Book picks similar to
Laughter Wasn't Rationed: A Personal Journey Through Germany's World Wars and Postwar Years by Dorothea Von Schwanenfluegel Lawson
world-war-ii
nazi
bustle-challenge
cultural
Nurses On The Inside: Stories Of The HIV/AIDS Epidemic In NYC
Ellen Matzer - 2019
It is the story of two nurses who witnessed the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic from the frontline. It focuses on their lives and their experiences. Some of the story is raw, sometimes graphic, but familiar for people with HIV infection, family members, friends, and other nurses and medical professionals such as Ellen and Valery. There were hundreds of nurses who went through what Ellen and Valery experienced. They want to tell this story to give a voice to a generation lost, encouraging the world to remember one simple thing: this history cannot be repeated.
Convoy Escort Commander: A Memoir of the Battle of the Atlantic (Submarine Warfare in World War Two)
Peter Gretton - 1971
The Fateful Years: Japan's Adventure in the Philippines, 1941-45 (Volume 2)
Teodoro A. Agoncillo - 1965
Journeys Into Night: Remarkable first-hand accounts from the Bomber Command
Don Charlwood - 1991
It forms a companion piece to Charlwood’s highly-regarded elegy on Bomber Command, No Moon Tonight, expanding on the author’s experiences as a WWII navigator. It is the story of twenty young Australians who sailed together to Canada to train as navigators under the Empire Air Training Scheme. Most of them went on to Bomber Command, fifteen of the twenty losing their lives. Charlwood based much of this book on wartime diaries and letters, his own and those of others among the twenty men and Charlwood’s crew members. This book is as much their story as it is Charlwood’s own. In 1991 Elizabeth Webby, Professor of Australian Literature at Sydney University, wrote: ‘Journeys into Night is notable for the clarity and power of its writing. Don Charlwood’s wartime experiences – travelling overseas, training, the tedium and terror of ops – are recreated in vivid and moving detail.’ Praise for Journeys Into Night "This poignantly conceived and strongly written look-back-in-old-age [book] must surely rank as one of the most perceptive and rewarding accounts by any Australian who found himself on the cutting edge of the tragic insanity of war." - Alan Roberts, The Advertiser "This is one of the most moving books to come out of World War II; no reader without a heart of ice could fail to become involved with the young characters... The reader becomes part of the family of the crew, sharing their fears and jokes, their superstitions, and their spells of leave..." - Geoffrey Dutton, Overland Donald Ernest Cameron (Don) Charlwood AM (6 September 1915 – 18 June 2012) was an Australian author. He worked as a farm hand, an air traffic controller, and most notably as an RAAF navigator in Bomber Command during the WWII. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1992 in recognition of service to literature.
Lilia: a true story of love, courage, and survival in the shadow of war
Linda Ganzini - 2021
Trapped under Mussolini’s reign and Hitler’s occupation, this riveting true story is propelled by a brave girl’s courage and a family’s bond as they struggle to survive the battle between the forces of evil and the power of love.Where there is love, hope remains.Against the backdrop of fascist Italy during World War II and the Holocaust, “Lilia” sets the stage for the harrowing story of a family whose depth of heart overcomes a war tearing them apart—years marred by unfathomable tragedies, immense loss, upheaval, and countless betrayals.Lilia resigns herself to a world crushed by misery, abject poverty, and a broken, bitter mother who suffered insurmountable grief. The burden of war, loneliness, and adult responsibilities rob her of a carefree childhood. Witnessing her parent’s challenge to stay alive during the Nazi occupation becomes Lilia’s greatest sorrow, one she makes the most heroic efforts to conceal. Ultimately, tragic loss and unanswered prayers dim the flame of her belief in the future. Will a seed of love reignite Lilia’s faith leading her towards an unforgettable and inspiring triumph over tragedy? Or will the dark shadow of war plague her destiny forever? This poignant account will transport you to a lost moment in history that irreversibly changes a quaint Northern Italian village, transforming its people for generations to come. Through the eyes and fearless spirit of a young girl, Lilia’s family story comes to life on the page and will remain in your heart long after you finish the final chapter.Read it now.PRAISE FOR LILIA“A powerful must-read! Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster that rides up there with The Diary of Anne Frank. The writing of this historical memoir is outstanding.”“Poignant and moving, yet startlingly compelling. Stunning.”“If you love WWII stories, this is one for your shelf. It is visual and cinematic. I hope it finds its way to the big screen.”“Powerful, passionate, and poignant. This book will grip you by the heartstrings and not let go. A compelling and astonishing five-star read.”“A beautiful masterpiece. Bring it home to adorn your bookshelf and to live in your heart.”“Full of universal lessons for us all. Poignant and remarkable in many ways, this author and loving daughter birthed a classic story that will endure through the ages. A must-read.” “The indignities, atrocities, and terrors visited on a poor family in a tiny Northern Italian village during WWII place in stark relief the human toll war takes on those the history books never document. Told with deep emotion and love, Lilia’s story steals your breath at the misery and hardship visited on a young girl forced to grow up far too fast in a world torn apart by the greed for power in fascist Italy. Yet there are rare moments of beautiful joy too. Through it all, Lilia’s incredible well of resilience never runs dry. Ganzini’s poetic prose renders this story both a warning about the slide into fascism in modern times and a beacon of hope for the strength of the human spirit. Read it now.” “Lilia is a labor of love, and it shows. The amount of detail, emotional nuance, and attention to the unfolding story of a family held together by love and hope lends itself to an exquisite and heartfelt narrative. Linda Ganzini has created a work that reflects the cruel realities of the past and heralds a clarion call to the time we currently find ourselves. Like Lilia and her family members, we can choose resilience and allow our personal stories to become beacons for our collective human journey. This is an important book for a transformative moment in our history.” “Lilia is a timely and must-read book. The author’s powerfully evocative and descriptive writing transported me back in time to a world of uncertainty, where innocent people were stripped of their humanity, dignity and faith. And a time where bonds were strengthened to survive the unthinkable. My thanks to Linda Ganzini for allowing readers to connect to her family’s past trials and tribulations in Northern Italy during WWII-events few know and talk about, especially our younger generation.”
Valkyrie: The Story of the Plot to Kill Hitler, by Its Last Member
Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager - 2008
His rearing on the family estate in the Rhineland had instilled in him a strong Catholic faith, a reverence for the fatherland, and a love of horsemanship and the hunt. And so, like his brother Georg, he accepted a commission when the call came to restore the pride Germany had lost in the humiliating peace of Versailles.Soon, however, beyond the regimented and honor-bound world of the cavalry, von Boeselager would discover what shocking brutality the SS was perpetrating at the behest of the Third Reich s highest authorities. When, in the summer of 1942, he heard that five Roma had been killed in cold blood, von Boeselager s patriotism quickly turned to disgust. Under his commanding officer, Field Marshal von Kluge, Philipp and his brother joined a group of conspirators in a plot to kill Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler.It was planned that Philipp would shoot both the Fuhrer and Himmler in the officers casino during a camp inspection visit, but when that attempt had to be aborted at the last moment, the plotters resolved to use a bomb to assassinate Hitler alone. Once von Boeselager had delivered the explosives to Claus von Stauffenberg, a leader of the plot, he and Georg led an unauthorized retreat of cavalry units from the eastern front, a surreal night maneuver indelibly described here. The mission: to take control of Berlin and effect the coup d etat.When the bomb failed to kill Hitler, the SS launched a terrifying purge of senior army officers. The von Boeselager brothers barely managed to return with their units to the eastern front in time to escape detection. One by one their fellow plotters were found out, tortured, and executed, but steadfast in their cause, they never gave up the von Boeselagers names. Georg would eventually fall in battle on the Russian front, but Philipp survived the war.In this elegant but unflinching testimony, Philipp von Boeselager, until his death in 2008 the last surviving member of the plot code-named Valkyrie, gives voice to the spirit of the small but determined band of men whose sense of justice and honor could not be dissolved by the diabolical glamour of the Third Reich. Here is an invaluable new perspective on one of the most fascinating near misses of twentieth-century history."
Final Witness: My journey from the holocaust to Ireland
Zoltan Zinn-Collis - 2006
In Bergen-Belsen concentration camp he survived the inhuman brutality of the SS guards, the ravages of near starvation, disease, and squalor. All but one of his family died there, his mother losing her life on the very day the British finally marched into the camp. Discovered by a Red Cross nurse who described him as ‘an enchanting scrap of humanity’, Zoltan was brought to Ireland and adopted by one of the liberators, Dr Bob Collis, who raised him as his own son on Ireland’s east coast. Now aged 65, Zoltan is ready to speak. His story is one of deepest pain and greatest joy. Zoltan tells how he lost one family and found another; of how, escaping from the ruins of a broken Europe, he was able to build himself a life – a life he may never have had.
The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister
Nonna Bannister - 2009
Nonna's writings tell the remarkable tale of how a Russian girl, born into a family that had known wealth and privileges, was exposed to the concentration camps and learned the value of human life and the importance of forgiveness.
Sergeant Nibley PhD: Memories of an Unlikely Screaming Eagle
Hugh Nibley - 2006
But on June 6, 1944, at Utah Beach, he learned more about war than he had gleaned from all the books he'd read combined. General Maxwell Taylor assigned Sergeant Nibley to educate the officers of the 101st Airborne about warfare. But it was the professor himself that received an education while fighting as a member of the most legendary unit of the United States Army. Most war memoirs come either from the bird's-eye view of the general or from the visceral but limited scope of the common soldier. Because of Nibley's unique situation, this book blends both perspectives. From the narrow view of a sergeant in a foxhole to the broader perspective of an intelligence specialist, his experience offers an intimate, realistic and articulate view of World War II.
India’s Bravehearts : Untold Stories from the Indian Army
Satish Dua - 2020
This book tells gripping stories of death-defying operations and daring surgical strikes, the intense training soldiers have to undergo to become battle-fit, what life is really like on the LoC and the lives of the young men who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Page-turning, thrilling and heart-breaking, you will see the Indian Army and our soldiers close up, like you have never seen them before.
Agent Sonya: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy
Ben Macintyre - 2020
Ursula Burton was friendly but reserved, and spoke English with a slight foreign accent. By all accounts, she seemed to be living a simple, unassuming life. Her neighbors in the village knew little about her.They didn’t know that she was a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer. They didn’t know that her husband was also a spy, or that she was running powerful agents across Europe. Behind the facade of her picturesque life, Burton was a dedicated Communist, a Soviet colonel, and a veteran agent, gathering the scientific secrets that would enable the Soviet Union to build the bomb.This true-life spy story is about the woman code-named “Sonya.” Over the course of her career, she was hunted by the Chinese, the Japanese, the Nazis, MI5, MI6, and the FBI—and she evaded them all. Her story reflects the great ideological clash of the twentieth century—between Communism, Fascism, and Western democracy—and casts new light on the spy battles and shifting allegiances of our own times.With unparalleled access to Sonya’s diaries and correspondence and never-before-seen information on her clandestine activities, Ben Macintyre has written a history of a legendary secret agent, a woman who influenced the course of the Cold War and helped plunge the world into a decades-long standoff between nuclear superpowers.
Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary
Traudl Junge - 2002
An important and fascinating firsthand account of life with Hitler from 1942 until his death in the Berlin bunker in 1945, by the young woman who was his last secretary.
Ain't No Grave: The Life and Legacy of Brother Claude Ely
Macel Ely II - 2010
Few people, however, knew the details of his childhood, military service and years of hard toil in the coal fields of southwestern Virginia. What Ely was known for was his brilliance as a preacher and his songwriting gifts. Through the enormous popularity of songs like "There Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down," Brother Claude Ely bequeathed a musical and spiritual influence that continues to resonate throughout the Appalachians and in gospel music today. Authored by Ely's great-nephew Macel Ely, "Ain't No Grave: The Life and Legacy of Brother Claude Ely" is an oral biography composed from recorded interviews with more than 1,000 people in the Appalachian Mountains who knew Brother Claude Ely. An accompanying CD collects two recordings of "There Ain't No Grave" alongside other songs and sermons.With CD (Audio
21 Months a Captive: Rachel Plummer and the Fort Parker Massacre (Annotated)
Rachel Plummer - 2016
Some residents were brutally murdered, others taken prisoner.Among those captured was eleven year old Cynthia Parker, who would remain with the Comanche for 24 years and give birth to famed Chief Quanah.Another captive was 17-year-old Rachel Plummer, mother of one, pregnant with her second child. She would soon have her first-born ripped from her arms, never to be seen again, and later watched as her second-born was killed before her eyes.After twenty-one months of captivity that destroyed her health, she was purchased and returned to her family. In this extraordinary account, her father tells of that horrible day when the fort was attacked, and his desperate efforts to find and retrieve the captives. Rachel details her terrible enslavement and how she eventually fought back.For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers, tablets, and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.