Book cover of The Last Thing You Surrender: A Novel of World War II

Book description

Could you find the courage to do what's right in a world on fire?

Pulitzer-winning journalist and bestselling novelist (Freeman) Leonard Pitts, Jr.'s new historical page-turner is a great American tale of race and war, following three characters from the Jim Crow South as they face the enormous changes World…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked The Last Thing You Surrender as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

You know you love an author when you read one of his/her books, then go back and read the rest. Leonard Pitts Jr. is one of those writers. This is the closest you'll come to watching a movie while you're reading a novel.

“War is hell” is a phrase heard often enough that’s now a bloodless abstraction you think but never feel. This epic World War II novel by the Pulitzer-winning columnist does not let readers off so easily.

The book’s title refers to humanity and sense of self, serving up graphic descriptions of the sort of brutality usually described in politely neutered legalese. But not here. And it does the same with Jim Crow-era lynchings in the American South, connecting everything as part of the human race’s ongoing struggle.

The best “difficult” read I’ve encountered in years.

If you love The Last Thing You Surrender...

Ad

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Want books like The Last Thing You Surrender?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Last Thing You Surrender.

Browse books like The Last Thing You Surrender

Book cover of Nobody Knows My Name
Book cover of Slow Fade to Black: The Negro in American Film, 1900-1942
Book cover of Sisters in Arms

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,276

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Last Thing You Surrender, you might also like...

Book cover of The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More: A Great Wharf Novel

The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More by Meredith Marple,

The coastal tourist town of Great Wharf, Maine, boasts a crime rate so low you might suspect someone’s lying.

Nevertheless, jobless empty nester Mallory Cooper has become increasingly reclusive and fearful. Careful to keep the red wine handy and loath to leave the house, Mallory misses her happier self—and so…

Book cover of That First Heady Burn

That First Heady Burn by George Bixley,

Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of…

5 book lists we think you will like!