Popular WW2 Books
"The Mortal Storm" Phyllis Bottome - Fiction - This one is extremely interesting because it was written in 1938, and made into a movie starring James Stewart in 1940 - before much of the inner plans of Nazi Germany was known.
"Neighbors" Jan T. Gross - Non-Fiction - Story of the Polish town of Jedwabne and the murder of it's Jewish population by it's non-Jewish half. Read this as recommended during a topics course.
"Hitler's Prisoners" Erich Friedrich - Non-Fiction - The story of seven non-Jewish Germans who were held in near isolation for a variety of so-called crimes against Nazi-Germany. (I believe the author is one of the seven, but since I've loaned out the book to a friend, I can't check to be sure.)
"The Hiding Place" Corrie Ten Boom - Non-Fiction - Story of a Holland family who hid Jews from the Nazis and ended up being taken to a concentration camp. Written by one of the daughters.
"The Diary of a Young Girl" Anne Frank - Non-Fiction - You've probably read this, but - The diary of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl, as she lived in hiding from the Nazis.
"Night" Elie Wiesel - Non-Fiction - Again, you've probably read this. Everyone has since Oprah slapped her "Opproval" on it, but - The author's memoirs of his survival of the concentration camps.
Ordinary Men Christopher R. Browning - Non-Fiction - Accounts of a Police Battalion - i.e. non-party members - who were put on task in the liquidation on the Jewish population in Poland. Required reading for aforementioned topics course.
"Five Days in August" Micheal D. Gordin - Non-Fiction - Details behind the development and decision to use nuclear bombs in WWII against Japan. A sometimes technical, but still interesting book. Used for paper in topics course.
"The War" Geoffrey C. Ward - Non-Fiction - The companion book to Ken Burns' documentary of the same title. Stories from four American cities and the effects of WWII on their lives.
"Dachau Liberated" Michael W. Perry - Non-Fiction - The book printing of the official report of the U.S. Seventh Army on what they saw when they liberated the concentration camp at Dachau.
"Descent into Darkness" Edward C. Raymer - Non-Fiction - The story of the U.S. Navy salvage divers as they were shipped to Pearl Harbor in efforts to rescue trapped men and raise the warships that had been sunk in the Japanese attacks. (I bought this in hopes of its mentioning my grandfather who was a salvage diver who became trapped in one of the ships for 11 hours while trying to rescue others. - So far it hasn't.)
"Hitler's Willing Exectuioners" Daniel Jonah Goldhagen - Non-Fiction - Tells of "ordinary" Germans and their part in liquidating Jews. Some opposing ideas to that of the Christopher Browning book.
"If you Survive" George Wilson - Non-Fiction - Memoirs of a U.S. soldier and his battles from Normandy through the end of the war in Europe.
"Hitler's World View" Eberhard Jackel - Non-Fiction - Discussion on Hitler's motives and reasoning behind his actions. Required reading for topics course.
"Survival in Auschwitz" Primo Levi - Non-Fiction - Account of the author's deportation to and survival in Auschwitz.
"The Second World War" R. A. C. Parker - Non-Fiction - Sort of an all-around account of WWII. Good for knowing the major events, locations and players of the war. Required reading for topics course.
"A Writer at War" Vasily Grossman - Non-Fiction - Accounts of the war on the Eastern Front from a Russian reporter who was on the front lines.
"The Castle in the Forest" Norman Mailer - Fiction - Novel about Hitler's childhood and family-life through adult-hood. (Haven't read yet. Heard mixed reviews.)
"Battle of Wits" Stephen Budiansky - Non-Fiction - Description of the work of U.S. code-breakers during WWII. Including attempts and success at breaking German, Russian, and Japanese codes.
"The World Within War" Gerald F. Linderman - A view into how U.S. soldiers handled the war and how it affected them. Insight through their own letters and memoirs.
"My Father's Keeper" Stephan Lebert - Non-Fiction - Discussion on interviews with the children of high-ranking Nazis both right after WWII and forty years later.
"The Hidden Life of Otto Frank" Carol Ann Lee - Non-Fiction - A biography of sorts of Otto Frank, Anne Frank's father. It also discusses the probable identity of the Frank family.
"Holocaust: A History" Deborah Dwork - Non-Fiction - A history of the building tensions surrounding Jewish peoples in history, leading to WWII. Very interesting, but not a light read. Required reading for topics course. (Also always makes me think, "Hogwarts: A History." That makes me a bad person, right?)
"The Dentist of Auschwitz" Benjamin Jacobs - Non-Fiction - Memoirs of a Jewish dental student sent to the concentration camps and later forced to serve as part-time dentist for the prisoners as well as officers. (Not yet read)
"The Survivor" Terrence Des Pres - Non-Fiction - A breakdown of events and life in the concentration camps.
"One Bullet for Me" Magdalene Kruger Klinksiek - Non-Fiction - I can't remember what this one is about other than a woman's struggle to survive the war. I read half of it during high school and got distracted by school work and other things, and never got back to it. It was well-written - I just tried to read it at a bad time.
"Neighbors" Jan T. Gross - Non-Fiction - Story of the Polish town of Jedwabne and the murder of it's Jewish population by it's non-Jewish half. Read this as recommended during a topics course.
"Hitler's Prisoners" Erich Friedrich - Non-Fiction - The story of seven non-Jewish Germans who were held in near isolation for a variety of so-called crimes against Nazi-Germany. (I believe the author is one of the seven, but since I've loaned out the book to a friend, I can't check to be sure.)
"The Hiding Place" Corrie Ten Boom - Non-Fiction - Story of a Holland family who hid Jews from the Nazis and ended up being taken to a concentration camp. Written by one of the daughters.
"The Diary of a Young Girl" Anne Frank - Non-Fiction - You've probably read this, but - The diary of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl, as she lived in hiding from the Nazis.
"Night" Elie Wiesel - Non-Fiction - Again, you've probably read this. Everyone has since Oprah slapped her "Opproval" on it, but - The author's memoirs of his survival of the concentration camps.
Ordinary Men Christopher R. Browning - Non-Fiction - Accounts of a Police Battalion - i.e. non-party members - who were put on task in the liquidation on the Jewish population in Poland. Required reading for aforementioned topics course.
"Five Days in August" Micheal D. Gordin - Non-Fiction - Details behind the development and decision to use nuclear bombs in WWII against Japan. A sometimes technical, but still interesting book. Used for paper in topics course.
"The War" Geoffrey C. Ward - Non-Fiction - The companion book to Ken Burns' documentary of the same title. Stories from four American cities and the effects of WWII on their lives.
"Dachau Liberated" Michael W. Perry - Non-Fiction - The book printing of the official report of the U.S. Seventh Army on what they saw when they liberated the concentration camp at Dachau.
"Descent into Darkness" Edward C. Raymer - Non-Fiction - The story of the U.S. Navy salvage divers as they were shipped to Pearl Harbor in efforts to rescue trapped men and raise the warships that had been sunk in the Japanese attacks. (I bought this in hopes of its mentioning my grandfather who was a salvage diver who became trapped in one of the ships for 11 hours while trying to rescue others. - So far it hasn't.)
"Hitler's Willing Exectuioners" Daniel Jonah Goldhagen - Non-Fiction - Tells of "ordinary" Germans and their part in liquidating Jews. Some opposing ideas to that of the Christopher Browning book.
"If you Survive" George Wilson - Non-Fiction - Memoirs of a U.S. soldier and his battles from Normandy through the end of the war in Europe.
"Hitler's World View" Eberhard Jackel - Non-Fiction - Discussion on Hitler's motives and reasoning behind his actions. Required reading for topics course.
"Survival in Auschwitz" Primo Levi - Non-Fiction - Account of the author's deportation to and survival in Auschwitz.
"The Second World War" R. A. C. Parker - Non-Fiction - Sort of an all-around account of WWII. Good for knowing the major events, locations and players of the war. Required reading for topics course.
"A Writer at War" Vasily Grossman - Non-Fiction - Accounts of the war on the Eastern Front from a Russian reporter who was on the front lines.
"The Castle in the Forest" Norman Mailer - Fiction - Novel about Hitler's childhood and family-life through adult-hood. (Haven't read yet. Heard mixed reviews.)
"Battle of Wits" Stephen Budiansky - Non-Fiction - Description of the work of U.S. code-breakers during WWII. Including attempts and success at breaking German, Russian, and Japanese codes.
"The World Within War" Gerald F. Linderman - A view into how U.S. soldiers handled the war and how it affected them. Insight through their own letters and memoirs.
"My Father's Keeper" Stephan Lebert - Non-Fiction - Discussion on interviews with the children of high-ranking Nazis both right after WWII and forty years later.
"The Hidden Life of Otto Frank" Carol Ann Lee - Non-Fiction - A biography of sorts of Otto Frank, Anne Frank's father. It also discusses the probable identity of the Frank family.
"Holocaust: A History" Deborah Dwork - Non-Fiction - A history of the building tensions surrounding Jewish peoples in history, leading to WWII. Very interesting, but not a light read. Required reading for topics course. (Also always makes me think, "Hogwarts: A History." That makes me a bad person, right?)
"The Dentist of Auschwitz" Benjamin Jacobs - Non-Fiction - Memoirs of a Jewish dental student sent to the concentration camps and later forced to serve as part-time dentist for the prisoners as well as officers. (Not yet read)
"The Survivor" Terrence Des Pres - Non-Fiction - A breakdown of events and life in the concentration camps.
"One Bullet for Me" Magdalene Kruger Klinksiek - Non-Fiction - I can't remember what this one is about other than a woman's struggle to survive the war. I read half of it during high school and got distracted by school work and other things, and never got back to it. It was well-written - I just tried to read it at a bad time.