What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedBeasts of No Nation
Cary Joji Fukunaga · Film · 2015
If you loved Beasts of No Nation, start with 86 EIGHTY-SIX (2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 3 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Beasts of No Nation across media.
If Beasts of No Nation moved you, it is because you are drawn to stories exploring the profound corruption of innocence through systemic violence.
Books on the same thread
Girl at War
Sara Novic · Book · 2016
Shares a thread with Beasts of No Nation: Childhood Trauma.
Like Beasts of No Nation, this narrative forces a young protagonist to navigate the sudden collapse of their childhood world, highlighting the brutal toll of civil conflict on identity.
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card · Book · 2013
Shares a thread with Beasts of No Nation: Moral Ambiguity.
Much like Agu in Beasts of No Nation, Ender faces the moral ambiguity of being a child soldier, forced into a strategic conflict that strips away his personal agency.
Atonement
Ian McEwan · Book · 2007
Shares a thread with Beasts of No Nation: Childhood Trauma.
You will find the same crushing weight of lost innocence and the long-term trauma of war seen in Beasts of No Nation, here explored through the lens of individual accountability.
Series on the same thread
Band of Brothers
Series · 2001
Shares 2 threads with Beasts of No Nation: survival, loss of innocence.
If you appreciated the gritty, visceral depiction of military life in Beasts of No Nation, this series offers a similarly immersive look at the psychological survival of soldiers.
When They See Us
Ava DuVernay · Series · 2019
Shares a thread with Beasts of No Nation: Loss of innocence.
This series mirrors the tragic exploitation of youth found in Beasts of No Nation, focusing on how vulnerable individuals are dehumanized by cold, systemic forces of injustice.
86 EIGHTY-SIX
Series · 2021
Shares a thread with Beasts of No Nation: Loss of Innocence.
This story echoes the themes of Beasts of No Nation by showing how young lives are systematically discarded and dehumanized to fuel the machinery of a relentless war.
Narcos
Chris Brancato · Series · 2015
Shares a thread with Beasts of No Nation: Moral Ambiguity.
Similar to the power dynamics and corruption within Beasts of No Nation, this show examines the far-reaching devastation caused by violent factions operating within a fractured society.
Podcasts on the same thread
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with Beasts of No Nation: moral ambiguity.
The moral ambiguity and human cost of conflict that defined Beasts of No Nation are dissected here with an analytical eye that examines the consequences of absolute power.
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
Explores: systemic racism, national identity, legacy of slavery.
This podcast explores the systemic oppression and historical trauma that set the stage for the kind of cycles of violence depicted in Beasts of No Nation.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Beasts of No Nation based on a true story?
Beasts of No Nation is based on the experiences of a child named Agu who is fighting in a civil war within a West African country. The story follows his journey as he is forced to join a group of soldiers and navigate the brutality of the conflict.
What is the primary conflict in Beasts of No Nation?
The primary conflict in Beasts of No Nation involves the protagonist, Agu, being forced into a group of soldiers during a civil war. He struggles with conflicting feelings of revulsion and fascination toward his commander and the men around him as his childhood is shattered by the ongoing war.
Who directed Beasts of No Nation?
Beasts of No Nation was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The 2015 film depicts the harrowing journey of a young boy named Agu who is caught in the middle of a West African civil war and forced to become a child soldier.
Does Beasts of No Nation focus on the perspective of a child?
Yes, Beasts of No Nation focuses on the experiences of Agu, a child whose life is transformed after he is forced to join a group of soldiers. The narrative follows his internal struggle as he witnesses the brutal reality of the civil war raging through his country.