The Golden Gate by Amy Chua

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua is an historical mystery and thriller that perfectly combines the world’s events at the end of World War with the struggles and issues in the northern California community of Berkeley.  The plot centers around Homicide Detective Al Sullivan, who is enjoying an after dinner drink at the famed Claremont Hotel, when in an upstairs suite, a presidential candidate, Walter Wilkinson, has two assassination attempts on his life within an hour.  The second attempt proves fatal.  The candidate was despised by many and when Sullivan heads up the case, there are a number of suspects and theories that rise to the top of his list.

More than a decade earlier, another scandal at the Claremont Hotel was the talk of the town.  This scandal involved the death of a seven year old child from the renowned Bainbridge family, whose wealth and status were at the peak of San Francisco society.  While investigating the current case of Wilkinson, Detective Sullivan finds clues at the crime scene that harken back to the Bainbridge incident, linking the cases back to the surviving heiresses of the family.

After Wilkinson’s death, another murder occurs that has Sullivan perplexed as to how these events could be tied together and how they may impact the United States national security in the future.  The triangle of evidence grows even more complex when Sullivan discovers an extremely close relationship between Wilkinson and the first lady of China, who has taken up residence in the area just blocks away from the crime scene.  Red herrings abound with Sullivan confident that the case is solved and then being thrown a curveball that makes him question everything he has investigated.  After Sullivan gets a second break in the case all the pieces start to come together yet again or is this another false lead?

Chua takes multiple storylines and weaves an extraordinary plot together that addresses the uncertainties of the time, the difference in social classes and a series of crimes that shocked the community.  I cannot remember another book with such a unique plotline as The Golden Gate.  As in most historical fiction, it perfectly captures the history, struggles and realism of the era.  I particularly enjoyed the historical context and the internal struggles of Homicide Detective Al Sullivan, who tries to come to terms with his childhood while trying to navigate his future.  The Golden Gate also provides a fascinating glimpse at the United States immediately following World War II.  This is Chua’s first fiction novel and I am hopeful that The Golden Gate is the first of many by this author!

 

Librarians in Historical Fiction

Celebrate National Library Week 2024 (April 7-13) by reading some of our favorite historical fiction novels about librarians and the libraries they serve.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel – As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. Sixty-five years later, a book is discovered that appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from, or what the code means. Only Eva, now working as a semi-retired librarian, holds the answer, but will she have the strength to revisit old memories and help reunite those lost during the war?

Available in regular print, large print, and audio book on CD.

The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green – In 1942, an impulsive promise to her brother before he goes off to the European front puts Avis Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian in small-town Maine. Though she has never been much of a reader, when wartime needs threaten to close the library, she invents a book club to keep its doors open. The women she convinces to attend the first meeting couldn’t be more different — a wealthy spinster determined to aid the war effort, an exhausted mother looking for a fresh start, and a determined young war worker. The women face personal challenges and band together in the face of danger. But when their growing friendships are tested by secrets of the past and present, they must decide whether depending on each other is worth the cost.

Available in regular print and large print.

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe – Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust. Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the librarian of Auschwitz.

Available in regular print and large print.

The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson – London, 1944: Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. While war ravages the city above her, Clara has risked everything she holds dear to turn the Bethnal Green tube station into the country’s only underground library. Down here, a secret community thrives with thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a café, and a theater–offering shelter, solace, and escape from the bombs that fall upon their city. Along with her glamorous best friend and assistant Ruby Munroe, Clara ensures the library is the beating heart of life underground. But as the war drags on, the women’s determination to remain strong in the face of adversity is tested to the limits when it may come at the price of keeping those closest to them alive.

Available in regular print.

The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong – Two women. One secret. A truth worth fighting for.
1918. Timid and shy Emmaline Balakin lives more in books than her own life. That is, until an envelope crosses her desk at the Dead Letter Office bearing a name from her past, and Emmaline decides to finally embark on an adventure of her own–as a volunteer librarian on the frontlines in France. Then a romance blooms as she secretly participates in a book club for censored books.
1976. Kathleen Carre is eager to prove to herself and to her nana that she deserves her acceptance into the first coed class at the United States Naval Academy. But not everyone wants female midshipmen at the Academy, and after tragedy strikes close to home, Kathleen becomes a target.

Available in regular print and large print.

Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers: Remembering the “Comfort Women” of World War II by Han Seong-won

When looking for a nonfiction book to read, I typically look for a topic of which I know very little. My latest nonfiction read was the graphic nonfiction, Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers: Remembering the “Comfort Women” of World War II by Han Seong-won. This book tells the story of the “comfort women” of the Japanese Imperial Army. I’ll admit here that I didn’t know anything about “comfort women” and based on the cover, I thought that these women were positive comforters. How incredibly and devastatingly wrong I was.

Between 1932 to 1945, the Japanese Imperial Army set up “comfort stations” wherever there was a war zone. The people that worked these “comfort stations” were women and girls they either kidnapped or lured under false promises of actual work. These women and girls were forced into sexual slavery in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. This is government-sponsored sexual slavery and human trafficking that Japan did not even acknowledge occurred until 1991.

This book tells the story of the grandmothers who have chosen to speak about their lives as “comfort women”. It shares their stories, speaks their testimonies, and pays respect to the many others who will never come forward to talk about what happened to them. Also present in this book are members of younger generations who advocate alongside the grandmothers, protesting every Wednesday for years demanding justice. These women are victims of war whose human rights were violated. Han Seong-won shines light on their stories and helps advocate for honesty about what happened to them only eighty years ago.

WORLD WAR II AND THE HOLOCAUST

As a follow-up to the October 16, 2023 blog: PALESTINE 1936: the great revolt and the roots of the Middle East conflict by Oren Kessler it seems appropriate to share more titles that will help the reader to more deeply connect with the humanity and INhumanity of the second World War – a direct precursor to the establishment of Israel as a nation. With the current state of affairs in the Middle East and the division it has caused in our own country and around the world, reminding ourselves of the past is vital to preventing another holocaust (of any people) and potentially another World War.

These books are organized into several categories and deliver the facts of World War II that directly impacted the persecuted people and focus on their personal stories. These are true re-tellings of the horrific acts perpetrated on ordinary people and their fight for survival. There are stories of individuals who risked their lives through selfless acts to help save others. There are stories of resistance and brave defiance, as well as the work of spies and operatives. Included, too, are books that tell of the ideology of the enemy and the atrocities at the concentration camps.  More comprehensive histories of the war are offered as well as books discussing what we can learn from this war, how it has shaped us, and how we can reclaim our humanity and seek peace.

What’s not covered:

There are so many facets of World War II, that this list of books is largely limited to the civilian impact of the war on the European continent, particularly of Jewish people or anyone who dared to help them – including the death camps. This list does not include books that are focused more on specific military campaigns, the battle stories and valor of those who served (excluding spies & operatives), the important acts of the medical corps, the lives of those on the home front, or any of the undertakings in any of the many theatres of war. You may search these topics yourself and will find plenty of books to help you understand those aspects of the war.

STORIES OF THOSE WHO SURVIVED, HOW THEY SURVIVED, AND OF THOSE WHO DIDN’T:

A Bookshop in Berlin : The rediscovered memoir of one woman’s harrowing escape from the Nazis by Francoise Frenkel

The choice : embrace the possible by Edith Eva Eger

Death march escape : the remarkable story of a man who twice escaped the Nazi Holocaust by Jack J. Hersch

The diary of a young girl the definitive edition by Anne Frank

The dressmakers of Auschwitz : the true story of the women who sewed to survive by Lucy Adlington

Into the forest : a Holocaust story of survival, triumph, and love by Rebecca Frankel

The light of days : the untold story of (Jewish) women resistance fighters in Hitler’s ghettos by Judy Batalion

My friend Anne Frank : the inspiring and heartbreaking true story of best friends torn apart and reunited against all odds by Hannah Pick-Goslar

Remember us : my journey from the shtetl through the Holocaust by Martin Small

Saved by Schindler : the life of Celina Karp Biniaz by William B. Friedricks

Tehran children : a (Jewish) Holocaust refugee odyssey by Mikhal Dekel

STORIES OF THOSE WHO RISKED THEMSELVES TO HIDE OTHERS:

The Bielski brothers : the true story of three men who defied the Nazis, saved 1,200 Jews, and built a village in the forest by Peter Duffy

A good place to hide : how one French community saved thousands of lives in World War II by Peter Grose

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Irena’s children : the extraordinary story of the woman who saved 2,500 children from the Warsaw ghetto by Tilar J. Mazzeo

The sisters of Auschwitz : the true story of two Jewish sisters’ resistance in the heart of Nazi territory by Roxane van Iperen

The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman

STORIES OF RESISTANCE:

A cool and lonely courage : the untold story of sister spies in Occupied France by Susan Ottaway

D-Day girls : the spies who armed the resistance, sabotaged the Nazis, and helped win World War II by Sarah Rose

The forgers : the forgotten story of the Holocaust’s most audacious rescue operation by Roger Moorhouse

The girls who stepped out of line : untold stories of the women who changed the course of World War II by Mari K. Eder

Invisible heroes of World War II : extraordinary wartime stories of ordinary people by Jerry Borrowman

Madame Fourcade’s secret war : the daring young woman who led France’s largest spy network against Hitler by Lynne Olson

The nine : the true story of a band of women who survived the worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss

Operatives, spies, and saboteurs : the unknown story of the men and women of World War II’s OSS by Patrick K. O’Donnell

A train in winter an extraordinary story of women, friendship, and resistance in occupied France by Caroline Moorehead

A woman of no importance : the untold story of the American spy who helped win World War II by Sonia Purnell

Red Orchestra : the story of the Berlin underground and the circle of friends who resisted Hitler by Anne Nelson

FAMILIES SEARCHING FOR LOST RELATIVES AND THE TRUTH:

Jews in the garden : a Holocaust survivor, the fate of his family, and the secret history of Poland in World War II by Judy Rakowsky

A world erased : a grandson’s search for his family’s Holocaust secrets by Noah Lederman

OTHER EXPERIENCES OR FIRST-HAND WITNESS:

The diary keepers : World War II in the Netherlands, as written by the people who lived through it by Nina Siegal

Facing the lion : memoirs of a young girl in Nazi Europe by Simone Arnold Liebster

Last witnesses : an oral history of the children of World War II by Svetlana Aleksievich

The ravine : a family, a photograph, a Holocaust massacre revealed by Wendy Lower

RECOVERING FROM HORRIFIC EVENTS OF WAR:

Man’s search for meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Wounds into wisdom : healing intergenerational Jewish trauma by Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D.

HOLOCAUST HISTORY AND GENERAL WORLD WAR II FACTS:

Historical atlas of the Holocaust by the U S Holocaust Memorial Museum

The holocaust chronicle by Marilyn Harran, Dieter Kuntz, and John K. Roth

Holocaust : the Nazi persecution and murder of the Jews by Peter Longerich

The secret war : spies, ciphers, and guerrillas 1939-1945 by Max Hastings

The storm of war : a new history of the Second World War by Andrew Roberts

World War II in photographs by Richard Holmes

THE ALLIES

1944 : FDR and the year that changed history by Jay Winik

Britain at Bay : the epic story of the Second World War, 1938-1941 by Alan Allport

Last Hope Island : Britain, occupied Europe, and the brotherhood that helped turn the tide of war by Lynne Olson

Why the allies won by R. J. Overy

HOW THE WAR CHANGED US, CAN CHANGE US, (OR COULD HAVE):

The fear and the freedom : how the Second World War changed us by Keith Lowe

If the Allies had fallen : sixty alternate scenarios of World War II by Dennis E. Showalter and Harold C. Deutsch

Learning from the Germans : race and the memory of evil by Susan Neiman

Why we fight : the roots of war and the paths to peace by Christopher Blattman

THE AXIS – IDEOLOGY OF THE ENEMY:

Army of evil : a history of the SS by Adrian Weale

Becoming Hitler : the Making of a Nazi by Thomas Weber

The book thieves : the Nazi looting of Europe’s libraries and the race to return a literary inheritance by Anders Rydell

Göring’s man in Paris : the story of a Nazi art plunderer and his world by Jonathan Petropoulos

Hitler’s furies : German women in the Nazi killing fields by Wendy Lower

The rape of Europa : the fate of Europe’s treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War by Lynn H. Nicholas

Then they came for me : Martin Niemöller, the pastor who defied the Nazis by Matthew D. Hockenos

The women who flew for Hitler: a true story of soaring ambition and searing rivalry by Clare Mulley

PRISON CAMPS:

Auschwitz : not long ago. not far away by Luis Ferreiro, Miriam Greenbaum, and Robert Jan van Pelt

Dachau 29 April 1945 : the Rainbow liberation memoirs by Sam Dann

Ravensbrück : life and death in Hitler’s concentration camp for women by Sarah Helm

PALESTINE 1936: the great revolt and the roots of the Middle East conflict by Oren Kessler

“Exceptional…opens new vistas on troubles past and present.” – The Wall Street Journal

“Key to understanding the current situation between Israelis and Palestinians.” – Booklist (starred review)

When Oren Kessler’s first book, Palestine 1936: the great revolt and the roots of the Middle East conflict,was published earlier this year, while lauded, its true significance would not be felt until now. With the recent surprise attacks on Israel by Hamas on October 7, and the following response including a declaration of war on Hamas by Israel, this book is more important than ever in understanding the complex history which has shaped the present state of affairs. Kessler addresses this complicated topic by utilizing only recently declassified documents as well as memoirs and other sources to draw a thorough examination of this formative and often overlooked period.

In his book, Kessler relates key events from the period of 1936 to 1939 that laid the foundation for the establishment of Israel as a state in 1948 and for the current Arab-Israeli conflict. That period itself is a complicated time in world history, as political tensions were already heightened and ultimately ignited World War II. Kessler believes that events almost 90 years ago, and just prior to the second World War, have so shaped the attitudes and posture of the conflict that it will ultimately lead to tragedy for both Jews and Arabs. Primarily, Kessler suggests that many Arabs in the region are unwilling to accept Jewish equality, political or social, let along their right to an ancestral homeland. He believes that this is the true core of the conflict and not one easily resolved.

“Oren Kessler is a journalist and political analyst based in Tel Aviv. He has served as deputy director for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, Middle East research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society in London, Arab affairs correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, and an editor and translator at Haaretz English edition.” –  orenkessler.com

If you want to more fully understand the current state of affairs in Palestine and the war that is now commencing, Palestine 1936 is a must read. In addition, the Davenport Library has a number of other books that you might find informative and enlightening on this topic and as well as closely related topics.

                         

A Lethal Obsession : antisemitism from antiquity to the global Jihad by Robert S. Wistrich

Master of the game : Henry Kissinger and the art of Middle East diplomacy by Martin Indyk

RAF : the birth of the world’s first air force by Richard Overy

Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco

1917 : war, peace, and revolution by D.(David) Steveson

Decolonizing Palestine : the land, the people, the bible by Mitri Raheb

Tehran children : a Holocaust refugee odyssey by Mikhal Dekel

Remember Us : my journey from the shtetl through the Holocaust by Martin Small

I Am Not Your Enemy : stories to transform a divided world by Michael T. McRay

Bethlehem : biography of a town by Nicholas Blincoe

The Lemon Tree : an Arab, a Jew, and the heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan

19 varieties of gazelle : poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye

Things you may find hidden in my ear : poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha

Chronicle of the Old Testament kings : the reign-by-reign record of the rulers of ancient Israel by J.W. (John William) Rogerson

New moons : contemporary writing by North American Muslims by Ali Kazim

 

We Are On Our Own: A Memoir by Miriam Katin

Miriam Katin was born in Hungary during World War II. She doesn’t remember much about the war except that this war reminded people of other wars and that other wars were going to also come. War was expected, intruders to the land were a given, and upheaval was just how she lived. Her young childhood was a jumble.

In an attempt to gather all she remembers, she wrote We Are On Our Own, a memoir about a mother and her daughter’s survival in World War II. Miriam writes and illustrates the story of her and her mother’s escape from the Nazis in Budapest, Hungary from 1944-1945. It’s compiled from her memories, her parents’ memories, as well as whatever primary source material she could find.

Miriam’s father was off fighting for the Hungarian army when she and her mother were forced out of their home. Desperate to survive, the two faked their deaths and fled to the countryside on foot with few possessions. Miriam was understandably confused and distraught about what was happening: where is her beloved dog, Rexy, after all? He would never leave her. Disguising themselves as illegitimate child and peasant servant woman, the two manage to stay steps ahead of the German soldiers. Miriam’s mother managed to hold onto hope that her husband would survive and that they would one day all be reunited.

Miriam was only a toddler when her world dissolved. Her childhood memories were fragmented, full of chocolate, forests, snow, strange men, and the noise and brutality of war. This memoir is her way of gathering those fragments and forming something that makes sense. Besides their physical crises, Miriam and her family go through a crisis of faith. The two contemplate God, His decisions, and why He would allow devastation and destruction across the world. This is a constant crisis for the two and for many other survivors of the Shoah/Holocaust. Miriam merges her broken pieces into a beautifully told story of her childhood innocence amidst unbelievable violence.

Bluebird by Sharon Cameron

“Reality is the condition we create for ourselves.”
― Sharon Cameron, Bluebird

Bluebird by Sharon Cameron is an Iowa High School Book Award nominee for 2023-2024. Having already read a couple of the other nominees and enjoyed them, I wanted to dive into more!

Bluebird is a historical novel set in post World War II. There are flashbacks, as well as back and forth, but once you get used to it, the book flies by! While this book is artfully detailed and lengthy, it doesn’t have any long drawn-out descriptions. Although this is fiction, there is a section of notes at the very end that discusses how the author researched her book, plus the relevant real history.  If you’re like me and tend to skip the notes, read these ones! They gave me a jumping off point to some more research. (I also listened to the audiobook which added to the experience.) Now let’s talk Bluebird.

Eva grew up in Germany, but in 1946, she leaves the rubble and destruction of Berlin behind to head to New York City. Traveling with her friend, Eva has no idea what they are headed into, only that she hopes it will lead to justice for her, her friend, and her family. As soon as they settle, Eva realizes that New York may be full of more danger than Germany. Believing in something doesn’t mean anything when you’re up against men with power, but Eva knows what she’s fighting for is more important. As she searches for the truth, she realizes that those she once trusted may be lying to her.

Eva is more valuable than others realize though. She holds the key to Project Bluebird, a horrific experiment project that could tip the balance of world power if its truth is exposed. More than just the Germans want to know about Project Bluebird. The Americans and Soviets are desperate to have that power, although if either is successful, lives would drastically change.

Eva doesn’t care about Project Bluebird. She doesn’t care about what other countries want. She came to America for one thing: justice. She wants the Nazi who escaped from her. She wants to finally hold him accountable for what he did to her and to others.

This title is also available as a Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook, and Playaway Audiobook.

Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour by Andre Frattino and Kate Kasenow

As a librarian, I like to tell people that I know a little about a lot with some deep wells of specific knowledge. If I don’t know the answer, I can find the resources to answer your question. As I was shelving graphic novels, I found Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour: A Japanese American Woman’s Persecution and Ultimate Redemption after World War II with story by Andrew Frattino and illustrated by Kate Kasenow. This book immediately caught my eye as propaganda artists of any kind during wars have been an interst of mine for years, but I had never heard of Tokyo Rose. It was time for a dive. This graphic story was the perfect place to start.

The term ‘Tokyo Rose’ was a nickname given to female English-speaking radio broadcasters of Japanese propaganda during World War II. Allied servicemen in the South Pacific coined this name. This book is not a broad look at World War II, but instead is a focused deep dive into the life of one woman who was branded the legendary infamous Tokyo Rose, even though there were actually many Tokyo Roses.

Iva Toguri was a Japanese American woman born in the States who was sent to visit relatives in Tokyo shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the attack, Iva was trapped in Japan, unable to get back to the United States. Visited by officials, Iva was pressured to renounce her American citizenship and fully become a Japanese citizen. She refused this deal whole-heartedly, saying she was an American citizen and would never denounce her country. This caused issues with her family in Tokyo, forcing Iva to move out and forge a new life for herself.

A friend got her a job at Radio Tokyo, where she was eventually forced to become the host of ‘Zero Hour’, a propaganda broadcast that was created to destroy morale of American troops. She became the infamous Tokyo Rose, ‘The Siren of the Pacific’. Her role made her a target of angry Americans. She was arrested, released, and then eventually made her way back to the United States where after public outcry she was arrested again and prosecuted for treason. Her trial was a joke, the prosecrutors were incredibly dishonest, and the judge skewed not in her favor. She spent time in prison, but was eventually pardoned by President Ford in 1977. Iva’s experience is something not discussed much in the history books, but is something that should be taught.

This book was a good introduction to the Tokyo Rose phenomenon, but remember this is only the story of one woman who was targetted as Tokyo Rose in the media. All in all, I enjoyed this graphic novel, but it was a tad uneven for me. The plot and story is necessary to learn however because after all, those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Online Reading Challenge – July

Hello and welcome to the July edition of the Online Reading Challenge!

This month our theme is about the Holocaust and those who survived. Living through this terrible, dark time is pretty much unimaginable to those of us that were not touched by it’s horrors. Simply reading about the Holocaust is difficult, but I think it’s important that we do read about it and never forget how terrible events can happen. We must always be vigilant so that this never happens again, a job that is neverending.

This month’s main title is We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter.

An extraordinary, propulsive novel based on the true story of a family of Polish Jews who scatter at the start of the Second World War, determined to survive, and to reunite. It is the spring of 1939, and three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives, even as the shadow of war grows ever closer. The talk around the family Seder table is of new babies and budding romance, not of the increasing hardships facing Jews in their hometown of Radom, Poland. But soon the horrors overtaking Europe will become inescapable and the Kurc family will be flung to the far corners of the earth, each desperately trying to chart his or her own path toward safety.

Also available as an ebook.

Alternate titles are:

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism–but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion.

Also available as an ebook, e-audiobook and Large Print.

The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton

Truus Wijsmuller, a member of the Dutch resistance, risks her life smuggling Jewish children out of Nazi Germany to the nations that will take them. It is a mission that becomes even more dangerous after the Anschluss – Hitler’s annexation of Austria – as, across Europe, countries close their borders to the growing number of refugees desperate to escape. Tante Truus, as she is known, is determined to save as many children as she can.

Night by Eli Wiesel

Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to the Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. This book is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel’s memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man.

Also available as an e-audiobook and as a book-on-cd

Look for these books and many others on display at each of our buildings.

Online Reading Challenge – April Wrap-Up

Challengers! How was your month? Did you read one of the books from our April Book Flight?

The main title this month was The Alice Network by Kate Quinn.  I loved this book. I read it several years ago shortly after it was published and quickly became completely immersed in the historic setting and the work of these brave women.

This is a book about two wars, of the price paid both by those who died and those who survived, of sisterhood and loyalty and immeasurable bravery.

Before reading this I was unaware of the extent of the spy network whose work was instrumental in fighting World War I, and I had no idea that so many women sacrificed so much working behind enemy lines. There really was an “Alice Network” made up of women who worked in France, gathering information and passing it along to the Allies. This work was incredibly dangerous since they often had to pose as neutral and even supportive of the Germans, usually in close contact, posing as waitresses, store clerks and secretaries and sometimes becoming their lovers, all to gather information.

Although the scenes set during World War I were by far the most riveting, I also enjoyed the post-World War II storyline. The parallels between the wars, especially the brutality and suffering, were eerily similar. And again, it brought to light a true story from the Second World War that I had never heard, that of the lost village of Oradour-sur-Glane in France.

What did you think about the women that worked as spies from any of our Book Flight books? Were you, like me, astonished by their sheer courage, their ability to overcome the fear of torture and death to complete a mission and to stay cool under pressure? What do you think motivated them – was it loyalty to a family member or loved one, or was it patriotism for a country? And what about their enemies, were they simply pure evil, or were they more complex?

Be sure to share your thoughts on this month’s Book Flight in the comments below!