The March

Why it’s on the list: Sherman’s march through Georgia and the Carolinas as a moving human weather system, told from inside it — freed slaves, army surgeons, Confederate stragglers, Sherman himself. Doctorow’s interest is what an army does to the country it passes through.

Where I saw it: In the reply thread to @moseskagan’s question, “What historical fiction should I read next? (Bonus points for something involving building or trade, rather than violence)” (April 13, 2025) — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved to his Apple Note “Books To Read”; the full set of replies lives on What historical fiction should I… (tweet). It was listed there as “The March — Doctorow”.

Connections

• Battle Cry of Freedom — the single-volume history of the same war, named in a different thread Kyle saved.
• Historical Fiction — the genre the thread was asking about.
• What historical fiction should I… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.