Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Coming of Age, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger
Tags World War II
World War II
This carefully curated selection of titles examines the history, politics, and social impacts of World War II and its indelible mark on the world. The Collection highlights global perspectives through historical fiction, memoirs and biographies, and nonfiction titles that discuss topics including the Holocaust, the atomic bombings of Japan, and the effects of conflict.
Under a War-Torn Sky
Under the Blood Red Sun
War and Genocide
War Games
Warlight
War Stories
War Without Mercy
We Are Not Free
Weedflower
We Must Not Think of Ourselves
We Shall Fight on the Beaches
We Were the Lucky Ones
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
When My Name Was Keoko
When the Elephants Dance
When the Emperor Was Divine
When The World Was Ours
White Bird
Winter Garden
With the Old Breed
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Coming of Age, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger
Tags World War II
Publication year 1994
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, War, Coming of Age
Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction, World War II, Action & Adventure, Sports
Publication year 2002
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes War, Politics & Government, Power & Greed
Tags World History, Holocaust, World War II, Education, Education, Military & War, European History
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Justice, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Race, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Sports
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Fear, Grief, Loneliness, Gender Identity, Family, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Nation, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Coming of Age, Post-War Era
Warlight (2018) is a historical fiction novel by Sri Lankan-born Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje. Ondaatje is best known for his Booker Prize winning novel, The English Patient (1992). Part spy thriller and coming-of-age story, Warlight follows 14-year-old Nathaniel Williams and his older sister, Rachel, in post-World War II London. When their parents depart for a year-long work assignment in Singapore, the siblings are left in the care of an enigmatic guardian named The Moth. Nathaniel... Read Warlight Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Guilt, Memory, Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Military & War, World War II, Children`s Literature, World History
Publication year 1986
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags US History, Race & Racism, Military & War, World War II, World History, Japanese Literature
In his 1986 nonfiction work War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian John W. Dower investigates the racism between the United States and the Empire of Japan, as it existed before, during, and after the Second World War. The very nature and understanding of who the enemy was, for both the Anglo-Americans and the Japanese, presented in many forms. On the American side, there was an important... Read War Without Mercy Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Politics & Government, Friendship, Family
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Asian Literature, Race & Racism, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, World History
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Justice, Race, Shame & Pride, Loneliness, Family, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Fear, War
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Japanese Literature, Arts & Culture, World War II, Coming of Age
Weedflower, Cynthia Kadohata’s 2006 historical fiction young adult novel, tells the story of 12-year-old Japanese American Sumiko amid Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the US government’s ensuing involvement in World War II. Kadohata depicts the conditions of Japanese internment camps from Sumiko’s perspective, providing unique insight and education on the racism that Japanese Americans faced and the US government’s poor decisions.This guide references the 2009 paperback reprint edition from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.Plot... Read Weedflower Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Perseverance, Grief, Race, War
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Jewish Literature, Military & War, World History
Publication year 1940
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Perseverance
Tags Military & War, Inspirational, World War II
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Music
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Military & War, World History
We Were the Lucky Ones, written by Georgia Hunter and published in 2017, is a historical novel based on the actual experiences of the author’s family during World War II. Hunter’s grandfather, Addy Kurc, came from a family of Jews in Radom, Poland. The book follows the story of Addy, his parents Nechuma and Sol, and his siblings Genek, Mila, Jakob, and Halina, along with their spouses, as they struggle to survive the Holocaust and... Read We Were the Lucky Ones Summary
Publication year 1971
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Race, Childhood & Youth, Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Coming of Age, World War II, Holocaust, Immigration & Refugeeism, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (1971) is a children’s novel by Judith Kerr. The novel is set between 1933 and 1936, and traces the life of protagonist Anna, who is nine years old at the novel’s opening, as her family flees Germany for Switzerland, France, and, finally, England. Although the novel is a work of fiction, it is semi-autobiographical. Kerr is of German-Jewish heritage, and her family left Germany once Hitler rose to power in... Read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Community
Tags Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Korean Literature, Children`s Literature, World War II, Military & War, World History, Japanese Literature
When My Name Was Keoko (2002) is a young adult work of historical fiction by Linda Sue Park about the Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II. Many praise the novel for how it exposes this often overlooked topic in history, authentically portraying Korean life, culture, and perspective in the 1940s. Park wrote the narrative in alternating chapters from the first-person perspective voices of two Korean siblings: 10-year-old Sun-hee (aka Keoko) and 13-year-old Tae-yul... Read When My Name Was Keoko Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family
Tags World War II, Military & War, Asian Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
When the Elephants Dance is Filipino-American writer Tess Uriza Holthe’s first novel. Published in 2002, it is based on Holthe’s father’s experiences growing up in the Philippines during World War II. The novel centers around a group of friends and neighbors seeking shelter in a cellar and sharing traditional moralistic Filipino legends that illustrate their resilience and the importance of stories for survival. The title is taken from a saying offered by one of the... Read When the Elephants Dance Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Historical Fiction, Education, Education, World War II, Military & War, World History
Japanese-American author Julie Otsuka’s historical fiction novel, When the Emperor Was Divine, was published in 2002. It is a short book, falling at the boundary between a novel and a novella, chronicling the experience of one Japanese family at an internment camp during World War II. The book is broken into five uneven sections: “Evacuation Order No. 19,” “Train,” “When the Emperor Was Divine,” “In a Stranger’s Backyard,” and “Confession.” The first three sections are... Read When the Emperor Was Divine Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Grief, Hate & Anger, The Past, Family, Friendship, War, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Children`s Literature, World War II, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Disability, Death, Safety & Danger, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Friendship, Memory, The Past, Fear, Family, War, Grief, Conflict, Fathers, Justice, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Trust & Doubt, Hope, Gratitude, Loneliness, Loyalty & Betrayal, Appearance & Reality, Nation
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Dramatic Literature, World War II, Holocaust, Military & War, World History
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes War, Family, Mothers, Memory, The Past, Grief, Perseverance
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, World War II, Russian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History
Publication year 1981
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes War
Tags World War II, Military & War, US History, World History, Biography
E.B. Sledge’s memoir recounts his experiences fighting in the South Pacific during World War II. Serving in the First Marine Division, he was present at the some of the deadliest battles of that war. The book begins with the author’s experiences being trained as a new marine recruit, enduring boot camp and mortar man training. He then vividly describes his participation in two seminal conflicts of the Pacific campaign: Peleliu and Okinawa. Written in a... Read With the Old Breed Summary