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Melisa Capistrant's avatar

Thank you for this post! I agree we need to not forget the Holocaust - as well as other atrocities - and reading about them helps us to remember. I'm drawn to reading about the Holocaust, about survivors of Soviet Gulags, the Holodomor, those who've escaped North Korea, and so forth. It's not because I enjoy reading them - far from it. It helps me to have greater compassion for what they're suffered, to recognize that hope grows in the seemingly most desolate of situations, to see the resilience of the human spirit, and to see how God can bring good out of what others intended for evil. There's often also great heroic courage and beauty to be found in these individuals' stories.

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The Literary Assistant's avatar

Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.

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Samantha Marugg's avatar

I love WWII historical fiction.

The Butterfly and The Violin was so moving 💗

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The Literary Assistant's avatar

There are so many moving stories to be told from this time period.

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Migraine Girl 🧠's avatar

This time period is my favorite and even though Holocaust history is heavy, I feel it is important to remember that history so it is never repeated.

I actually posted one this morning about my favorite WWII Historical Fiction books. https://open.substack.com/pub/migrainegirl/p/world-war-ii-historical-fiction-you?r=17873c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

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Litcuzzwords's avatar

A timely and important post. As a child I read a little book called Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, a poignant introduction to such. I suppose we need these books now more than ever, you youngsters don’t have the extra advantage of having WW2 veterans in the home. I was lucky that I did, and that I come from a culture that talks openly even about the hardest of things.

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The Literary Assistant's avatar

Yes, as it becomes more separated by generations, it's important to keep these stories alive.

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Mariella Hunt ☕️'s avatar

This is a wonderful post. I’m saving it to look up all of these books.

My grandfather was a Vietnam veteran. He never spoke of what he saw either. He died of a cancer that the doctor thinks he got because of it.

War is terrible for all parties involved </3

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The Literary Assistant's avatar

So sorry for your grandfather. Yes, war is truly terrible.

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Jenna Vandenberg's avatar

I’m going to Auschwitz this summer so I feel like I need to read ALL THESE BOOKS before July

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The Literary Assistant's avatar

Oh wow! That will be a heavy trip. I went to the Holocaust museum when I was a teen and the experience changed me forever. I hope some of these books resonate with you.

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Sharon D Williams's avatar

Thank you for these important recommendations. I was able to get The Girl from the Resistance on Kindle Unlimited. I’m looking forward to it.

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Lovingly Known As Midge's avatar

Thank you for these recommendations. I have not read any of them.

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Sherrie Hansen's avatar

Another great author who writes historical fiction based on true stories set against the backdrop of the Holocaust and the atrocities against the "undesirables" of World War II is Paulette Mahurin. I highly recommend her books.

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Norman's avatar

Thank you so much for this post on such an important topic. I visited Auschwitz eight years ago and was deeply impressed. The Holocaust Museum in Washington and even Yad Vashem, as impressive as they are, did not - and perhaps couldn't - touch me like the authentic place where it happened.

Perhaps you might have a look at Miljenko Jergovic's novel Ruta Tannenbaum, modelled after Lea Deutsch, a Jewish woman from Zagreb, who became the Shirley Temple of Yugoslavia and, later, was murdered in the Holocaust. I liked it very much.

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