There is nothing pretty about war. The hardships that people from all walks of life have to go through during times of armed conflict have inspired many writers to produce great works of fiction. The Second World War forms the backdrop for a wide variety of books and if you want this period in history to come alive for you, one way to do it is by reading WWII historical fiction novels.
Books about the war cover many different themes. Some, for instance, are about the soldiers and what it was like to be fighting far away from home. Joseph Heller's 'Catch-22' is a classic about a US Air Force bombardier trying to stay sane amid the madness and provided the English language with a new term. 'From Here to Eternity' by James Jones was inspired by Jones' own experiences being stationed in the Pacific at the time.
The fighting brought many risks for the soldiers involved and sometimes death seemed like the preferable outcome. In 'The English Patient', Michael Ondaatje describes how being badly wounded affected not only the victim but also those who had to nurse him back to health. Soldiers who were captured faced hardships of a different kind. 'The Bridge over the River Kwai' is an acclaimed novel by Pierre Boule about what it was like to be a prisoner of war.
For civilians life was often very hard too. Ian McEwan touched on this in 'Atonement'. If you want a better idea of what it was like living in London during the Blitz, you can't go wrong with the time-travel science fiction books 'Blackout' and its sequel 'All Clear', by Connie Willis.
German civilians had a very hard time too, as evidenced by the many towns and cities left in ruins by the end of the war. If Germans wanted to do what was right, things were even more difficult. The fact that Death is the narrator in 'The Book Thief', the haunting debut of Markus Zusak, is a sign of things to come.
While German civilians had a hard time, it was even worse for Jewish people in Germany. They were rounded up and sent to concentration camps where millions were killed in the gas chambers. In 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', John Boyne tells the story of the concentration camps through the eyes of a German boy whose father is a Nazi camp commander.
Women faced an additional threat during the war, especially as liberation became a real possibility. As the Allied and Soviet forces swept through Germany and Italy, they committed mass rapes, sometimes of the entire female population of a town. The Italian novelist Alberto Moravia describes how a mother and daughter in Italy have to deal with the ordeal of rape and what happens afterwards in 'Two Women'.
If you want to find WWII historical fiction novels, you only need to look online or in your local bookstore. Many of these books were adapted into movies as well and are worth watching if you want history to come alive even more. Especially Sophia Loren's Oscar-winning performance in the film version of 'Two Women' is not to be missed.
Books about the war cover many different themes. Some, for instance, are about the soldiers and what it was like to be fighting far away from home. Joseph Heller's 'Catch-22' is a classic about a US Air Force bombardier trying to stay sane amid the madness and provided the English language with a new term. 'From Here to Eternity' by James Jones was inspired by Jones' own experiences being stationed in the Pacific at the time.
The fighting brought many risks for the soldiers involved and sometimes death seemed like the preferable outcome. In 'The English Patient', Michael Ondaatje describes how being badly wounded affected not only the victim but also those who had to nurse him back to health. Soldiers who were captured faced hardships of a different kind. 'The Bridge over the River Kwai' is an acclaimed novel by Pierre Boule about what it was like to be a prisoner of war.
For civilians life was often very hard too. Ian McEwan touched on this in 'Atonement'. If you want a better idea of what it was like living in London during the Blitz, you can't go wrong with the time-travel science fiction books 'Blackout' and its sequel 'All Clear', by Connie Willis.
German civilians had a very hard time too, as evidenced by the many towns and cities left in ruins by the end of the war. If Germans wanted to do what was right, things were even more difficult. The fact that Death is the narrator in 'The Book Thief', the haunting debut of Markus Zusak, is a sign of things to come.
While German civilians had a hard time, it was even worse for Jewish people in Germany. They were rounded up and sent to concentration camps where millions were killed in the gas chambers. In 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', John Boyne tells the story of the concentration camps through the eyes of a German boy whose father is a Nazi camp commander.
Women faced an additional threat during the war, especially as liberation became a real possibility. As the Allied and Soviet forces swept through Germany and Italy, they committed mass rapes, sometimes of the entire female population of a town. The Italian novelist Alberto Moravia describes how a mother and daughter in Italy have to deal with the ordeal of rape and what happens afterwards in 'Two Women'.
If you want to find WWII historical fiction novels, you only need to look online or in your local bookstore. Many of these books were adapted into movies as well and are worth watching if you want history to come alive even more. Especially Sophia Loren's Oscar-winning performance in the film version of 'Two Women' is not to be missed.
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