History · Similar reads

Books like Gulag: A History

The best books like Gulag: A History are The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, The Diary of a Young Girl, and Man's Search for Meaning. Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum is about soviet history, political repression, totalitarianism. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.

  1. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
    The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

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    The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

    William L. Shirer · History

    The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is William Shirer's comprehensive account of Nazi Germany from the early career of Adolf Hitler through the defeat of the Reich in 1945.

    Both dig into totalitarianism.

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  2. The Diary of a Young Girl
    The Diary of a Young Girl

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    The Diary of a Young Girl

    Anne Frank · Memoir

    Anne Frank's diary, kept during the two years she spent hiding with her family in a concealed Amsterdam apartment, stands as one of the most widely read first-person accounts of the Holocaust.

    Both dig into survival.

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  3. Man's Search for Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning

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    Man's Search for Meaning

    Viktor E. Frankl · Psychology

    Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's account of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the psychological theory he developed from that experience.

    A kindred history read.

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  1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
    Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

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    Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

    Yuval Noah Harari · History

    Sapiens traces the full arc of human history from the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa roughly 70,000 years ago to the present.

    A kindred history read.

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  2. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
    Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

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    Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

    Laura Hillenbrand · Biography

    Unbroken follows Louis Zamperini from his juvenile delinquency in Depression-era California to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he ran the 5,000 meters at nineteen and briefly caught Hitler's attention.

    Both dig into survival.

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  3. The Gulag Archipelago
    The Gulag Archipelago

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    The Gulag Archipelago

    Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn · History

    The Gulag Archipelago is Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's monumental account of the Soviet forced-labor camp system.

    Shares soviet history and political repression with Gulag: A History.

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  4. Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin
    Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin

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    Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin

    Timothy Snyder · History

    Bloodlands is Timothy Snyder's account of the territories between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union — principally Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states — where the two regimes' violence overlapped between 1933 and 1945.

    Shares totalitarianism and memory with Gulag: A History.

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  5. Night
    Night

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    Night

    Elie Wiesel · Memoir

    Night is Elie Wiesel's account of his deportation from the Transylvanian town of Sighet in 1944 and his survival of Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.

    Shares survival and memory with Gulag: A History.

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  6. The Liars' Club
    The Liars' Club

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    The Liars' Club

    Mary Karr · Memoir

    Mary Karr's debut memoir about growing up in the oil-refinery town of Leechfield, Texas in the 1960s is widely credited with sparking the memoir boom of the 1990s.

    Shares survival and memory with Gulag: A History.

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  7. All Quiet on the Western Front
    All Quiet on the Western Front

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    All Quiet on the Western Front

    Erich Maria Remarque · History

    All Quiet on the Western Front follows Paul Bäumer, a young German soldier who enlists with his classmates during the First World War after being swept up in patriotic speeches.

    Both dig into survival.

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  8. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
    Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

    11

    Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

    Dee Brown · History

    Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, published in 1970, is Dee Brown's account of the systematic dispossession of Native American peoples across the American West between 1860 and 1890.

    Both dig into survival.

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  9. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
    Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

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    Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

    Alfred Lansing · History

    In 1914, Ernest Shackleton led twenty-seven men into the Weddell Sea on a ship called the Endurance with the goal of crossing Antarctica on foot.

    Both dig into survival.

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Books like Gulag: A History: quick answers

What are the best books like Gulag: A History?

The best books like Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum are The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Gulag: A History, such as soviet history, political repression, totalitarianism.

What should I read after Gulag: A History?

A natural next read after Gulag: A History is The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer. Both dig into totalitarianism. Other strong choices are The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.

What books are similar to Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum?

Gulag: A History centers on soviet history, political repression, totalitarianism. Books with a similar feel include The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.

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