Raoul was shocked to discover that Edgardo was once a Jew who had turned his back on the Jewish religion and his parents. Edgardo was abducted by the order of Pope Pius IX in 1858. When he was only six years of age, he was dragged from the arms of his parents in the back streets of Bologna to the rose gardens of the Vatican. The Pope thought it was justified to take the boy under his wing when the church found that he was secretly baptized by his father's maid who wanted to save his soul when she thought he was dying. There is world outcry. Christians and Jews from Sydney to San Francisco unite to petition the Pontiff to return the boy to his parents. However Pius IX refuses to return the boy to his family, risking his political power for the love of a son he calls his own. Edgardo was given many privileges as the Pope's "son" at a time when the Jews were in ghettos and starving. He never tried to return to his parents who were all but destroyed in their constant attempts to get him back into the Jewish faith. Raoul eventually realised that Father Mortara had not done much with his life in spite of the privileges he had as a child. Instead, he ended up as a sad character, beset with guilt and self-justification instead of reconciling himself to his beliefs. Raoul himself gradually became more aware that he must now choose between a life of passive stability or a life where he goes out into the world and affects changes. Almost 90% of the story of Edgardo Mortara's life and events are based on fact. This truly sad and perhaps unforgivable act of the Catholic Church should be seen against a backdrop of pre-unified Italy in the 1850s, a country overrun with Austrian soldiers, religious fanaticism and fierce anti-semitism at a time when the Pope was one of the most powerful princes in Europe.

    

    Also on Bread Street, in the same Welsh seaside town, is the rival bakery: Green’s.As Gilly’s grandfather falls ill, and facing the outbreak of the Second World War, things look tough for the Jenkins. Amidst the hardship of war they face an unexpected tragedy. Their feud with the Greens intensifies, and a new arrival in the town causes consternation. Yet, despite it all romance blossoms across the divide as Gilly falls for Paul, a dashing pilot and heir to the Green business. Secrets old and new come to light. Can the families come to terms with the past? And will love conquer all?

    Author Gene Gurney takes the reader from the superplane’s inception, test flights and production to its combat deployments and its ultimate purpose of dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    Liliana is a beautiful and educated young Jewish woman. She marries Henry and becomes a mother to Rebecca. She has a full life ahead of her in Poland, or so it seems. The time period is the beginning of World War II, when the Germans invade Poland. To protect her, Liliana and Henry entrust Rebecca to their Christian friends. Shortly thereafter, Henry is among those taken to the concentration camp. Time passes, and Liliana knows little about the fate of her husband or daughter. To survive, Liliana (now known as Helena) assumes the identity of a Polish aristocrat and ends up working for a German officer named Robert. In a twist of fate, Robert and Helena fall in love with each other and get married. Unknown to Liliana, Henry survives and reunites with their daughter Rebecca. He finds a way to communicate with Liliana, only to find out that she started a new life. Liliana has yet to reveal her true identity to her German husband. Filled with guilt and longing for Rebecca, she thinks of putting an end to all of the lies. Will Liliana finally overcome her fears and reunite with her daughter? Parallel Lives is based on a true story. It brings the reader on a captivating journey of the "parallel lives" of a family who was separated by war. The journey takes the reader though a myriad of human emotions, including: love, jealousy, fear, despair, and freedom.

    

    Born with a withered arm, Tilda is branded an outcast in the community and her only comfort is drawn from her friendship with seven-year-old Eustace Sprocket. Suffering from his aunt's intolerable abuse, he too is no stranger to rejection. Entering her cottage one evening, Tilda stumbles apon a young man about to steal her life savings. But instead of throwing Ben McCraven out into the cold night air, she takes pity on him and offers him shelter for the night. Tilda's one simple act of kindness is to have far-reaching consequences...

    Her papa made certain she knew every despicable detail. She wanted to hate Aidan Langley. She needed to hate him. It was her duty to her family to hate him. But, ever since that hot summer day when she and Aidan caught each other swimming nude, she has had a hard time convincing herself what she feels for Aidan Langley is hate. It feels like so much more. Now, her parents have agreed to a business arrangement with the Langleys. She and Aidan will marry and have a child—the link that will bind the families together. But can she keep her part of this arrangement without losing her heart to the handsome enemy? Aidan Langley’s life had been pretty good up to this point. But when financial setbacks threaten to rob his family of everything his parents and the generations before them worked so hard to claim, he was agreeable to do just about anything—even when his parents asked him to marry Maura Jackson, the great niece of the man who accused his dad of ruining him and caused a black mark on his family’s name. Could their union truly unite these two feuding families, or will their animosity toward each other tear them even farther apart? Aidan wasn’t convinced it could work but he would do his duty to his family’s legacy. One thing was for certain, his heart would never belong to Maura Jackson—and as soon as he lived up to his end of the bargain, he would set her free. A story of perseverance and discovering love in the last place you expected to find it. “ Beare and Forbeare”

    

    At its heart is a cast of characters who draw us into their lives from the defeat of Dunkirk to final victory:Tony, a young man barely in his twenties who experiences the horror of Britain’s first defeat and offers his unique talents to the war effort, only to find that his secret work threatens his relationships with those he loves. David, Tony’s elder brother, fighter pilot and hero of the Battle of Britain. Sarah, whose work with the VAD’s brings her into contact with so many, forcing her to choose between a man with loyalty and honour or another with all the characteristics of a coward. Bobby, a young American GI for whom a posting to England brings love and hope. And at the centre of it all, Heronfield, the manor house set amongst the gentle rolling downs of southern England, one time home for Tony and his family and now a war-time hospital.Heronfield, witness to six long years of loyalty and love, anger and hatred, loss and betrayal.

    

     A British Intelligence Officer has died in a fall and SIS has asked Harry to liaise with a German Socialist Party member who has been passing information. That’s fine with Harry. He is pleased to be working again, even in a city as devastated as Berlin. Why have SIS chosen him; and was the fall that killed his predecessor really an accident? While waiting for his socialist contact to arrange an important meeting, Harry interests himself in a young Jewish survivor of the camps he sees watching the house where he lives. She insists the Nazis stole the property from her family before sending them to the gas chambers. And she has seen the Gestapo officer she holds responsible, even though everyone says he is dead. But then Harry’s socialist contact is abducted by the Russians and, in return for helping him to defect, the man’s colleague promises Harry something really big. And the Jewish survivor is carrying a shameful secret she appears no longer able to face. Harry is faced with a devastating choice... Praise for The Unquiet Grave: 'An excellent book that made me want to read more — always a good sign. Lots of twists and turns; emotional impacts; deft characterization; and realistic setting' - Netgalley reviewer 'I found myself engrossed by this story' - Netgalley reviewer Born into the austerity of post-war Britain, David J. Oldman began writing in his early twenties. Frequently humorous, and often moving, his books are an examination of ordinary people caught up in life-changing events beyond their control.

    As a dogface soldier, he fought in some of the most bitter battles of the war, liberated two concentration camps, and captured Hitler's private mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden (Band of Brothers had the facts wrong here). His memoir is testimony to the bravery of American servicemen in the face of evil.

    Poverty-stricken but rich in love Mr. and Mrs. Paul love the tiny child as their own until hard times and tragedy drive them to the workhouse. From this slavery, Gwendoline flees her present horror only to run headlong into her unknown past, with consequences that tumble through the generations. Shocking secrets unravel and family ties flail and unfurl in a Victorian saga that flows deeper than the river Gwen was thrown into as a child. Will the truth prevail to prevent further tragedy? Can love be found in the web of lies that has followed the innocent girl from her first breath until now? Immerse yourself in the historical Victorian saga of the Saltwick River Orphan and find out.

    Amid rising tensions among the Jews and the reigning Nazi party, Carl Mann--the patriarch of the Mann family--is forced to take a job in one of the scariest places imaginable: Literally in Adolf Hitler's backyard. In this unusual coming of age tale, curious young girls may say or do the wrong things, but how many times can the high-ranking German officials (and Hitler himself) look the other way? Can they survive in his backyard? This book is filled with suspense, historical detail, family life, and even a little romance. A great choice for book clubs with Book Club questions @garethompson-writer.com. The perfect gift for those who are love reading about World War II, as the setting is authentic. For middle schoolers, compare it to Diary of Anne Frank.