Two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France. Two different paths are chosen, and yet both of them are so brave. The choices that a mother makes for the survival of her children, the choice a single, independent woman makes to assure that pilots are allowed to fight another day. I LOVE this book.
Once you figure out that the narrator of the book is Death it makes a lot more sense! It is actually a very cool and different angle.
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.
By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.
But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.
Such beautiful, well developed characters. I LOVE this book!
Jaap Sitters was only eight years old when his mother cut the yellow stars off his clothes and sent him, alone, on a fifteen-mile walk to hide with relatives. It was a terrifying night, one he would never forget. Before the end of the war, he would hide in secret rooms and behind walls. He would suffer from hunger, sickness, and the looming threat of Nazi raids. But he would live.
This is just one of the true stories told in Hidden Like Anne Frank , a collection of eye-opening first-person accounts that share the experience of going into hiding to escape the Holocaust. Some were just toddlers when they were hidden; some were teenagers. Some hid with neighbors or family, while many were with complete strangers. But all know the pain of losing their homes, their families, even their own names. They describe the secret network that kept them safe. And they share the coincidences and close calls that made all the difference.
This is a great read-it's amazing how some of these people survived just by sheer luck. It's amazing to read these stories of survival.
"Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must simply never be allowed to happen again." -- from back cover.
"An engrossing novel inspired by the mysterious true story of Irmgard Keun, a female novelist who defied all the rules during Berlin’s volcanic post-WWI years, as a young German writer exiled for her ideas flees her country and her Nazi-supporting husband, fighting for her art, her life, and her child.
1920s Though the world has changed in the wake of the Great War, it is still ruled by men. Even a woman as resourceful and intelligent as Niki Rittenhaus needs alliances in order to survive. Her marriage to Rickard Länger, a movie producer for Berlin’s Passport Pictures, seems convenient for them both. When Rickard succumbs to increasing pressure from the Nazis to make propaganda movies, a horrified Niki turns away from her own film aspirations and instead, begins to write.
Niki’s first novel, The Berlin Woman , is published under a pseudonym to great success. But Niki knows she cannot stay anonymous for long. The Nazis are cementing their power over Germany—and over her husband. Though she succeeds in escaping Rickard, he directs Hitler’s Brownshirts to do the kidnap their daughter. With her books blacklisted, her life in danger, and Europe descending into war, Niki travels to Amsterdam, joins the Dutch Resistance, and then returns to war-torn Berlin determined to claim freedom for herself and her child, and to write her own story at last." --Goodreads blurb
Niki, a woman of many names over her life, finds herself out of her mother's home and trying to make a name for herself. After acting doesn't exactly pan out, she decides to become an author. What she did get from trying to be an actor is a husband and family, and what she got from being a novelist was ire of the Nazis. When her husband makes decision having to do with the Reich that she doesn't agree with, Niki's life turns upside down and she must try to make a life for herself. Does that mean she will never see her daughter again? Will she ever find love again? Will she mend the relationship with her mother and will her friends survive this horrible war? This story had enough plot to pull me through it easily. I enjoyed Niki's voice and a perspective of a woman trying to make her way through life in WWII German and while not being a Nazi Party supporter. The relationships in Niki's life varied from the unwavering best friend to the brusque mother and I enjoyed following her as she navigated those. While I enjoyed the story, I can't necessarily say I enjoyed the writing style. There was little nuance to the story and everything was put very plainly. While this type of writing is sought out by many readers (often their complaint is there's too much "flowery language"), it's not my particular favorite. I would have liked more details of life and environment and just description in general. This was a 3.5 rounded up to a 4-star for me.
"In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kiev (now known as Kyiv), wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.
Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.
Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever."--=Goodreads
Kate Quinn never disappoints. Her historical fiction is so well-written and engaging. Nazis, women snipers, and motherhood. I'll read everything Quinn publishes.
During what was known as the “Hunger Winter” of 1944-45, thousands of Dutch citizens were literally starving to death under the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
10-year-old Johannes Krane and his older brother Dick lived in Beverwijk, a small town northwest of Amsterdam. Their parents were both deaf and mute.
How would their family survive the cruelties of the Nazi occupiers and life in the streets of their city? There was no answer but to support their mother's efforts to trade on the black market and steal from businesses and the authorities – perilous activities, punishable by death.
This memoir chronicles the haunting experiences of a boy who survived to save his family through cunning and desperation, thus being robbed forever of a happy childhood – an INNOCENCE DENIED by the evils of war.
--
Johannes Krane was born and educated in the Netherlands. After World War II and the Nazi occupation of his country, he emigrated to the United States and finished his education. Mr. Krane eventually became a successful businessman in Silicon Valley and founded several organizations, including art galleries, inspired by his profound love of art. He also established an online used bookstore, Elephant Books, during the early days of Amazon, and published several well-received self-help books.
This is an incredible story; I was amazed at the strength this family had to survive. I could not imagine having to go through all of the hardships they endured, especially with two deaf and mute parents. It is a sad story but also heartwarming to read about how people helped each other to survive.
Dragonfly by Leila Meacham--559 pages
This is a story about five amazing young people who are chosen for a top secret mission during WWII. Excellent writing. I enjoyed it very much.
"Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.
Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them. As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war."--Goodreads blurb
Librarians? Spies? WWII fiction? Some of my favorite things! I liked the stories told from different viewpoints and the real feeling you got of the different countries during the war. In that horrible time, it seems like Lisbon would have been one of the better places to be, but we also heard about the horrible conditions in France. This was a great story.
"1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of East-End London poverty, works the legendary code-breaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.
1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter—the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger—and their true enemy—closer..."--Goodreads blurb
This turned out to be one of my favorite surprises of the year, so far. It was simply impossible to put this great story down. I read it nearly all in one day. Emotional, intriguing, and beautifully written. Five stars from me, which doesn't happen often!
"January 1946: London is
emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet
Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she
would find it in a letter from a man she's never met, a native of the
island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book
by Charles Lamb...
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange
letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and
what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and
Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its
members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their
island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from
pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
Juliet
begins a remarkable correspondence with the society's members, learning
about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent
German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories,
she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever."
This well-known book has been on my TBR for many years and resurfaced recently due to the Netflix movie. I wish I would have read it sooner. What an absolutely wonderful read. Written as correspondence after WWII, these friends come together to make a life and the journey we get to follow them along is fantastic. Highly recommended.
The Chosen by Chaim Potok - 284 pages
In 1944 Brooklyn, fifteen-year-old Reuven Malter prepares to play a baseball game: his own Modern Orthodox school against a team from an ultra-orthodox Hasidic yeshiva. It becomes apparent that the only good player on the opposing team is Danny Saunders, the son of a nearby Hasidic Rabbi. The game becomes something of a war between the two teams, seemingly symbolic of their differing ideologies. In the last inning, with Reuven's team in the lead, Reuven is put in as pitcher. When Danny gets up to the plate, he hits a line drive straight at Reuven's head, which breaks his glasses and drives a small piece of glass into his eye. Reuven's team loses and Reuven is rushed to the hospital.
Reuven learns that Danny possesses a photographic memory, enabling him to study an astonishing amount of Talmud per day (set by his father), yet still leaving him time to pursue other subjects. Danny tells Reuven that he goes to the library to read books on science and literature, and that a man at the library has been recommending books for him to read. Danny knows that he is expected to someday take over his father's position as the rabbi for his community, but wishes he did not have to and that instead, he could pursue psychology. Reuven would like to become a rabbi, though his father would like him to pursue academia. Reuven learns that his father, a teacher of Talmud, is the man who has been recommending books to Danny at the library.
When Reuven is released from the hospital, his father discusses the history of Hasidism with him. He then explains that only once in a generation a mind like Danny's is born, and that Danny cannot help his need for knowledge, but that Danny is also a lonely boy who needs a friend.
The next day, Reuven goes to Danny's family synagogue where he witnesses a discussion between Danny and his father which spans over the entire Talmud. After the Sabbath has ended, Danny reveals to Reuven that his father only speaks to him when they study Talmud together. The two boys also discover that they will be attending the same university, much to Reuven's delight. That Sunday, Danny, and Reuven meet at the library, where Danny reveals his fascination with the human mind and his desire to study the works of Sigmund Freud, for which he is teaching himself German.
The next week, Reuven goes to the Saunders house again to study Talmud with Danny and his father. When Danny leaves the room to prepare tea, Rebbe Saunders reveals to Reuven that he knows about Danny's visits to the library and wants to know what Danny is reading. He adds that he knows he cannot prevent Danny from pursuing knowledge, but that he fears his son will lose his Orthodox faith. Reuven immediately tells Danny about the talk, and later, Reuven's father discerns that Reb Saunders used his conversation with Reuven to communicate with Danny indirectly.
The coming year is dominated by the Allied victory in World War Two, and the death of Franklin Roosevelt, which brings grief to the Malters. In addition, news of the Holocaust reaches American soil, which sends all the characters, especially Rabbi Saunders, into a state of depression. During the summer of that year, Reuven's father suffers a heart attack, and Reuven goes to stay in the Saunders home. At one meal, Reuven mentions that some feel it is time to establish a Jewish state, which sends Rabbi Saunders into a fierce tirade against Zionism; for the ultra-orthodox, a secular Jewish state established by man without the coming of the Messiah is against God's will.
The next year Danny and Reuven enter college at the Samson Raphael Hirsch College and Seminary. Danny is miserable because the psychology department at the university is only experimental psychology and not analytical. Eventually, Danny's psychology professor tells him that he should go into clinical psychology.
Later in the year, Reuven's father gives a speech at a Zionist rally, which is covered by the Orthodox press, and leads Rabbi Saunders to forbid Danny to have any contact with Reuven. Reuven does not cope well without his best friend and his grades begin to suffer. Soon afterward Reuven's father has a second heart attack followed by a lengthy hospitalization. Reuven copes with his father's absence by studying the Talmud with greater intensity, eventually mastering a very complicated section of the Talmud.
After two years, just as the violence in Palestine comes to an end (the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli war) and Reuven's father has recovered from his heart attack, Danny is allowed to resume his friendship with Reuven because the Jewish state is now a fact, and no longer a point of dissension.
As the years pass, Danny's father continues to remain silent with Danny. Danny reveals to Reuven that he will not take his father's place. Instead, he will apply to graduate school and pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology, and his younger brother, Levi, will assume the tzaddikate. Danny applies to Harvard, Columbia, and Berkeley. He is accepted into all three universities, but cannot understand why his father does not speak to him about it, because the acceptance letters came by mail and were surely seen.
On the first day of Passover in Danny and Reuven's senior year of college, Reb Saunders invites Reuven to their home to talk with him and Danny. Reb Saunders tells Reuven that he knows that Danny will not be assuming the rabbinate, that he has known for a long time, and he accepts it. He then explains why he raised Danny in silence: he feared that Danny's phenomenal intelligence would lead him to lack compassion for others. Therefore, he raised Danny in silence so that he could learn what it is to suffer, and therefore, have a soul. He also relates Danny to his older brother, who ran away from his homeland in Russia and became a secular professor and died in Auschwitz.
Reb Saunders expresses his gratitude to Reuven and his father for helping Danny at the point where he was ready to rebel, to help Danny remain a part of the Orthodox Jewish tradition, even if he cannot assume the rabbi role. To his father's questions, Danny indicates that he will remove some of the visible indicators of Hasidism (his full beard and earlocks) but will remain an observer of the commandments. Reb Saunders says that Passover is the holiday of freedom and that he must let Danny be free.
That September, on his way to graduate school at Columbia, Danny comes for a brief visit without his beard and earlocks. He says that he and his father now talk.
How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior - 333 pages
A curmudgeonly but charming old woman, her estranged grandson, and a colony of penguins proves it's never too late to be the person you want to be.
