What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe March
E.L. Doctorow · Book · 2006
If you loved The March, start with The War (2007) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The March across media.
What hooked you in The March was the way the overwhelming scale of war forces an intimate, human perspective.
Films on the same thread
Gone with the Wind
Victor Fleming · Film · 1939
Explores: Survival, Reconstruction Era, Lost Cause.
Like The March, this epic captures the upheaval of the American South, focusing on how individuals struggle to survive and redefine their lives amid the collapse of a civilization.
The General
Clyde Bruckman · Film · 1926
Explores: Heroism, Resourcefulness, Perseverance.
While more lighthearted, this film shares the Civil War backdrop of The March, highlighting the chaotic intersection of personal stakes and the massive, indifferent machinery of military conflict.
The Birth of a Nation
D.W. Griffith · Film · 1915
Explores: Divided loyalties, Political polarization, Post-war societal reconstruction.
This film mirrors the complex social reconstruction explored in The March, examining how families and communities are fractured by the profound moral and political divisions of the Civil War.
Glory
Edward Zwick · Film · 1989
Explores: racial prejudice, leadership, courage.
This drama echoes the human cost of war depicted in The March, focusing on the internal and external prejudices faced by those fighting for freedom within a divided nation.
Series on the same thread
M*A*S*H
Larry Gelbart · Series · 1972
Explores: Dark Humor, Existentialism, Friendship During Wartime.
Much like the soldiers in The March, these characters navigate the absurdity and existential dread of war, using dark humor as a necessary mechanism for coping with total conflict.
The Civil War
Series · 1990
Explores: Brother vs. Brother, Reconstruction Era, Abraham Lincoln.
If the historical scope of The March captivated you, this documentary provides a definitive look at the era, detailing the same themes of brotherly conflict and societal reconstruction.
Generation Kill
David Simon · Series · 2008
Explores: fog of war, moral ambiguity, military bureaucracy.
This series captures the moral ambiguity and bureaucratic fog found in The March, showing how elite soldiers grapple with the reality of invasion and their own shifting ethical boundaries.
The War
Series · 2007
Explores: World War II, Homefront, Personal Accounts.
This documentary aligns with the focus on the human cost of war in The March by centering on the personal sacrifices of ordinary people caught in global conflict.
Podcasts on the same thread
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin · Podcast · 2026
Explores: civilizational collapse, human nature, moral ambiguity.
This podcast explores the same interest in moral ambiguity and the consequences of power that defined The March, applying a rigorous, unconventional lens to the nature of war.
Revolutions
Mike Duncan · Podcast · 2025
Explores: societal collapse, power dynamics, cyclical history.
Like the societal collapse depicted in The March, this series investigates the cyclical patterns of power and the intense human struggle involved when political systems fall to ruin.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The March based on historical events?
Yes, The March follows the historical 1864 military campaign led by Union general William Tecumseh Sherman. The novel depicts his sixty thousand troops marching through Georgia to the sea and into the Carolinas, documenting the impact on the army and the population of refugees that followed them.
What awards did The March receive?
The March is a highly decorated novel that won both the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Additionally, the book achieved significant commercial success as a New York Times bestseller following its publication in 2006.
Does The March focus on a specific time period?
The March is set during the American Civil War in 1864. The narrative centers on the path of General Sherman's army as they move through Georgia and the Carolinas, detailing the demolition of cities and the experiences of the freed blacks and white refugees accompanying the troops.
What kind of population is featured in The March?
Beyond the sixty thousand Union soldiers, The March features a large, borne-along population that follows the army. This group consists of both freed blacks and white refugees who became part of the massive movement as General Sherman traveled through Georgia and the Carolinas.