Vietnam Ambushes, Medieval Gold, and a Few Novels in Disguise: This Week's Free Non-Fiction

by Hermann Hesse

Yes, this is a novel, but it's free and it's Hesse, so I'm not going to argue. Siddhartha leaves his comfortable life behind to figure out what existence is actually about, and the book is short enough to read in an afternoon. It sits at 4.09 with over 900,000 ratings, which tells you it's a reread-in-your-thirties kind of book more than a universally adored one.

by Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill's The Law of Success is the long, structured ancestor of Think and Grow Rich, built around ideas like definite purpose, self-confidence, and initiative. It has a 4.32 from more than 13,000 readers, so plenty of people got something out of it. Fair warning, it's an old-school self-improvement text, so it works best if you like your motivation delivered as a curriculum.

by Doyle Glass

This was my pick of the week. Lions of Medina follows Lance Corporal Kevin Cahill leading 166 Marines of Charlie Company into an ambush in the Hai Lang Forest, outnumbered about ten to one by roughly 2,000 NVA soldiers. It's rated 4.43 across 1,292 ratings, and one reviewer admits the opening throws a lot of names at you at once. That's the one real complaint, and it's worth pushing through if you like detailed, ground-level military history.

“A well-told story of the Battle of Medina. I found the beginning a bit overwhelming, as a lot of characters were introduced right away. Many of them weren’t directly involved in the battle itself, but they played important roles in training the Marines or were part of the command structure. As the b”

by Maurice Leblanc

Another one that's really fiction, but a fun one. The Confessions of Arsène Lupin collects Leblanc's gentleman thief doing what he does best, which is charming people, disguising himself, and spotting the secret in a crime before anyone else. A 3.92 from over 2,200 readers feels about right to me. It's light and a little dated, but great if you want a mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously.

by Rich Fettke

Rich Fettke tells this one as a parable about Ryan Brooks, a hard-working family man stuck in the golden handcuffs of a good paycheck. One reviewer compared it to The Phoenix Project, and another points out it's fiction with a practical message about real estate investing. It's at 4.22 from 164 ratings, a small crowd but a happy one. If you want your financial lessons wrapped in a story instead of a spreadsheet, this is for you.

“"It was amazing." - 5 out of 5 star rating. If you've ever read The Phoenix Project, this is very similar in delivery. Instead of Agile Methodology and around the office antics however, this is revolving around the financial kingdom instead. The author uses a narrative tale about basically nearly...”

by Charles River Editors

This is a Charles River Editors quick-history, so expect pictures, contemporary accounts, and a bibliography for further reading rather than deep scholarship. At 3.63 from 125 ratings it's the lowest-rated of the bunch, and the reviews show why. One reader felt the framing leans toward a European lens, and another rolled their eyes at the line about manuscripts being hidden in times of danger. Still, if you only know Mansa Musa as the richest man in history, it's a free starting point.

“This is interesting but is written in such a way as to reinforce Europe.😬🙄 Many interesting details offered by generic 'african historians' apparently based on oral traditions which 'historians' meaning white folks, doubt. Lol Europeans wrote down untruths in their books. Not sure why written...”