World War

Born Survivors

March 27, 2024 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

When I picked up Born Survivors I thought I would be getting a novel telling a story about three fictious women in war-torn Europe. Instead I got a story that was more of a documentary about women who actually survived the Nazi reign of terror. I met the most amazing women Rachel, Priska, and Anka. I am so inspired by their outlook on life and how their perspectives helped them to survive. All links provided are to amazon of which I am an affiliate. Costs you nothing, helps me provide you with reviews!

The Basic Details for Born Survivors

Title: Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope
Author: Nicki Pau Preto
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Pages: listened on audible 13 hours and 8 minutes
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: WW2, history, Holocaust, Jewish, documentary
Available formats: Audio, Hardcover
Read: Audio book on Audible. Give audible a try for free, get a free book each month with a paid membership!

What Did I Think?

This story takes us into the world of three women surviving till the end of the war under the reign of the Nazis. Young women with husbands and extended families. None had been married long, all were well attached to their extended families, none were orthodox Jews. And then the Germans came and life changed. Bit by bit, push by push until ghettos were formed and concentration camps filled.

They focused on their life perspectives: one of which was “find the beauty in the everyday. Look for the beauty in life”. Through love, family, focusing on goals, following their instincts, and sheer determination, they survived. And I am so privileged to have heard their stories.

They avoided the trap of Josef Mengele and his “are you pregnant” questions. Miracles occurred when towns intervened to feed unfed prisoners, when Zyklon-B tanks ran empty, and when forgotten women were found and medical intervention happened for starving infants.

It was lovely to be able to follow their lives post-WW2, reunions and meetings. Learning of the other babies born in concentration camps who survived and just how these women built up their lives after suffering so terribly.

I am not going to say Born Survivors is easy to listen to. There were times when it is so hard to listen to what was done to them. BUT there were also times when you could see the miracles, and feel the love, and see the growth that hardship wrought. THAT is worth listening for!

Give Born Survivors by Wendy Holden a listen and see if you to might be inspired by their courage and determination as well!

Blackout Book Club

December 31, 2022 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Blackout Book Club) through Nuts About Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated.

So it was kinda funny. I often take my review books to work and my co-workers would often raise their eyebrows at me when… I would cry out “NO NO NO!!! That can’t happen!!” Or I would start laughing at something Ginny would say or do. I often received comments that “Annette, you are too invested in that story!” I would just grin and say “A good story gets you invested!” I will heartily recommend The Blackout Book Club to you! Go out… READ IT! Laugh, think, read… and be inspired to read more!

The basic details of The Blackout Book Club

Title: The Blackout Book Club
Author: Amy Lynn Green
Publisher: Bethany House
Pages: 384
Genre: historical fiction, Christian historical fiction, WW2 historical fiction,
Intended Audience: Adult, young adult,
Additions: book club questions
Reviewed for: Nuts About Books
Formats available: Kindle, Audio, Hardcover, Softcover
Received: Softcover

Author: Amy Lynn Green

Amy Lynn Green is the author of several historical fiction novels. I also reviewed her novel The Lines Between Us. She does an excellent job of bringing history to life within the lives of people. She’s worked as a publisher, teaches at writing conferences, and generally just loves to write and read. On her website you can learn the history behind The Blackout Book Club.

About The Blackout Book Club

1942, Avis’s brother heads off to war, she takes up his position as librarian in small-town Maine. How can she help the town and her library? Answer: Start a book club! Complete with minutes, stories, secrets, and more. Discover the battle against U-boats, Wartime solutions, and see history come to life.

Digging Deeper!

You will love the characters in Ms. Green’s latest novel. Ginny made me howl with laughter, Avis tried so hard and became something more. Louise, took her time to grow on my heart, and my heart ached for Martina and her secrets. You’ll meet new characters like Freddy, Patrick, Russell, Gio, Oliver, Rosa and many more. Some you will love and others, well, your thoughts will be less tender toward. 🙂 ALL will broaden your understanding of USA history and WW2.

Each chapter is written by a different main character. Through these chapters we witness different parts of history and catch glimpses into the secrets of each person. Some secrets are hard and are held close, but through friendship…. wow… it’s amazing what good friends help each other do.

Minutes are taken for the Blackout Book Club. Mostly written by Avis, and occasionally by other members. It was rather fun reading the minutes!

Letters to friends are written, hardship and loss experienced, the realities of war lived out. You’ll find the writing clear and inviting to read. Nothing complicated, just a friendly story of people learning and becoming more among the stress of war.

Should you read it?

Oh Please YES!!! Add it to your bookshelves, loan it out to your friends, and enjoy a good read. Don’t expect yourself to fall in love with all the characters with The Blackout Book Club, and there is a chance you won’t love some of the characters I did. But expect to laugh, expect to hold your breathe in anticipation, and expect to learn more of USA history during WW2. It’s a good thing that!

As much as this is called Christian historical fiction I didn’t see faith playing a real role. Did some of the characters possess faith in God? For sure, but you can find that in any book. To me it’s just a well-written story about a small USA town dealing with the effects of WW2.

Have your highschool students read it as they learn more about some of the things the USA did to help in the battle of WW2. More was done then simply sending soldiers off to fight in the war. And seeing history lived out is fantastic. When they are done, they could pick just one aspect and dig into it deeper too! (if that’s what you want from them). Your choice right? 🙂

Seen and Unseen

December 3, 2022 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Seen and Unseen) through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated.

World War 2 was a hard time in history, it brought out the ugly in too many people for a variety of reasons. Hitler brought out the ugly in his determination to create a master race and encourage his people to fight for him. The attack by Japan (at Pearl Harbor) brought out the ugly in the American populace toward Japanese and Japanese/Americans. This is not to say that some beauty didn’t occur during the war either, but sometimes, the biggest thing seen is the ugly.

The Basics of Seen and Unseen

Title: Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adam’s Photographs reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration.
Author: Elizabeth Partridge
Illustrator: Lauren Tamaki
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Formats Available: Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover
Received: Advanced Readers Copy
Pages: 132
Intended Audience: 10-14 years, 5-9 grade
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Author Information: Author of 18 books, this American born former acupuncturist is now a full-time writer. On her website she notes that she is “drawn to pivotal moments in our American history that have been erased from our narrative.” This story fits within that interest. Most of her books are geared for children and middle school readers.

About Seen and Unseen: Three photographers. Three perspectives. And through the lenses of their cameras, three different views of one bitter chapter of American history. What can photographers teach us about the Japanese American Incarceration? Dorothea Lange: hired by the government as a photographic documentor. Toyo Miyatake smuggled photographic equipment into camps to show the true conditions. Ansel Adams was hired to take photos, he was determined to show the resilience of the incarcerated.

Digging Deeper

Three Photographers, three different perspectives, one section for each journalistic effort. Photographs and line drawings fill the pages. Since I received an advanced reader’s copy, most of the pages I saw were in black and white. A few were in colour.

You’d think happily smiling faces would mean things were good in the camp, but as time went on in the camps, the incarcerated residents found ways to escape camp for a bit. And sometimes, smiles are put into places to hide fear within (which you’ll learn with the photos by Adams. Imagine… not knowing what you did wrong, and suddenly you lose everything and are stuck in a camp in the middle of nowhere. Treated poorly, feed basic camp rations, surrounded by barb wire, etc. Having your loyalty questioned continually and not knowing what you can say or do to prove yourselves. The fear and anger that would be part of your lives there. Imagine what that would do to you and your families. You will see this lived out in the pages of this photographic journal.

I very much appreciated that this journal was not just a series of photos, but actually told the story of what happened with whole families. American families, with American-born children. Trapped away from their lives, with no choices.

Aren’t the pages filled in with colour nice? The shades of orange highlighted over the yellow and black backgrounds. It feels very oriental, and yet, not. Respectful of the people involved, and yet showing the hardship they went through. I wish the whole book had been done in colour!

Helpful Additions

At the close of the book you’ll find a very helpful section that gives a bit more information into the history. The section includes

After the War
Why Words Matter
Citizenship violated
Civil liberties and the Constitution
Biographies of the photographers
Notes from the author
Notes from the illustrator
The damage of the model minority myth
Photo Credits and Notes

Throughout this section, youth are helped to think through these issues. To consider the government’s actions, even despite the anxieties of the time.

The photos each of these journalists took has a different perspective to it. They each saw different things in this incarceration. Some the unfairness of it all, others the stark reality of life, and yet others a shaded perspective of resilience.

So, add it to your history lessons?

It is evident throughout that the author is unhappy with the US government for how they treated the Japanese Americans. That she wants her readers to stop and think about how the government acts. She uses language, drawings, and photos to help her readers think and to question what happened.

And books like these are helpful in presenting a broader picture than what you might find in a textbook. Combining this read with other middle school books such as Displacement and This Light Between Us will present a broader, richer experience for students. This fuller experience allows students to form a deeper understanding of the issues and become better critical thinkers.

Elizabeth Partridge did an excellent job of not only showing us history but also telling the story of how the authors got involved and how they were impacted. Seen and Unseen is worth using in your American and WW2 history studies.

Displacement

July 18, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

Do you just love it when you get a book in that supplements what a student is studying? Displacement is one such book. A graphic novel about the Japanese placed into internment camps during WW2. Kiku from modern San Francisco finds herself transported back into history where she finds herself sharing her grandmother’s time in internment.

What I am Reviewing

First Second always does a great job with their graphic novels, and displacement is no exception. With good images and succinct text you learn the story well without extraneous language. Pictures that help tell the story, conveying mood, and introducing stories that some middle-schoolers would otherwise not read.

Kiku Hughes has written an historical novel taking us back in time.

Kiku is on vacation in San Francisco when suddenly she finds herself displaced to the 1940s Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother, Ernestina, was forcibly relocated to during World War II. ….
Living alongside her young grandmother and other Japanese-American … , Kiku …witnesses the lives of Japanese-Americans who were denied their civil liberties and suffered greatly, but managed to cultivate community and commit acts of resistance in order to survive.

I received an advanced reader copy from Raincoast books to review.

The Details

You’ll find simple chapter headings. Starting with the west, and ending with home. Not every chapter has a unique title, about every other one does. You’ll find a circle on a mostly white page with a chapter number, without or with a title.

You’ll find the text small, written in with a block-style text. Despite the size of the text, I found it easy to read. Each letter written clearly and despite a similar font to the old comic books, very clean in presentation.

You’ll find ample use of white space and colour. I loved that facial expressions portrayed a good part of the story. You could see the hurt, fear, confusion, anger, and moments of joy expressed. Sorrow was often shown … for lives lost, for hopes crushed, and for the feelings of abandonment by their own government.

You’ll only get the Japanese-American side of the story, not the governments, or the fear of American society at the time. But the reader will catch a real glimpse into a time period that shaped the Japanese-American culture for years post-WW2.

I loved how Kiku connected with her mom at the close of the book, able to talk together about the things she experienced, and discovered together more about her grandmother.

Should you Get it?

Displacement opened my eyes to a lot of the issues concerning the Japanese-American internment camps. A scary and difficult time with really no good options for any of these American citizens unjustly imprisoned.

It is well worth getting just for the potential discussion questions. I do recommend that parents read this book WITH their children. A lot of issues are presented that taking the time to talk about them together would be beneficial.

I do need that mention that there is a light female-female romance including a kiss. I don’t understand the need to add this to the storyline, as the story would have been complete without it. It’s not even a time in history where such choices were acceptable so it didn’t really fit. It does fit though with one of many issues to discuss.

On the Horizon

February 29, 2020 By Annette1 6 Comments

“Back home, in his
small New York town,
friends got Christmas cards
that year from Silas.

He’d mailed them nine days
before he died.” (p 23, on the horizon)

On the Horizon by Lois Lowry is a quiet reflective look in both sides of World War 2. Seeing the pain and loss of Pearl Harbour, and later, seeing the pain and loss of Hiroshima. Poetry that shows the effects of devastation both sides of the war.

Sometimes we are hit hard by the unexpected. I did not expect how this lovely book would affect me. My heart begs you to read this book as well.

In On the Horizon, Lois Lowry did an excellent job of reminding me of the horrors and heroism of the war. Carefully written lines helping us to the the poignant beauty in people caring for each other in a time of utter stress.

A soldier carrying a boy safely to his dad, a wounded twin crying out in determination to save a brother, a four year riding a tricycle – buried with it, a band ready to play – called to duty – dying in the process. Hard words, softly written. Definitely worth a read.

Art Work for On the Horizon

Simple drawings dot the pages, just gray-scale pencil drawings. Kenard Pak is the illustrator. In the ARC sample that I received, not all the drawings were complete. The ones there were all relevant to the poem they were connected with, like the outline of a young person standing on a beach or a child riding a tricycle.

Details about What I am Reviewing

80 pages, 41 pages divided into three sections. These sections are On the Horizon, Another Horizon, and Beyond the Horizons. She closes with a personal note about her history. So fascinating to see how these events connected with her own personal history. Reading these personal notes just added to the deepness I felt.

A most excellent book well worthy of being read. I am so delighted that Raincoast books sent it to me! 🙂 Youth (and perhaps their parents) in grades 5-7 should find On the Horizon an easy read. American military history brought to life, showing the impact of war.

Spies, Lies, and Disguise

October 16, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

HA! I like this one. The word in the Write 31 days challenge is avoid. My book is Spies, Lies and Disguise. What do spies want to avoid having done to them? Being captured! Today we get to learn how spies worked to avoid being captured in World War Two.

Spies, Lies, and Disguise: The Daring Tricks and deeds that won World War II.
Jennifer Swanson.
Kevin O’Malley (illustrator).
Bloomsbury Press
160 pages, 9-12 years, grade 5-8.

Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

World War Two, history, spies, disguise, military, Europe,

In the late 1930s, times were desperate. The world found itself at war again, less than twenty years after the first World War had ended. No one could quite believe it. And no one wanted it. The leaders of every country involved were left with no choice. They had to try to end the war as fast as possible, using whatever means they could.

That meant coming up with secret operations meant to deceive, deflect, and confuse their enemies. …… These were all real tactics attempted with the ultimate goal of defeating Hitler. In this off-center look at history, readers will be captivated by the classified and covert efforts made by each side as they tried to gain the upper hand and win the war. Restricted access is lifted to give the reader a peek into the top secret operations of the daring men and women who fought the war under a cloak of secrecy.

The Details of Spies, Lies, and Disguise

What a fun read. I know, might not sound like a fun read but I thought it was GREAT. Not fun as in ha ha joke, but fun because I learned so much! It was also written in an “invite you in style”. Not a dry read but quick moving, draw you in, causing you want to know what job comes next.

Each chapter started with a wanted poster. Stating what sort of people were wanted, and then an intriguing title. Like seriously…wouldn’t you want to know what type of spy a night witch would be?

We are then walked into a scenario, the need for smart people with a particular skill set. Actual case scenarios are explained and laid out. This one made me laugh. The idea that skipping stones could be a useful skill and then discovering that indeed it was! I was so surprised that I blurted out “it worked! Skipping bombs worked!” This of course got my lad’s interest so over he came where I showed him the picture of how the bombs were used. He was suitably impressed but demanded I don’t tell him anything more so he could read this book on his own. No spoilers allowed.

Many of the chapters closed with a short vignette of a helpful spy or a helpful science scoop that directly connected with the chapter. Occasionally images would be included like this one of the boats.

Recommendation

If you have any interest in being a spy, in covert activities, code-making, or world war 2… get Spies, Lies, and Disguise. It is a fascinating look into the world of being a spy. Whether it be as a look out, or to set a misleading trail, spies were busy confounding the enemy. It’s approachable style makes it an easy read, with nothing too complicated to understand.

Some day I will teach (I hope) from this book in a co-op class. I think it would a hoot to engage teenagers in how they could do the work of a spy themselves and avoid being captured in the process.

Survivors of the Holocaust

September 14, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

You know how my son and I will be studying World War 2 this year? Breaking it down over two semesters to make for two history credits. Means lots of in-depth work. My son likes to dig deeply into topics. Survivors of the Holocaust I think will make a good addition to our studies. Six stories, six children, affected by the war. Six children facing devastation because they were Jewish. Not an easy read, but a necessary one yes?

What I am Reviewing

Survivors of the Holocaust: true stories of six extraordinary children.
Kath Shackleton (editor)
Zane Whittingham.
Sourcebooks
Reviewed for Raincoast books.
Trade paperback, 96 pages, grades 3-7, ages 10-14
History, holocaust, Jewish, biography, historical biography, middle school, World War 2, WWII, graphic, comics, true life

This extraordinary graphic novel tells the true stories of six Jewish children and young people who survived the Holocaust. From suffering the horrors of Auschwitz, to hiding from Nazi soldiers in war-torn Paris, to sheltering from the Blitz in England, each true story is a powerful testament to the survivors’ courage. These remarkable testimonials serve as a reminder never to allow such a tragedy to happen again.

Details of Survivors of the Holocaust

Six people make up the stories in this true life tome. Six children, families torn apart in Hitler’s world during the war. Children from Nuremberg, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Poland, Paris and in the area between Poland and Germany called the Polenaktion. Some with their families, and some without. Children with hard memories stored, and some needing help to remember this terrible time.

Told in a graphic novel format we are given the highlights of their difficult time. Tidbits of the good in people were included, like the kindertransport where Jewish children were taken to safety in Britain, or the kindness of a lady pretending a child was her daughter. Things that mattered, events I want to know more about.

I found each section easy to tell apart as the main colours used changed with each individual. The typeset was a good size and easy to read (always a concern for me with graphic books).

I absolutely adored that we were left with the children in difficult straits. At the close of the book we were given an update into their lives. They went on to live full lives, though some still search for their lost families.

Thoughts/Recommendations

Oh, if you have any interest in the war, get this book. Help your children see what other children went through. Six year olds, 13 year olds. Children suffered under Hitler’s regime. Use it as a springboard if you need to help them understand that children continue to suffer today. Not just for being Jewish, but for being the wrong gender, faith, colour, creed or whatever. Help them to see their potential to step up and help. But mostly, just let them learn the world’s history. Help them learn it well so we don’t repeat it. We mustn’t let this happen again.