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Martin, R. Picasso's War: The Destruction of Guernica and the Masterpiece that Changed the World. New York: Dutton, 2002. Print. Martin's book describes Adolf Hitler's target practice on the Basque village of Guernica in 1937. This attack sparked Picasso into depicting the terrible event; the painting is known as Guernica. Although Picasso was living in Paris, France at the time of the attack he felt an obligation to depicting the terror that Hitler unleashed on his beloved homeland. The themes, events and individual scenes are discussed throughout the book.

van Hensbergen, G. Guernica: The Biography of a Twentieth-Century Icon. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004. Print. Guernica is still seen as a political work of art today. Guernica not only depicted the brutal bombings and aftermath of that April day but it is a depiction of what is yet to come. The horror of Guernica can still be seen in modern times; such as the attack on the Twin Towers in New York (van Hensbergen 1) and the war in Iraq (van Hensbergen 2). Many well known political figures refer to Guernica and it's political message in many speeches and addresses because its message is still relevant today.

Chipp, H. Picasso's Guernica: History, Transformations, Meanings. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1988. Print. In the third chapter, the actual events that lead up to, during, and after the village of Guernica is described in detail. The village was relentlessly bombed on Monday, April 26, 1937 (Chipp 24). Hundreds of bombs were used on a defenseless town. The places that were supposed to be targeted were untouched at the end of the almost four hour bombing mission. In the twelfth chapter, Guernica's political means are discussed but since Picasso could never give a consistent answer the political meaning of Guernica is unknown. Also, the two main figures of the painting, the bull and horse, were described by a poet by the name of Juan Larrea (Chipp 196). According to Larrea, the bull was a heroic figure of "Spanish life" (Chipp 196) and the suffering horse represented the end to "Francoist regime" (Chipp 196).