The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak-550 pages

One of my all time favorite books once I figured out that "Death" was the narrator.  WWII in Germany, everyone caught up in Hitler's propaganda, a young girl who was given to a couple on Heaven Street for a modest stipend when her mother could no longer care for her.  Her deep love and friendships that result from the trials that she endures.  A story of war and all its ugliness.  And even though she couldn't read in the beginning, she had a hunger for words.  Then when they hid a Jew named Max their basement, Liesel began to fully understand the power that words had.  The story starts with a train ride on the way to her new life.  An absolutely wonderful story that sticks with you for a long time.

Doctor's from Hell by Vivien Spitz

Doctor's from Hell by  Vivien Spitz
318 pages

This book is not for the faint of heart.  Doctor's from Hell covers the account of Nazi experiments on humans during World War II.  I devoured this book over the course of a couple days.  I am a history buff and have a keen interest in WWII and the atrocities that occurred in Nazi Germany, the concentration camps and the regime that annihilated the Jewish population in Europe.

This book is by Vivien Spitz.  She is the youngest court reporter to preside over the Nuremburg trials that helped bring justice to those involved in crimes against humanity during the war.  This book tells the story of several doctors and the experiments that were tested on human subjects.  It is a chilling in depth account of survival and death.  Some of the experiments include hot and freezing temperature exposure, amputation and transplants, exposure to poisonous gasses and diseases and high altitude. They are true stories from the victims and the suffering they endured.  WARNING: book contains graphic imagery and testimonials.

Rest in Pieces by Bess Lovejoy

Rest in Pieces:  The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses by Bess Lovejoy- 329 pgs.

The title pretty much tells you exactly what the book is about.  Lovejoy looks at what happened to the bodies of people like Mozart, Hitler, Hunter S. Thompson and Alexander the Great, just to name a few.  Even the book itself reminds you of a coffin.  It is long and narrow.  Lovejoy does a good job of presenting each case in a succinct way that still gives lots of details.  It was definitely an interesting read.

Hitler's Holy Relics, by Sidney Kirkpatrick

Hitler's Holy Relics, by Sidney Kirkpatrick, 336 pages

Nazis stole a lot of art, among which were the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire.  In 1945, when the Allies raided the vault that was supposed to contain these items, they found that half of them were missing.  A young German-born American soldier, schooled in art history, investigated their theft and vowed to return them to Austria.  The crown jewels were more than just precious stones- they included a crown and the spear that was said to pierce the side of Jesus on the cross.  They were a symbol of rule and empire, and the author purports that if they fell into the hands of underground Nazis, they could have become a symbol for a "fourth reich." It was sort of like Indiana Jones, but less interesting.