D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II
by Sarah Rose
Courageous Women of WWII (3/14/2019)
Sarah Rose has written a compelling, exciting account of female spies who were vital to the success of the D-Day Invasion and ultimate defeat of the Nazis. Rose personalizes the women (and a number of their male counterparts) and details their exploits in a way that makes for an "edge of your seat" read. This book would be of general interest, and I can imagine young people would find it engaging as well. Book groups would find much to discuss. I'm really grateful to the author for making these women and this time in history come alive.
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
by Elizabeth Weil, Clemantine Wamariya
A Riveting Account of the Aftermath of War (2/25/2018)
Clemantine Wamariya is an important writer who painfully, yet masterfully, exposes the atrocities of the Rwanda genocide and the effect on her and her family. She gives the reader glimpses, vignettes, of her life before the war, of her and her sister's ordeal for seven years as refugees, and her attempts to find her life story in the bits and pieces of her memory. She hardens herself to survive, but years after she has lived in the United States, it is clear she is willing to make herself vulnerable to gain some peace and understanding of who she is and how she can meld her conflicting emotions, fears and hopes into a whole, connected person. She is a gifted writer and I'm grateful for the difficult story she has shared.
Rise: How a House Built a Family
by Cara Brookins
A Rewarding Read (10/5/2016)
An excellent writer has penned an intimate, compelling story of her and her children overcoming traumatic domestic abuse by, incredibly, building a house from the ground up. Who knew that details of construction could be so riveting? Brookins makes them fascinating as she sets out the family's "rising from the ashes" story and the redemption that follows. This is a wonderful book and I truly appreciate the author and her wonderful family. It is very inspiring!
Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died Under Nazi Occupation
by Anne Sebba
Interesting topic, Disjointed writing (8/12/2016)
I was excited to read this book when it arrived, and although it contains very interesting historical information, it is written in a very disjointed manner. Seriously, it needs some serious editing. It turned into a slog of a reading project although this topic should have made for a fascinating read.
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