Must-read books about WWII
Are you seeking an interesting book that you will not only enjoy but actually learn some history and culture from? Keep reading for 6 brief basic summaries that will leave you wanting for more!
Irena’s Children
This book is based on true events about the life of Irena Sendlerowa. The polish woman saved the life of more than 2,000 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the ghetto. Every time she managed to get a children safely out of the horrible place and into an orphanage or a foster house with a new identity, she wrote their real name in scrolls of paper and buried them in jars in her friend’s backyard under a tree. After the war ended, the jars were found and many parents were able to reunite with their children, who sadly, didn’t know where they came from. Tilar J. Mazzeo tells us the story about a courageous hero of the Second World War.
2. The Zookeeper’s wife
This non-fiction book was written by Diane Ackerman and tells us the story about a Polish couple owners of the Warsaw Zoo. Jan and Antonina Żabiński saved the lives of 300 Jews by hiding them in the empty cages of their bombarded zoo. They were both part of the Resistance and risked their lives and their children’s but knew that it would all be worth it. They actually knew Irena Sendlerowa, and worked together with her in more than one occasion.
The story was taken to the big screen in 2017 by director Niki Caro.
3. The Book Thief
Maybe you’ve heard of this one because of its marvelous movie whose protagonist was played by Sophie Nélisse. This novel written by Markuz Zusak uses an uncommon point of view. Liesel is a German girl growing up at a foster home where a Jewish man hiding in the basement teaches her the meaning of a true friendship. Along with her best friend Rudy, her adoptive parents Rosa and Hans, and of course, Max, Liesel grows up to be a strong 14 year old girl in the middle of WWII. (Wait up for an unexpected end on this one!)
4. Number the stars
Lois Lowry presents 10-year-old Annemarie who needs to learn how to keep a secret of life or death matter to save her best friend Ellen from the Nazi soldiers. The story takes place in Denmark, a country often forgotten by the rest of the world as one where Jews were also persecuted. Annemarie is obliged to say that Ellen is her sister, while her real sibling had died a few years prior due to helping the Danish Resistance. The relation of the story to the title of the book is in the Star of David; our protagonist reminds her scared friend that God will never forget her because He has numbered the each of stars like He has done with His children.
5. When Hitler stole pink rabbit
Anna and Max’s father has suddenly disappeared, the reason? Adolf Hitler is about to win the elections for Germany’s presidency. With the family being of Jewish heritage and Papa a famous author, the family starts a journey to save their lives by travelling to Switzerland. Anna can only take one toy on her trip, so she chooses a fluffy dog, leaving behind her other favorite one: a pink rabbit. The little innocent girl believes that she’ll be able to have it back when the war is over and she returns to her home in Berlin.
6. A bag of marbles
A bag of marbles is an autobiography about Joseph Joffo and his older brother, Maurice. Two Jewish kids are forced to run away from their occupied hometown, Paris, using many types of transportation and trusting their lives to strangers. They get to a safe place and reunite with their parents and two older brothers, but soon have to separate and continue their journey as the Nazi soldiers make their way into all Europe. The siblings learn to work their way to live at the cost of their childhood.
I hope you enjoyed my choices and that you soon have the time to bury your nose into one of these!
Best regardings
-MG