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Jenna Bush Hager, cohost of TODAY with Jenna and Sheinelle, certainly knows books: As the daughter of a librarian, she grew up reading everything. And every month her Read with Jenna book club selects thoughtful, heartfelt novels and memoirs that stick with us—and leave us wanting more recommendations. She’s even launched her own book imprint! But of all the books Jenna has recommended over the years, we here at Woman’s World have a soft spot for her historical fiction choices.
“Historical fiction is a great way to remember what has come before us,” Jenna has said. We couldn’t agree more! Historical fiction books have long been a favorite among readers—there’s something irresistible about being swept into another era while following a heroine who faces love, loss and impossible odds. And the best novels make us feel connected to those women from the past and remind us how far we’ve come.
Featuring women from the hills of Appalachia to the Dust Bowl, Jenna gravitates toward books with strong female characters in difficult situations. Keep reading for 5 of our favorite tear-jerking historical fiction books Jenna has recommended.
12 Must-Read Historical Fiction Books That Will Send You Back in Time
‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison
Vintage
This classic is one of Jenna’s “go-to recommendations” and one of her favorites of all-time. The Bluest Eye, written in 1970, tells the story of 11-year-old Pecola Breedlove, a Black girl living in Lorain, Ohio, at the end of the Great Depression. Pecola’s life is devastatingly difficult, and she fervently wishes for blue eyes, believing that if she had them, she would be beautiful and loved and her life would change for the better. A heartbreaking story about race, poverty, class and gender.
What Jenna says: “The Bluest Eye changed me in a way that I can’t even really describe,” she told EW.
“What readers are saying: The fact that this is a debut is unbelievable. Possibly the best first book i’ve ever read. Pecola is an unforgettable character, and the way this manages to tell her story even when it’s through the perspective of others is masterful. Everything in this book is thoughtful, everything down to the blue Shirley Temple cup contributing to the story of an unloved little girl, victim to the tragedy that befell her parents before her.
‘Great Circle’ by Maggie Shipstead
Knopf
This dual-timeline novel tells the story of Marian Graves, who grows up in the early 1900s obsessed with flying, ultimately vanishing in the 1950s as she attempts to circumnavigate the globe, flying over the North and South Poles. A century later, actress Hadley Baxter becomes consumed by the mystery of Marian’s disappearance as she prepares to play the pilot in a movie about Marian’s life.
What Jenna says: “It’s sweeping,” said Jenna of this five-star read. “It goes from the early 1900s all the way through present day. I’m not sure I have ever highlighted such an ambitious novel.”
What readers are saying: “Great Circle is truly epic. The way Marian and Haldey’s stories intersect will entrance readers as they dive into this sweeping tale. Told over many years, generations and places, Great Circle is about courage and daring defiance.”
‘The Dutch House’ by Ann Patchett
Harper
In this decades-spanning family saga, Ann Patchett, the New York Times bestselling author of Bel Canto (another Jenna favorite), tells the story of Danny and Maeve, siblings who grow up wealthy in a beautiful home outside Philadelphia in the 1950s. Abandoned by their mother and raised by their father and Andrea, their stepmother, who treats the siblings poorly, Danny and Maeve remain close, even as Andrea forces them to leave the family home when their father dies suddenly. As adults, they speak of their childhood often and eventually discover the truth about their family’s past.
What Jenna says: “The Dutch House is a beautiful, dark fairy tale,” said Jenna. “I thought it was a beautiful story of a relationship between brother and sister. Danny and Maeve’s childhood is filled with disappointment, but the love they find in each other is beautiful and hopeful.”
What readers are saying: “Patchett’s strength comes from how she forms her characters. I never felt Danny and Maeve were anything but real flesh and blood people. In both cases, you see exactly how their childhood has made them the people they are. The same events, when seen through the difference of a few years, shapes them in unique ways.’
‘The Four Winds’ by Kristin Hannah
Griffin
Readers love Kristin Hannah for her ability to pack an emotional gut-punch, and this sweeping novel is a perfect example of that. In 1934, Elsa Martinelli and her two children leave Texas, where they face failing crops, no water and no hope, and travel west to California in search of a better life. Once there, Elsa learns things aren’t any better, and she joins migrant workers, spending long days doing backbreaking farm work for little pay. Still, she does her best to survive and teach her children how to be brave and hopeful in the face of hard times.
What Jenna says: “I couldn’t believe how many of these things were relevant today. This character, Elsa, is strong but she also suffers. She’s vulnerable. I love her.”
What readers are saying: “This is epic historical fiction from Kristin Hannah, a harrowing, tough and painful read of one of American history’s darkest period, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, the tragedies, poverty, starvation, unemployment, the sacrifices made, set in Texas and California from the early 1920s up to WW2. It is impeccably well researched with all its excruciating details, an era seen through the eyes of a woman, a mother and her family.
9 Kristin Hannah Books That Will Break Your Heart—and Heal It
A Woman Is No Man’ by Etaf Rum
Harper
This multigenerational novel tells the story of Isra, a Palestinian immigrant who moves to Brooklyn with her new husband and his overbearing parents in 1990. As she raises their daughters, she struggles to adapt to her new home, facing anger from her family for not bearing a son. Her mother-in-law, Fareeda, pressures her constantly. As the years pass, Isra’s 18-year-old daughter, Deya, dreams of leaving home and going to college, and when a letter arrives on her doorstep, everything changes.
What Jenna says: “It is an incredible book. This is a beautiful book. It’s about what is acceptable for a woman—how a woman can use her voice. And to see these women change, and to see their idea of what they can be change over generations is really the story of so many women.” When choosing the book, Jenna said, “The story really captivated me. I couldn’t put it down. I was obsessed with figuring out the mystery of this family. I think women will really love it. Even though there are moments of darkness, it ends with a really beautiful light.”
What readers are saying: “The story follows the lives of 3 generations of Palestinian women and captures the complexity of generational trauma and family, the violence of occupation and diaspora, and of course, the incomprehensible strength and resilience of women. It has given me so much perspective and inspiration, and I will probably read it 100 more times.”
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