjoyed professors who wove history with the analysis of the art. The story of the particular artist and what was happening in their life when they did a work of art and the historical backdrop that affected their work. For instance Goya's or Picasso's disturbing images of war need a historical context. It helps to know the context, too, for a painting like Manet's "The Luncheon on the Grass" with its naked ladies picnicking with fully clad gentlemen. These days I'm partial to watch documentaries about art (on Amazon Prime) narrated by Tim Marlow.

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    1. Now that would have also made history come alive to me, Hallie.

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    2. I'm going to look those up, Hallie. Any particular titles?

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    3. That would be a fascinating way to combine history and art to the betterment of (our understanding of) both.

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  17. First, congratulations to Hank! What an honor!

    I've always been interested in the human condition--it's what led me to archaeology. I'm still interested--in everything. Can archaeological evidence revel to us when along the evolutionary tree, humans began to express an awareness of death? Piecing ceramic shards together from late-19th century neighborhoods along the Ohio River--those with lots of platters probably were eating some nice cuts of roasted meat, while households with mostly bowls were eating stews and soups made with lesser cuts of meat--an indication of household resources and economic standing. Measuring isotopes from human and animal bones and soils in late Bronze Age Europe to identify whether early farming groups were marrying local partners or welcoming outsiders. Visiting the exhibit from China, years ago, and realizing the army of soldiers from an emperor's tomb each represented an individual--each different. Learning about WWI through the eyes of the Todds' characters--my paternal grandfather fought in the trenches of the Western Front. Endlessly fascinating, all of history and prehistory.

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    1. Flora, one of the things that has struck me about the last two podcasts name check is just how much archaeology, paleobotany and climatology has informed historians in the past two decades. We know so much more about even periods with written history, thanks to those sciences.

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    2. Julia, that's a whole 'nother area--comparing written history with the archaeological record (or the interpretation of the archaeological record) and oral histories. History becomes quite complicated!

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    3. It almost - ALMOST - makes me want to go back to college to get the latest scholarship.

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  18. Congratulations, Hank!

    Julia, I'm definitely going to check out that podcast. I take your point about finding comfort in humans going on, somehow--although I agree with you that living through what will be someday regarded as major historical events is no fun in the moment.

    I'm fascinated by mid-2oth century history and, perhaps an odd juxtaposition, Mesopotamian history! I'm also intrigued by the Middle Ages.

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    1. I find the period you write about, the 1920s, fascinating as well, Jess. On the one hand, recognizably modern, but on the other, it seems so distant from us in many ways, especially culturally. Your books also serve as a good reminder that the popular image of an era may not be what was going on for the majority of folks - there wasn't a lot of bathtub gin, raccoon coats and rouged knees in upstate New York where my grandmother lived as a girl.

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  19. You all! Thank you thank you thank you! What a joy to have such dear friends… Thank you. And yes, I am still floating. I was so surprised!

    And that podcast sounds amazing, Julia. It’s fascinating to me, no matter what the time, to see how the people react to the situation – – how much resilience, and perseverance, and intelligent problem-solving. Or not…

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    1. One of the things that has stuck out for me is how amazingly, brilliantly adaptable humans have been throughout history. I just learned about "rock mulching" in the episode on Easter Island. Little stones on tilled soil that prevent erosion, retain water, and enrich the soil as minerals leach out of the rock. Who thought of this? People can be so smart.

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  20. Hank, I’m so excited for you! Congratulations!

    I love history. When I started college I was torn between History or English as a major. I ended up majoring in English. My favorite college courses were history classes and English classes that required us to read historical fiction. Since high school, I’ve been interested in how Japan rebuilt after the Second World War. I’m also interested in the Second World War in general, Europe in the Middle Ages, and in Middle Eastern history. Being retired, I have the time to study this. However, Covid has me extremely uncomfortable about going to the library right now. I went a couple of weeks ago for the first time since March, and I didn’t feel comfortable with being there. This is probably a good time to get started on history podcasts.

    DebRo

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    1. DebRo, there really are some fabulous ones out there. I've become quite a fan of podcasts - if I'm doing boring household chores or walking the dog, I'm listening.

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    2. Thanks! Something to listen to while doing housework or going for a walk sounds ideal!

      DebRo

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  21. Congrats to Hank!
    I’m a big fan of Ancient Rome. It was so modern in many ways. In fact we didn’t regain the same level of comfort until the 29 th century! But was their decline through lead poisoning or loose morals? I may have to read Julia’s book

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    1. Rhys, one of the big current suspects is climate change! Rome flourished during one of the warmest, wettest periods in several millennia. Then things got drier and colder...

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  22. A lot of periods interest me, particularly the era sandwiching WW1. Talk about huge changes in society! I'm fascinated by old movies because I see how my own grandparents dressed and lived during those times. When I read about the American Revolution and the Civil War it is with a different perspective than when I was a kid in school. I wonder about how difficult the choices were and the consequences. I wonder about the soldiers imported from Europe to fight and what they thought about it. For a while I was on a Roman empire tangent, particularly Julius Caesar. The military science and engineering skills of the Roman army was absolutely amazing.
    Congratulations Hank!

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    1. Pat, you should try one of the Roman history podcasts I mention, above. They really brought Roman history to life for me.

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  23. Congratulations, Hank! You're a star!

    As for history, Julia, I've been fascinated since I was in grade school. I've gone through Egyptian, Roman, and Mayan phases, and spent quite a lot of time studying up on the Revolutionary and American Civil wars. Just now I'm reading THE PIONEERS, by David McCullough, and enjoying it very much. I fear, however, that I'm going to have to go back to the Civil War to figure out more about just what the heck some of my fellow Texans are thinking, politically. It seems the Confederates were not completely defeated and the past, as Falkner warned us, isn't really past.

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    1. "The past is never dead. It's not even past." Truer words never spoken.

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    2. You should read How The South WonThe Civil War, by Dr. Heather Cox Richardson. She also writes the daily news summary called a Letter from An American. She ties in the current political situation with political and historical parallels in history. Currently, she writes about the many parallels between the current political climate and the politics which brought about the Civil War. The oligarchy of today has many similarities to the rich white men seeking to control the US in the 1860’s.

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  24. Congratulations, Hank! You are amazing!!

    Julia, Rick and I have been saying over and over the past year--and especially the past month!--"We're seeing history!" I have always been fascinated by history. I started college as a history major before switching to biology. But it was historical fiction that sparked that interest, not classes about dates and battles. After I read T.H. White's The Once and Future King in junior high I spent years reading everything I could find on Roman and Dark Age Britain, for instance. Lately, I've been really interested in Elizabethan England, because I've been reading novels set in that time period. I always want to know how ordinary people LIVED, what they ate, what they wore, how they viewed their lives...

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  25. I grew up in CT, so I feel as if my entire schooling was the Revolutionary War and the gritty New Englanders who were the rebellion. Seriously, my teachers circled that era from every angle but the rest of history...meh. One fictional series that weaves in history brilliantly is Jodi Thomas's The Chronicles of St. Mary's - adventurous tales about time traveling British historians. So fun!

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    1. I have not heard of this series, Jenn, and I'll have to look it up!

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    2. Jenn, thanks! I am adding the Chronicles of St. Mary's to my growing list of books to read.

      Diana

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    3. Jenn, growing up in Connecticut one is surrounded by Revolutionary War sites. That was a big focus in elementary school and on Sunday outings with my dad.

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  26. I've always been fascinated by US history in general, but the Revolutionary War and the Civil War specifically. I also enjoy reading about World War II.

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    1. Mark, the Revolution was my first love, well-watered by growing up in northeastern NY. I visited the Saratoga battlefields, Fort Ticonderoga, the West Point museum, the General Philip Schuyler House, Whitehall (birthplace of the US Navy!), etc. I think my mom considered these trips to be cheap and educational, but I thought they were fun!

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  27. Julia, did you practice law? A friend in college studies colonial American history and she wrote a dissertation for her NA on courtship in Colonial Williamsburg. She worked there as a character interpreter after she graduated from Berkeley. At Uni, if you majored in History, we wrote dissertations for our Bachelors. History was my major.

    For me, I find the 1920s fascinating. I am interested in Britain and Europe. In fact, my novel in progress is a mystery set in 1920s England between the First World War and the Second World War.

    Diana

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    1. Diana, since I had the first of two children back-to-back right out of law school, I only practiced for a few years between them starting school and my writing career taking off. I may be a rarity - I enjoyed studying the law much more than practicing it!

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    2. Julia, still read cases — state court regularly and the Supremes occasionally — 10 years into retirement. Reading cases and pulling the reasoning apart is way, way more fun than practice.

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    3. Julia,

      I have learned that law practice can be different from studying law. I work for a law firm that focuses on an area of law - workers compensation. And that area was never covered in my law studies.

      Diana

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  28. Yay, Hank!

    I love history and it goes way back to early reading, when all I wanted to read about (fairly unusual, as i know now) was "long time ago and far away." Long time ago being defined as "long dresses and no cars." There was a series about the whole world during one famous person's lifetime - Abraham Lincoln's World was the first I read - that was a wonderful beginning. Somewhere, Greece and Rome caught me, too. I didn't know until partway through college that there is actually a major - Classics- or I would have taken some Latin earlier, but I made classics a minor. And BTW I reread this year a book called Course of Honor, by terrific Lindsey Davis. Not part of her Roman mysteries.Early emperors. A lot of it seemed scarily familiar from the daily news. My own mysteries star a historian who finds herself mixed up in old mysteries as well as current ones, so I've explored Brooklyn, NY in the dark side of '60's (funny to think that's now history!), the famous Navy Yard in its dying years, Greenwood cemetery in the 1890's,Brownsville in its Mob-ridden '30's. It's been fun.

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  29. Allow me to be the 82nd person BTL sending yippee/dancin' happy/ words of congrats. to Hank

    Interesting background about your studies, Julia. I loved history back then, could not see a career opportunity for me though; not that Spanish was a better major. As far as historical period goes, I think the turn of the 20th Century is interesting because there is a photographic record along with a paper record of this time. Also my grand parents were adults then, and I remember them sharing some memories.

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  30. I've loved history starting with the Egyptians and moving forward. But this year I keep thinking of 1968. I started college that year. As that tumultuous, chaotic and heartbreaking year unfolded I had a clear sense that history was being made in so many ways. Like 2020, there was a pervasive fear that just about anything could happen next.

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  31. I am interested in so many different periods of history in so many places, but one of my major interests is the plague, the Black Death, the Black Plague, the Bubonic Plague, the Great Plague in England during both the 14th century (1348-1350/51) and the 17th century (1665-1666). Luckily, if you can call a tragic fire lucky, the Great Fire of London in 1666 helped shorten the span of the second wave of the plague in England. Two of my favorite historical fiction books deal with these two periods. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis has the 1348 plague as part of its time traveling historians story, and Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague deals with the plague in 1666 in the English village of Eyam, village of the damned, the plague village.

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  32. I grew up reading historical fiction and biographies with my parents. History was my minor in college. I always thought of history as soap operas in the past. Sharon Kay Penman was awesome. I was so sad when some of the historical characters died, I had to remind myself that they all were dead for centuries! Stay safe and well.

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