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World War II

This carefully curated selection of titles examines the history, politics, and social impacts of World War II and its indelible mark on the world. The Collection highlights global perspectives through historical fiction, memoirs and biographies, and nonfiction titles that discuss topics including the Holocaust, the atomic bombings of Japan, and the effects of conflict.

Publication year 1950Genre Poem, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: GuiltTags Lyric Poem, Modernism, Post-War Era, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Grief / Death, History: European, WWII / World War II, Holocaust

Publication year 2001Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: FriendshipTags Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Race / Racism

A Boy at War is the first of three novels by Harry Mazer that feature Adam Pelko as their protagonist. Published in 2001 by Simon & Schuster, it was followed by A Boy No More (2004) and Heroes Don’t Run (2005). Sergeant Harry Mazer was born in New York City in 1925 and served in the United States Air Force in the European theater of World War II from 1943-1945. He was awarded the Purple... Read A Boy at War Summary


Publication year 1938Genre Novella, FictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: RevengeTags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Relationships

Address Unknown (1938) by American writer Kathrine Taylor details the rise of Nazi Germany through the correspondence of two men, one of whom is Jewish and one of whom is not. The short novel explores themes such as Radicalization, The Impact of Paranoia and Fascism, and The Loss of Friendship and Family.Chapter 1 Summary: “November 12, 1932”A Jewish German man named Max writes to his business partner, a German gentile, or individual who isn’t Jewish... Read Address Unknown Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Historical Fiction, Military / War, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Holocaust, WWII / World War II

Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: War, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Historical Fiction, Military / War, History: World, WWII / World War II

Allies is a novel by American author Alan Gratz that was originally published in 2019. It belongs to the genre of young adult historical fiction and is set during World War II. Gratz is the author of 17 novels for children/young adults as of 2021 and has won awards from Random House Books and the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. His novel Refugee won the National Jewish Book Award and the Young Hoosier... Read Allies Summary


Publication year 2007Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: World, WWII / World War II, Holocaust

A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy, first published in Germany 2007, is author Thomas Buergenthal's account of his childhood during the Nazi Occupation. Buergenthal was 6 years old when forced to abandon his home and spend the rest of his childhood running from Nazis and struggling to survive the Holocaust. Buergenthal’s horrific journey took him through bombings, labor camps, concentration camps, and “death marches.” He lost most of his... Read A Lucky Child Summary


Publication year 1956Genre Poem, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Mental HealthTags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Satire, Politics / Government, Mental Illness, The Beat Generation, WWII / World War II

Publication year 2005Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Society: War, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Identity: Mental HealthTags History: U.S., History: World, Science / Nature, Politics / Government, Military / War, WWII / World War II

Publication year 2002Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: WarTags WWII / World War II, History: U.S., Military / War, History: African

An Army at Dawn is a nonfiction military history book published in 2002 by American author and journalist Rick Atkinson. Subtitled The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, the book chronicles the successful Allied invasion of North Africa during World War II. The first installment of Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy, An Army at Dawn received the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for History.This study guide refers to the 2002 edition published by Henry Holt and Company.Plot SummaryOn September 1... Read An Army at Dawn Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: War, Relationships: MothersTags Historical Fiction, Animals, WWII / World War II

Publication year 1948Genre Short Story, FictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: WarTags Classic Fiction, American Literature, Depression / Suicide, WWII / World War II

“A Perfect Day for Bananafish” is a short story by iconic American author J. D. Salinger. First published in The New Yorker in 1948 and later published in the collection Nine Stories (1953), it is considered one of Salinger’s breakthrough works, establishing the unique voice, flair for character, energetic dialogue, and inventive style that would become his trademarks. The story centers on a young New York City couple, Seymour and Muriel Glass, and the bizarre... Read A Perfect Day for Bananafish Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family, Society: CommunityTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II

Publication year 1981Genre Play, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags WWII / World War II, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, African American Literature

A Soldier’s Play (1981) was written by Charles Fuller. It premiered off-Broadway with the Negro Ensemble Company in 1981, and was arguably the company’s most successful work to date. It ran for nearly 500 performances and earned the Critics Circle Best Play Award and the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for drama. The play is loosely based on Herman Melville’s Billy Budd (1924), an unfinished novella about a well-liked, handsome sailor who is falsely accused of a... Read A Soldier's Play Summary


Publication year 2001Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Historical Fiction, Romance, WWII / World War II, British Literature

Atonement (2001) is an award-winning novel by British author Ian McEwan that spans the last two-thirds of the 20th century. The novel was a New York Times Bestseller for seven straight weeks and shortlisted for the Booker Prize for fiction in 2001. The 2007 film adaptation won an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and a BAFTA Award. McEwan is critically acclaimed with over a dozen novels and other works of fiction to his name, as... Read Atonement Summary


Publication year 2001Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: The PastTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Austerlitz is a historical novel by W. G. Sebald first published in 2001. Sebald was a German writer and academic who wrote mainly about the loss of memory and the Holocaust. Austerlitz, Sebald’s final novel, centers on an architectural historian, Jacques Austerlitz, who is tormented by his repressed past as a Jewish child evacuated from Czechoslovakia in 1939. The book was an international bestseller and won the 2001 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction... Read Austerlitz Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: War, Identity: GenderTags History: World, History: U.S., WWII / World War II, Holocaust

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of Virginia Hall, WWII’s Most Dangerous Spy is a 2019 biography by Sonia Purnell. It tells the story of Virginia Hall, an American spy whose efforts were critical to France’s success in World War II. Despite its larger-than-life nature and importance to the Allied forces’ success, Hall’s story has remained largely unknown until now.Plot SummaryVirginia was born into an affluent family. Her mother, Barbara, wanted her to... Read A Woman of No Importance Summary


Publication year 1992Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: WarTags Military / War, WWII / World War II

Band of Brothers is a nonfiction history of one World War II company of paratroopers, Easy Company of the 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne. Through a combination of narrative, interviews, maps, and excerpts from letters, Stephen E. Ambrose follows the lives of this group of soldiers from their training in 1942, their deployments in Europe, and their lives after the war. By focusing on the lives of members of one particular company, Ambrose reveals the reality... Read Band of Brothers Summary


Publication year 1996Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: European, History: World

Behind the Bedroom Wall is a 1996 Young Adult historical fiction novel by Korean American author Laura E. Williams. The novel won the 1997 Jane Addams’ Children’s Book Award. Williams has written several other novels, including The Mystic Lighthouse series, Up a Creek, The Ghost Stallion, The Executioner’s Daughter, The Can Man, and Unexpected.Set in 1942 Germany, Behind the Bedroom Wall follows a 13-year-old Aryan German girl named Korinna Rehme, who is an active member... Read Behind the Bedroom Wall Summary


Publication year 1946Genre Short Story, FictionThemes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Classic Fiction, Military / War, Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Action / Adventure

Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Self Discovery, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: HopeTags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Romance, WWII / World War II, Class, Education, Finance / Money / Wealth, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Military / War, Grief / Death, History: World, Parenting

Publication year 1965Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Historical Fiction, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Japanese Literature, History: Asian, History: U.S., Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Black Rain is a 1965 historical novel by Japanese author Masuji Ibuse. The novel blends authentic accounts and information with a fictional plot to describe the aftermath of the destruction of the Japanese city of Hiroshima by an American atomic bomb in 1945. Black Rain was adapted into a film in 1989. This guide uses an eBook version of the 1979 edition of Black Rain, translated into English by John Bester.Plot SummaryShigematsu Shizuma is a... Read Black Rain Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionTags History: European, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Politics / Government

In Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, Timothy Snyder, a historian specializing in Central and Eastern European history and the Holocaust, offers a groundbreaking examination of the pogroms and mass killings perpetrated by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union before and during World War II. Published in 2010 by Basic Books, this seminal work explores the geopolitical, ideological, and military confrontations between Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union that led to the deaths of approximately... Read Bloodlands Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags WWII / World War II, History: World, Biography, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 1984Genre Play, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: SiblingsTags Play: Drama, Play: Comedy / Satire, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Love / Sexuality, Great Depression, WWII / World War II, Poverty, Relationships, Religion / Spirituality

Brighton Beach Memoirs is a semi-autobiographical play by American playwright Neil Simon. It is the first play in Simon’s Eugene Trilogy and follows its young protagonist as he grapples with adolescence and identity in the midst of the Great Depression. Its initial 1983 Broadway run enjoyed critical acclaim and won several awards. Most notably, actor Matthew Broderick won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for originating the role of Eugene. Despite its initial success... Read Brighton Beach Memoirs Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Equality, Life/Time: The PastTags Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, History: Asian, Politics / Government, History: U.S., Relationships, WWII / World War II

Burnt Shadows, first published in 2009, is the fifth novel by Pakistani-British author Kamila Shamsie. A political-historical novel, it was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction, one of the UK’s most prestigious literary awards, and won an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, which celebrates books that contribute to a greater understanding of racism and diversity. Shamsie has been shortlisted several times for a John Llewellyn Rhys Prize; she also received the Prime Minister’s Award for Literature... Read Burnt Shadows Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Mortality & DeathTags Historical Fiction, Holocaust, WWII / World War II, Jewish Literature, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Publication year 2008Genre Novel, FictionTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II

City of Thieves, published in 2008, is a historical novel by Jewish American author David Benioff. The story is framed as the memories of the narrator’s grandfather, Lev Beniov. The story follows Lev, a Russian Jew, and Kolya, a Cossack soldier, during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II. The book was well received upon publication and later inspired the postapocalyptic video game The Last of Us. City of Thieves is the second novel... Read City of Thieves Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: War, Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Identity: FemininityTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Romance, Military / War

Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags History: U.S., WWII / World War II, Politics / Government

Publication year 1993Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & DeathTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Carol Matas is the author of the 1993 novel for young readers, Daniel’s Story, and she published the book in conjunction with the United States Holocaust Museum Memorial exhibit Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story. Like the museum exhibit, Daniel’s Story presents a researched account of what it was like to grow up in Nazi Germany and live through the Holocaust. Before she wrote Daniel’s Story, Matas published two historical novels about the Dutch resistance during... Read Daniel's Story Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Animals

Publication year 1960Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: WarTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Military / War, Relationships

Publication year 1975Genre Play, FictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & SonsTags Play: Tragedy, Play: Drama, African Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, WWII / World War II

Premiering in 1975, Death and the King’s Horseman is a play written by Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. Soyinka is known for his plays, including A Dance of the Forests (1963) and The Lion and the Jewel (1962). Death and the King’s Horseman is set in Oyo, Nigeria, during World War II and tells the story of Elesin Oba, the titular king’s horseman who must die by ritual suicide after the Yoruba king dies. The colonial government... Read Death and the King's Horseman Summary


Publication year 1982Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, History: U.S., Race / Racism, WWII / World War II

Desert Exile tells the story of the author Yoshiko Uchida and the Uchida family’s experience as Japanese-Americans interned in concentration camps by the U.S. government after the Pearl Harbor attacks during World War II. The book follows a linear narrative arc that details the Uchidas’ experience, while Uchida often reflects discursively, using one point in her life as a vortex for connecting that moment to another memory and in turn creating a larger impression of... Read Desert Exile Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Graphic Novel/Book, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: MemoryTags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, WWII / World War II

Publication year 2014Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Animals, Society: CommunityTags WWII / World War II, Animals, History: World, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Military / War, History: Asian

Publication year 1999Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: War, Society: ColonialismTags History: Asian, WWII / World War II, Politics / Government, Military / War

Publication year 1984Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: War, Society: ColonialismTags Historical Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Military / War, WWII / World War II

Empire of the Sun is a 1984 novel written by British author J.G. Ballard. In it, Jim, the 11-year-old son of a wealthy British family, is living in the International Settlement in Shanghai, China on the eve of Pearl Harbor, 1941. When Japanese forces attack the Settlement, Jim is separated from his parents. He survives for several weeks by scavenging food from abandoned houses, before being arrested by the Japanese. He is then taken to... Read Empire of the Sun Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: War, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Natural World: Food, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags Historical Fiction, Romance, WWII / World War II

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Identity: Indigenous, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: FamilyTags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, WWII / World War II

Publication year 1942Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Immigration, Society: War, Identity: RaceTags Politics / Government, History: U.S., Incarceration, WWII / World War II, Race / Racism

Publication year 1978Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Disability, Identity: Gender, Society: WarTags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, WWII / World War II

The Eye of the Needle is an espionage thriller by best-selling author Ken Follett. Originally published in 1978 under the title, Storm Island, the novel follows the hunt for German spy and assassin Henry Faber. Faber has obtained information that will influence Adolf Hitler’s decision on whether to send reinforcements to Erwin Rommell’s army in Normandy in anticipation of a joint British and American attack. The Eye of the Needle is Ken Follett’s first commercially... Read Eye of the Needle Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: ImmigrationTags WWII / World War II, History: World, Military / War, History: U.S., History: European, Grief / Death

Publication year 1973Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Mental HealthTags History: World, Incarceration, WWII / World War II

Farewell to Manzanar is a memoir published in 1973 by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. It is a nonfiction account that employs first-person narration. Centering on a young girl’s life in the Manzanar Japanese American concentration camp, Farewell to Manzanar is used in school curricula throughout the US and inspired a 1976 film of the same name. The version used for this guide is the 1995 edition from Laurel Leaf Books.Content Warning: This guide discusses the US... Read Farewell to Manzanar Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: MothersTags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Love / Sexuality, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, WWII / World War II, Post-War Era

Publication year 1947Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Holocaust, History: World, WWII / World War II, Military / War

Publication year 1961Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, German Literature

Friedrich was written by Hans Peter Richter and was first published in Germany in 1961. It is a work of historical fiction, focusing on the rise of the Nationalsozialistische Deutscher Arbeiterpartei (Nazi Party). Richter was born in 1925 and personally witnessed the rise of the Nazi movement and Hitler’s subsequent dictatorship. Richter himself also fought during the war. After the war, he went on to study psychology and sociology. He wrote many books and was... Read Friedrich Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: WarTags WWII / World War II, History: World, Military / War, Spy / Espionage

Publication year 2001Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: War, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: HopeTags Military / War, WWII / World War II, History: World

Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission by American journalist and historian Hampton Sides tells the story of a daring rescue raid on the Japanese-controlled Cabanatuan Allied prisoner-of-war camp in the Philippines at the end of World War II. 121 US Rangers, Alamo Scouts, and hundreds of armed and unarmed Filipino guerillas successfully rescued over 500 remaining POWs on January 30, 1945. The book details the stories of the American POWs... Read Ghost Soldiers Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization, Society: WarTags Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Relationships, Self Help, WWII / World War II, Military / War, Action / Adventure