Finding the interest in WWII history
I’ve enjoyed learning about WWII for many years. I took a history course in college on it and as the market of books on WWII has grown, I have enjoyed reading them and have learned many different aspects of the war that I hadn’t learned previously. I clearly am not the only one that has been enjoying all of the new releases because I feel like the number of books has continued to grow over the years. Keep reading to see my top 5 WWII books.
This post is the opinion of Becca Jean’s World. Find the full disclaimer policy here.
How did my interest in the time period start? I am not 100% sure when it started, but one of my first memories of learning about WWII was seeing Schindler’s List at the theater with the school. I think this started my interest in it. It continued into college as I previously stated but then went dormant as life took turns that I didn’t plan on.
A Little about WWII
WWII was truly a world war as it took place in more than half of the world. Many parts of Europe, Russia, and the Pacific Ocean were all locations that we see throughout the history of the war. In Europe alone, Germany, England, France, Poland, Italy, and Hungary were affected by the effects of the war. Some other locations that many have written about are Auschwitz and other concentration camps.
In the different areas, there were different ways that the war was fought, air, sea, and on the ground. This obviously varied to the different parts of the war. If you are familiar with the war, this is nothing new to you. Reading different stories has enabled me to continue to learn more details about the war that I didn’t have before.
Throughout my reading of both true stories of the war and historical fiction based on WWII, I have read stories based all over these locations. As well as many different main characters, prisoners, pilots, spouses, fighters, children, and those impacted by living in the affected areas. I have found the stories about female pilots interesting and filled with stories from the war that I didn’t know before.
Here are my Top 5 favorite WWII books so far.
These are all 5-star reads on my Goodreads account.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
A touching story about a blind French girl and her father during WWII. Historical fiction story that takes place at the time of the war but isn’t focused on the war itself.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
A historical fiction book based on the life of a Holocaust survivor. Based in one of the most horrific places to be found during the war.
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
A historical fiction book inspired by a true story from during the war. A Jewish young lady in hiding helping children escape France.
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
The story follows the Huntress and the man and woman trying to find her. A historical fiction book that is based during the war and in post-war time.
The Book Thief by Mark Zusak
A book narrated by Death and focused on a situation that occurred during the war and not about the war directly. How books can support you at any point in time.
What Drives you to WWII Books?
What WWII books have you read that are in your top 5? Are any of these books included? Have you found that you gravitate to one kind or another type of WWII book? True story, based on a true story/inspired by real events or straight fiction based in that time of history. I find that straight true stories can be dry and filled with lots of technical details that slow the story down. For the other two options, it depends on how they are written but I normally enjoy both formats.
