12 “MUST READ” BOOKS – INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
Today is “International Holocaust Remembrance Day”
“The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.” (source).
Here are some popular “Must Read” books about WWII and the Holocaust experience, starting with my all-time favorites. As usual, the list includes a variety of age, genres and categories.
I consider most WWII/Holocaust books a “Must Read” because… “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana.
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ADULT | HISTORICAL | FICTION
A powerful novel of friendship set in a traveling circus during World War II, The Orphan’s Tale introduces two extraordinary women and their harrowing stories of sacrifice and survival.
Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep. When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night.
Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another – or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything .
This is such a beautiful tale of courage, resilience, sacrifice, survival, sisterly love! The events at the beginning of the story are strikingly dark and violent, but so representative of the horrors of this time. They will shake you to the core. Afterwards, the story moves at a slower pace but pregnant teenager Noa and abandoned wife Astrid, both betrayed by those who they trusted the most, will win your heart. Their attempts to hide from the Nazis will keep you at the edge of your seat until the heartbreaking end that is the best reward! The end will stay with you forever!
YOUNG ADULT | HISTORICAL | SPECULATIVE FICTION (SCI-FI – ALTERNATIVE HISTORY)
Her story begins on a train.
The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.
Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.
But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?
From the author of The Walled City comes a fast-paced and innovative novel that will leave you breathless.
This book is one of my ALL-TIME favorites! An nightmarish alternative history. A David vs Goliath kind of story. A teenager holocaust survivor joins the Jewish resistance to kill Hitler.
Strong voice. Unique premise. Unique SFF elements. Tension. Emotional. Symbolism.
The U.S. refused to enter WWII so, the “Axis of Evil” won the war and Hitler is the most powerful man on earth. Yup. AS I said, An nightmarish alternative history! But, a teenager with five wolves tattooed on her arm, each one a story of survival from concentration camp and the years that followed, is determined to end this nightmare.
CHILDREN | HISTORICAL | NON-FICTION
It is 1941. Hedy and her family are Jewish, and the Nazi party is rising. Hedy’s family is no longer safe in their home in Hungary. They decide to flee to America, but because of their circumstances, sixteen-year-old Hedy must make her way through Europe alone. Will luck be with her? Will she be brave? Join Hedy on her journey-where she encounters good fortune and misfortune, a kind helper and cruel soldiers, a reunion and a tragedy-and discover how Hedy is both lucky and brave. Hedy’s Journey adds an important voice to the canon of Holocaust stories, and her courage will make a lasting impact on young readers.
This beautiful #OwnVoices tale of sacrifice and survival resonated with me at another level too because it is also a story about immigration and the hardships and sacrifices of having to leave your country, family and friends behind. I still get very emotional when I remember my family’s stories about surviving the Spanish Civil War and fleeing to America so I can only imagine what it was for Michelle Bisson to write this story. I especially liked “The Rest of Hedy’s Story” at the end of the book with the pictures of the immigrants and the notes about the author and illustrator. Kudos to El Primo Ramon! His illustrations are, besides beautiful, spot on! They facial expressions and muted colors very accurately portrait the emotions of the story. The sadness and the despair. So elegantly and tastefully done!
YOUNG ADULT | HISTORICAL | NON-FICTION
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.
In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and surprisingly humorous, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
This book one of the most important books I have ever read, since it opened my eyes to the realities of this world and got me hooked on reading! I was very young when I read this book the first time, maybe nine or ten years old, and at that moment it didn’t fully dawned on me it was a memoir because I didn’t know much about WWII. I read it as a fiction and still impacted me. The sense of despair, of isolation of hopelessness as Anne lived for years hidden in an attic was so palpable! Then, I reread it many times after that and each and every time it has a profound impact on me.
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