Publication year 2017
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Conflict, Perseverance, The Past, Nation, Politics & Government, Science & Technology
Tags World History, Biography, Politics & Government, World War II, US History
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.
The Accidental President
The Alice Network
The Assault
The Berlin Boxing Club
The Bomb
The Bomber Mafia
The Book of Lost Names
The Book Thief
The Boy at The Top of the Mountain
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Boy On The Wooden Box
The Boys in the Boat
The Boys in the Light
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler
The Boy Who Dared
The Buddha in the Attic
The Cage
The Choice: Embrace the Possible
The Coming of the Third Reich
The Daughters of Yalta
Publication year 2017
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Conflict, Perseverance, The Past, Nation, Politics & Government, Science & Technology
Tags World History, Biography, Politics & Government, World War II, US History
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World War II, Military & War, French Literature, World History
The Alice Network is the seventh novel by author Kate Quinn. First published in 2017, the book is classified as historical fiction. It became a New York Times and USA Today bestseller and was also listed as a Summer Pick by Good Housekeeping, Parade, Library Journal, and Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club. Quinn has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set during the Italian Renaissance. The Alice Network and her... Read The Alice Network Summary
Publication year 1982
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags World War II, Education, Education, Military & War, Dutch Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
The Assault is an historical fiction novel written by Dutch author Harry Mulisch. First published in 1982 under the Dutch title De Aanslag, the novel was translated and published in English in 1985 and later translated into over a dozen languages. Mulisch was born in Haarlem, Netherlands, the same setting in which The Assault occurs. The story is based on actual events and Mulisch’s experiences during German occupation in World War II. The narrative is... Read The Assault Summary
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Military & War, Sports, World History
The Berlin Boxing Club is the second novel by Robert Sharenow, also the author of My Mother the Cheerleader. It was published in 2011 and won the Association of Jewish Libraries Sidney Taylor Award.While a work of fiction, The Berlin Boxing Clubis based on a true story: that of the German boxing champion Max Schmeling, who sheltered two Jewish children during Kristallnacht—the night of Nazi-sponsored rioting against Jews that many see as the beginning of... Read The Berlin Boxing Club Summary
Publication year 1995
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, War, Science & Technology
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Realistic Fiction, Social Justice
Publication year 2021
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Science & Technology, Death, Good & Evil, Wins & Losses, War, Conflict, Perseverance
Tags World War II, Military & War, Technology, US History, Technology, World History
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Truth & Lies, Guilt, Perseverance, Conflict
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Love & Sexuality, European History, Holocaust, Military & War, World History, Romance
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Literature
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction
The Book Thief (December 2007) is a young adult novel by Australian author Markus Zusak. Other titles by Zusak include Underdogs (1999), I am the Messenger (2002), and Bridge of Clay (2018). All his works have received multiple literary prizes and reader’s choice awards from countries around the world.When first published, The Book Thief became a #1 New York Times bestseller and was a nominee of PBS’s The Great American Read as one of America’s... Read The Book Thief Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Children`s Literature, Irish Literature, World War II, Military & War, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction
John Boyne’s juvenile historical novel The Boy at the Top of the Mountain (2016, Henry Holt and Company) weaves real-life figures and events into the fictional story of a boy named Pierrot Fischer, who becomes corrupted after falling under the direct influence of the Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler. The novel’s central themes involve the conflicts and struggles of life under Nazi rule, as well as Pierrot’s move from innocence and naïveté to violence and abuse—and... Read The Boy at The Top of the Mountain Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, War
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Symbolic Narrative, Children`s Literature, European History, World History, World War II, Holocaust, Education, Education, Military & War
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a historical fiction novel published in 2006 by celebrated Irish author John Boyne, known both for his adult and young adult fiction. Set around the World War II concentration camp Auschwitz, the novel combines realism with parable. It portrays a young German boy, Bruno, whose father is commander of the camp, and his unusual and ultimately tragic friendship with a Jewish boy, Shmuel. The work sold over seven... Read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Children`s Literature, European History, World War II, Military & War, World History, Biography
Leon Leyson’s The Boy on the Wooden Box (2013) is a memoir for young readers about the author’s experiences as a survivor of the Holocaust. Leyson was one of the youngest persons on the famous list of Jews that businessman Oskar Schindler employed in his ammunition factory in Poland, thus saving them from execution. The book’s title comes from the fact that Leon, being small of stature, must stand on a wooden box to operate... Read The Boy On The Wooden Box Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Teamwork
Tags US History, European History, Sports, World War II, World History, Biography
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics is a work of narrative nonfiction written by Daniel James Brown and published in 2013. Brown is known for his nonfiction works, including The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride (2009) and Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II (2021). The Boys in the Boat... Read The Boys in the Boat Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Masculinity, Coming of Age, War
Tags World War II, Biography, History, Military & War, Holocaust
Publication year 2015
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Tags European History, Children`s Literature, World War II, Military & War, World History, Action & Adventure, Biography
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip Hoose is a young adult (YA) nonfiction book published in 2015. Hoose, who previously received a Newbery Honor for Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, was inspired to write the book after learning about the Churchill Club on a visit to the Museum of Danish Resistance in Copenhagen. The book is composed of Hoose’s research-based narration of the actions and events surrounding the... Read The Boys Who Challenged Hitler Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, War, Race, Power & Greed, Appearance & Reality, Perseverance
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History
The Boy Who Dared is a young adult novel, written by award-winning children’s author Susan Campbell Bartoletti and published in 2008. The Boy Who Dared is a historical fiction novel based on the real life of Helmuth Hübener, a German boy who defied the Nazis during WWII. Alternating between his last day on death row and his memories, Helmuth’s story depicts the danger of silence, the value of the individual, and the power of the... Read The Boy Who Dared Summary
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fear, Race, Justice
Tags Historical Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Social Class, US History, Race & Racism, American Literature, World War II, Asian Literature, World History, Japanese Literature
Julie Otsuka is a Japanese American writer who was born in 1962 in Palo Alto, California. Both The Buddha in the Attic (2011) and her 2002 novel, When the Emperor was Divine, portray the Japanese American experience of internment camps following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The subject is close to Otsuka’s heart; the FBI arrested her grandfather on suspicion of being an enemy spy, while her mother, uncle, and grandmother were... Read The Buddha in the Attic Summary
Publication year 1986
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Memory, Mothers
Tags Children`s Literature, World History, Education, Education, Jewish Literature, World War II, Military & War, Biography
The Cage is the 1986 memoir of Ruth Minsky Sender, nee Riva Minska, detailing her family’s struggle to survive the Holocaust. Born in Lodz, Poland, Riva inhabits a close-knit community that integrates both Jews and non-Jews through shared traditions and intergenerational spaces. When Hitler’s Nazis invade Poland, thirteen-year-old Riva watches this peace crumble, as non-Jewish friends accept her family’s persecution and as Jews themselves adopt positions of power that hurt others in the community.After Riva’s... Read The Cage Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Memory, Grief, The Past
Tags Psychology, Health, European History, World War II, Holocaust, Military & War, World History, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Biography
Publication year 2003
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Nostalgia, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Disability, Gender Identity, Race, The Past, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, War, Art, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger
Tags World History, Military & War, World War II, European History, Politics & Government
Publication year 2020
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Femininity, Politics & Government
Tags World History, Politics & Government, Military & War, World War II, Cold War, Women`s Studies, Biography