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World War II Memorial at the National Mall. Photo @fishshelf
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Today is the 73rd anniversary of D-Day. Here is a brief list of lesser known WW II
books that make good reading, or a one or two cases, great viewing.
Flame and Citron – This Danish movie is about two Danish
resistance fighters during the German Occupation. It stars Mads Mikkelsen and Thure Linhardt. It is an unromantic view of war.
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Source Liveforfilm
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| Photo Source Goodreads. |
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| Photo Source Goodreads |
Wildflowers of Terezin – This book by Robert Elmer details
the life of a priest and a Jewish woman in Copenhagen during the
Occupation. I first read it when it was
offered free for the kindle, and it is a beautiful example of historical
fiction. While the book is published via
a religious publishing house, Elmer doesn’t hit the reader over the head with
it, and the question of faith is handed quite well. Elmer also wrote a children’s series, Young
Underground, about Danish children during Occupation.
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| Photo Source Goodreads |
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| Photo source Goodreads |
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein – The story in this book
is told via two young women who work for SOE and the British Airforce. Wein’s book is the ideal antidote to any war
story that shows women only as nurses and romantic leads. There is little romance in this book - just a deep friendship and a love for
country. It is a powerful novel.
The
sequel is Rose Under Fire. There is also
a series, Wish Me Luck about female wireless operators as well.
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| Photo Source en series tv shows |
Ajax, the Dutch, the War by Simon Kupar – Kupar looks at how the Netherlands most famous team, Ajax, continued though the War years. In part, this book also shows how soccer (or sport in general) can also be political expression and resistance.
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Photo Source Goodreads
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| Photo Source Goodreads |
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| Photo Source Goodreds |
Auschwitz and After by Charlotte Delbo - Delbo’s memoires of
her time Auschwitz are worth reading because she was a political prison,
imprisoned for aiding the French resistance.
The book adds another layer to knowledge about Auschwitz.
Cruel World by Lynn H. Nicholas -
Nicolas is perhaps best known for her Rape of Europa, a book detailing
the Nazi looting of art. This book centers
on children of all walks - Jewish, teen,
Gentile. It is a haunting look.
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| Photo Source Goodreads |
A Life in Secrets by Sarah Helm – In many ways, this book
started me on my study of WW II and I have no idea why I picked it up in the
first place. Helm’s book is in partial
biography of Vera Atkins, the woman who supposedly inspired Moneypenny, and a
detail of what happened to women agents who dropped into Occupied France. After reading this book, you might also want
to read Spy Princess and Flames in the Field.
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| Photo Source Goodreads |
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| Photo Source Goodreads |
Women Heroes of World War II – by Kathryn Atwood. Atwood’s book offers mini-biographies of
lesser known women active during WW II.
She focuses on women on all levels -reporters, rescuers, resistance
fighters, spies. (She also did a volume
for WW I).
The Tiger’s Claw by Shauna Singh Baldwin – this historical fiction is about Noor
Inyant Khan, a wireless operator in WW II.
The book details her experiences as well as those of her family as they
try to discover what happened to her.
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| Photo Source Goodreads |
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| Photo Source Goodreads |
A Midnight Clear by William Wharton – Lovely novel about US soldiers. It is a very human novel, reminds one of All
Quiet on the Western Front.
The Collaborators by Reginald Hill – This book takes place
during Occupied Paris and is told via the view of both Germans and
Frenchmen/women. The central idea is
that of the title – what is collaboration?
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| Photo Source Goodreads |
The Witness House by Christane Kohl – Kohl’s book is about
the woman who ran the house where many witnesses stayed during the Nuremberg
trials. In many ways, it is a book that
only a German could write.
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