For eight weeks in 1945, as Berlin fell to the Russian army, a young woman kept a daily record of life in her apartment building and among its residents. The anonymous author depicts her fellow … [Read more...] about A Woman in Berlin introduced by Antony Beevor
WWII
Commando Joe by Joe Fournier
Lt. Joseph Fournier would not be considered a particularly formidable man by today's standards. Yet at five feet eleven inches and 161lbs, he was often described as a large, strong man, more likely … [Read more...] about Commando Joe by Joe Fournier
Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman
Life and Fate is an epic tale of a country told through the fate of a single family. As the battle of Stalingrad looms, Grossman's characters must work out their destinies in a world torn apart by … [Read more...] about Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
Mother Night is a daring challenge to our moral sense. American Howard W. Campbell, Jr., a spy during World War II, is now on trial in Israel as a Nazi war criminal. But is he really guilty? In … [Read more...] about Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
Defending the Motherland by Lyuba Vinogradova
What made the 586th Fighter Regiment, the 587th Heavy-bomber Regiment and the 588th Regiment of light night-bombers unique was their gender. The Soviet Union created the first all-female active … [Read more...] about Defending the Motherland by Lyuba Vinogradova
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
Taking its title from 17th-century haiku poet Basho's travel journal, The Narrow Road to the Deep North is about the impossibility of love. At its heart is one day in a Japanese slave labour camp … [Read more...] about The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
Catch 22 by joseph Heller
As the new TV series based on the novel Catch 22 airs on Channel 4 tonight, it is appropriate to feature the original book format. The novel is set during World War II, from 1942 to 1944. It … [Read more...] about Catch 22 by joseph Heller
Diary of a Man in Despair
Friedrich Reck-Malleczewen, a Prussian aristocrat, began a secret diary in May 1936, which describes how a psychosis enveloped an entire society, enabling Hitler's rise to power, and the Nazi … [Read more...] about Diary of a Man in Despair
Behind Closed Doors by Laurence Rees
If the end of the war was supposed to have brought 'freedom' to countries that suffered under Nazi occupation, then for millions it did not really end until the fall of Communism. In the summer of … [Read more...] about Behind Closed Doors by Laurence Rees
D Day – The Battle for Normandy
Making use of overlooked and new material from over 30 archives in half a dozen countries, 'D-Day' is a vivid and well-researched account yet of the battle of Normandy. Antony Beevor is a former … [Read more...] about D Day – The Battle for Normandy