Such tragedies are often commemorated in books so that the event will not be forgotten.  Carrie Ten Boom wrote of her experiences during the Holocaust.  Anne Frank did as well. The story of the sinking of the Titanic and the bravery and cowardice evidenced are forever saved in many books about the event.  Another period of time that is chronicled in books is the settling of this area and further west--the pioneers wrote about their experiences in diaries, others wrote from the perspective of the Native Americans whose lives and land and way of life were taken away.  Soldiers kept diaries throughout all the wars fought by our men and women of the United States.  Explorers, particularly, kept copious notes of their experiences--for example Lewis and Clark.  Then there are the men and women whom we as Americans hero-worship--presidents, sports figures, Biblical characters, movie stars, murderers, inventors, soldiers, even presidential wives.  Books are written by these figures and about them as well.  If you like non-fiction books Finley Library has what you want.  In the Reference Room, on top of the paperback books in the hallway and in the large print section under non-fiction there are enough non-fiction books to keep even the most ardent reader of non-fiction busy for several years!  Finley library is lucky to have such a large selection of non-fiction books as are you readers whom say you don't care for fiction.  We librarians hope YOU will come in and check them out

Here's a couple reviews:

Guitar Notes by Mary Amato.  (PB)  (Y/A)  (2012)  High school students Tripp Brody and Lyla Marks are both musical, have only one parent (due to the sudden death of the other) and are having a hard time getting "back into the groove" as they begin a new school year after these personal tragedies.  Circumstances have put them in the position of sharing a music practice room at school--Lyla on even days and Trip on odd days.  Lyla is an outstanding cellist (as was her mother who died in a plane crash), but has no passion for it.  (The reader will quickly realize the dream and the push to excel with the cello are from her father "keeping his wife alive" through his daughter.)  Tripp is coping with his father's death by immersing himself in writing and playing music on his guitar.  When things go awry for them, they don't handle the situations that occur like adults, but rather like the older teens they are--which isn't always to their parents' liking.   This book--which was donated along with several other modern (Y/A) books--has their songs with guitar chords in the back.  Guitar Notes is a "feel good" read!

Sleeping Beauty by Phillip Margolin.  (HC/LP)  (2004)  Few mystery authors, it seems, let you know the name of the killer at the beginning of the book, but author Margolin does so in this book, and does a very good job of keeping up the tension and suspense by going back and forth in time.  The story begins in the present at a book signing appearance of the author of a true crime novel.  This author's sister was one of the victims of the murderer, but she was not killed outright like the others.  Rather, her  injuries were such that she ended in a coma from which doctors felt she would never recover.  The next time frame is the murder of a father and his daughter's best friend whom is staying over.  The daughter is next, but the murderer/rapist instead goes downstairs and has a glass of milk and a piece of cake!  The daughter feels she has this chance to escape, but how?  There are extensive trial scenes of the murder and a punitive trial following.  Meanwhile, the the author of the true crime is raking in the money as his "Sleeping Beauty" sister continues in a coma.  Suspenseful and well planned, readers of mysteries won't want to miss this one!