For Ray, it's his first battle. For Hideki, it's his homeland. Both of them are young to fight in a battle, but each one is given a grenade and charged to use it. The two of them fight their way through the battle of Okinawa, the last battle of World War II. When they collide, nothing will ever be the same. I know a lot about World War II, but as with any subject, there is always much more to know about any subject. Okinawa was an important battle fought by the Japanese, Americans, and Okinawans. Okinawa was taken by the Japanese hundreds of years ago, but the people still saw themselves as Okinawans, still had a language. They were also not treated as full Japanese citizens. As Gratz delves into the transformative nature of war, no one people are full heroes and no one people are full villains. All of them are humans with frailties and strengths. The book ran a little slow after Part 2 began for me, but I believe it's a book well worth finishing.
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Moishe Moskowitz struggled with fitting in as a Jew in Kielce, Poland. This was even before the Nazis invaded. Then when they came in 1939, there were more rules and regulations and finally work camps that were then concentration camps. Moishe is separated from his family as the wolves draw closer to take away everything he holds dear. I have read many Holocaust survival stories, but this one is in verse. Each scene a short poem that conveys the different emotions and pains Moishe experienced during this time. The story that brings the title of warm bread does not come until the end, but it reminds us that even in the darkest places, there is hope. Somewhere there are people that care. This short story is worth reading even if you have read several Holocaust stories. Dee knows that today will be the day, not just any day, but D-Day. The Allies are invading France. Dee is just one of the many characters in this story. Samira tries to stop the Germans and save her family at the same time. James leaps from an airplane and finds himself in the middle of the unknown. Henry searches for lives to save as so many die on the beaches. Each one of them play a part in a struggle where many did not survive. It was hard to get to know each character with many switch backs. However, Dee is a central figure that seems to hold the book together. There were a few stories that I felt did not get as fleshed out as they could. However, Gratz writes an exciting account of all the people who played a part in this day. What if Germany and Japan won World War II because they had created a super soldier? That's the concept of this YA book. The United States no longer exists. Germany controls the Eastern American Territories, and Japan controls the Western American Territories. But not all Americans are willing to accept their conquerors. A resistance is brewing, and Ren finds himself in the middle of it with a plan to infiltrate the prison. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the beginning, Richmond pulls you in with each new page and revelation of Ren's life. Some twists I saw coming, but others were a surprise. There are some parts that are hard to read, and the violence might be a little intense for some. However, this book makes you think how much we have when we consider the freedoms of America. Like Ren, we can say that America was not perfect and is not perfect now, but the founders and people of America created a set of ideals that we can try to live up to each day. This is a sequel to Making Bombs for Hitler, but I believe you could read this separately. Luka escapes from the work camp, leaving Lida behind. His escape was under the dead corpses from the camp hospital. He manages to get away and survive for a time in the forest. He meets up with different people, some he is not sure he can trust. His goal is to go back to Ukraine and find his family, at least his father who was sent to Siberia. On his way back, he is invited to fight in the Ukrainian underground army to fight for independence from both the Nazis and the Soviets. After reading Making Bombs for Hitler, you know the beginning and part of the ending of this story. Like the previous book, the author takes over a hundred pages to get to the underground war. The other parts are still interesting, but I wish the blurb on the back of the book more accurately reflected the majority of the content in the book. Again the story picks up significantly once Luka joins the underground. So if you are willing to wait, this is a book that gives you another side of Ukraine during World War II. Lida believed she had nothing to worry about from the Nazis. In Ukraine, the fear was for the Soviets. When the Nazis come to her town, people celebrate. Then she is taken, taken to a work camp to work. First, she uses her sewing skills, and then she is sent to work on making bombs. Lida struggles to survive in a work camp, little better than a concentration camp, where any wrong move could lead to her death and the death of everyone in the place. Once you get to Lida making bombs, the story picks up. However, it takes the author over one hundred pages before she talks about Lida making bombs. As a history nerd, I enjoy learning about something new that I had not heard before. However, if you are going to give your book the title, "Making Bombs for Hitler," I would think you want to get to that part sooner. The book is still worth reading. Just be prepared to wait for the actual bomb making. As I picked up Prisoner B-3087, Mr. Peek recommended another book, a memoir by his wife. She was also a Holocaust survivor. Ruth also survived the Nazi invasion in her home country, Poland, but she did so through hiding. She and her family had to hide in tight spaces to keep out of sight, even hiding in a chest or trunk while someone came to visit the family she was staying with. Though Ruth's story was not as hard to read as Jack's, Ruth also struggled to survive as a young girl, not understanding why she had to stay hidden. The late night conversations her parents had with those they stayed with are particularly heartbreaking. She did not endure as much physical suffering as her future husband, but she still had her own trial to bear. Her story reminds me of Diary of Anne Frank, but you can be assured that she survived, the title itself gives you that hope when her story seems hopeless. She tells her story more straightforward than the novel based on Jack's life. You can see the difference in this memoir as you see the truth that was her life during and right after the war. When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, Yanek Gruener did what he could to hide in a country surrounded by Nazis. This only lasted for a short time before he found himself in a concentration camp, struggling to survive. Based on the true story of Jack Gruener, the reader follows him one horrifying situation to another. This was a hard story to read. I know I take the blessings in my life for granted, and I need stories like this to remind me how easy my life is. Hiding in the floor, running full out, begging from his worst enemy - you understand the price that one paid to survive in one of the worst times in history. Lest we think this only happened with the Nazis, you have only to read stories of Soviet gulags in Between Shades of Gray or Japanese prison camps in World War II in Unbroken to see what happens when we lose our humanity and deceny. We need to read these stories to appreciate what we have and to appreciate each other. When Chaya is sent away from home to avoid being sent on the train, she finds a place where she can more than just survive Nazi occupation. She can resist. Chaya becomes a courier, taking people away from the ghetto in hopes of survival. But she cannot save the ones she loves the most. When her resistance group, Akiva, plans a strike against the Nazis, she believes this will be their one chance to prove the Jewish people will not lie down and let the Nazis win. I cringe and yet feel the need to read books like this one. Chaya's story, based on actual events, makes it hard to read. How could people be so cruel to other humans? How does one lose their humanity? How does one look the other way? This is a hard read, but one that shows hope in the midst of darkness and friendship in the midst of fear. For those who appreciate Holocaust stories, this is not as dark as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas or The Diary of Anne Frank at the end, but there is a lot that will break your heart along the way. However, it is well worth the read. |
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