VPL Picks: World War II FictionLike this list

44 items

• All the Light We Cannot See

  a Novel

  Doerr, Anthony, 1973-

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  Literary Fiction | Occupied France | A blind French girl and a German boy conscripted for his talent with radios struggle to survive the war's devastation. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Angels of the Pacific

  a Novel of World War II

  Hooper, Elise

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  Nurses | Pacific Theater | Based on the true story of the Angels of Bataan (a group of military nurses stationed in the Philippines who continued to carry out their duties even as prisoners of war).

• Billy Boyle

  a World War II Mystery

  Benn, James R.

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  Mystery | Rookie detective-turned-soldier Billy Boyle investigates "low crimes in high places" for General Eisenhower in this series of mysteries built around less well-known aspects of WWII.

• Bomber

  Events Relating to the Last Flight of An RAF Bomber Over Germany on the Night of June 31st, 1943

  Deighton, Len, 1929-

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  Night Bombing | This nominee for the Lost Man Booker Prize chronicles a Royal Air Force night bombing raid on a German town from multiple perspectives over the course of a twenty-four hour period.

• The Book of Aron

  Shepard, Jim

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  Warsaw Ghetto | A young orphan struggles to survive in the increasingly confined and desperate world of the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw.

• Burma Boy

  Bandele-Thomas, Biyi, 1967-

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  Nigerian Regiment | Burma Campaign | A young boy lies about his age to enlist in the Nigerian regiment and fights in the "Forgotten War" in Burma.

• The Burning Blue

  Holland, James, 1970-

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  Battle of Britain | North African Campaign | Vividly describes both aerial combat and prewar life in the English countryside.

• Catch-22

  Heller, Joseph

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  Satire | Classics| An American bombardier stationed in the Mediterranean struggles to survive in the face of the absurdity that surrounds him and the escalating demands of his excessively enthusiastic commanding officer.

• The Charioteer

  Renault, Mary

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  Classics | 2SLGBTQ+ | A soldier recovering from injuries in the aftermath of Dunkirk is faced with a difficult decision when a figure from his past disrupts his friendship with a conscientious objector working as a hospital orderly.

• City of Thieves

  a Novel

  Benioff, David

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  Siege of Leningrad | Eastern Front | To avoid execution, a teenage boy accused of looting and a Cossack accused of desertion must find a dozen eggs for the wedding of an NKVD officer's daughter, a seemingly impossible task in a city under siege.

• Code Name Hélène

  a Novel

  Lawhon, Ariel

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  Espionage | French Resistance | Based on the true story of Nancy Wake, an Australian journalist who joined the Special Operations Executive and became one of the most powerful resistance leaders in France.

• The Commodore

  Deutermann, P. T. (Peter T.), 1941-

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  Solomon Islands Campaign | Pacific Theater | A US Navy officer ostracized for his Chippewa heritage receives his first command and tests new tactics during the fierce fighting of the Solomon Islands campaign.

• Dear Mrs. Bird

  a Novel

  Pearce, A. J. (Amanda-Jane)

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  Home Front | When an attempt to become a war correspondent leads instead to a job assisting a rigidly old-fashioned advice columnist, a young woman takes it upon herself to answer requests for advice rejected because of their "unpleasantness."

• The Diamond Eye

  a Novel

  Quinn, Kate

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  Eastern Front | Based on the true story of Mila Pavlichenko, a university student and single mother who became one of the most deadly snipers in history.

• Gone to Soldiers

  a Novel

  Piercy, Marge

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  Literary Fiction | Chronicles the war from the perspectives of multiple women and men across four continents.

• The Good Shepherd

  Forester, C. S. (Cecil Scott), 1899-1966

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  Battle of the Atlantic | Classics | A naval captain struggles to protect a convoy of merchant ships from U-boats in the turbulent waters of the mid-Atlantic.

• The Hawk and the Hare

  Based on a True Story

  Morrison, Janet Love, 1962-

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  Canadian | Juno Beach | Liberation of the Netherlands | Based on the experiences of the author's father who fought with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry and was mentored by a Haudenosaunee scout.

• The Invisible Bridge

  Orringer, Julie

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  Holocaust Survivors | Two Hungarian Jews studying abroad and their theatrically inclined younger brother find themselves threatened by the rising tide of antisemitism in Europe.

• The Invisible Woman

  Robuck, Erika

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  Espionage | Based on the true story of Office of Strategic Services agent Virginia Hall.

• Jasmine Nights

  Gregson, Julia

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  Romance | North Africa | A Turkish and Welsh singer auditions for the Entertainments National Services Organization and becomes romantically involved with a wounded fighter pilot, leading to complications when she is recruited for a secret mission…Read moreRead more of this annotation