World War II

1. World War II Morgan Braun

2. SOL Standards: 10th grade World History • WHII.12 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the worldwide impact of World War II by • Explaining economic and political causes, describing major events, and identifying leaders of the war, with emphasis on Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George C. Marshall, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Hideki Tojo, and Hirohito; • Examining the Holocaust and other examples of genocide in the twentieth century; • Explaining the terms of the peace, the war crimes trials, the division of Europe, plans to rebuild Germany and Japan, and the creation of international cooperative organizations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).

3. The Burning Shore: How Hitler’s U-Boats Brought World War II to America • Offley, E. (2014). The burning shore: How hitler’s u-boats brought world war ii to america. New York: Basic Books. • Ed Offley is a renowned military scholar who tells a thrilling tale of the German U-boat offensive along the Atlantic shore in early 1942. This offensive went on for 6 months with Germany mercilessly sinking merchant ships in the east shores of America to try and cut off supply lines between Britain and America. When American Lt. Harry J. Kane spots a U-701 offshore it starts off a clash that will be known as the Battle of the Atlantic, a very little known battle that shows how close Germany was to pentrating our shores after Pearl Harbor. • This would be an excellent book to use that would relate to many of the boys in the class. It brings in the war on the home front as well as a military aspect to the war when usually we see it through the lens of the social and economic impacts of the war. • This book would have to be for a student on a higher reading level. It is very technical in the way it explains the attacks. It would appeal greatly to students in the class who have a big interest in military history though.

4. Summer of My German Soldier • Greene, B. (1993). Summer of my german soldier. New York: Penguin. • This story tells of an unlikely romance between 12 year old Patty Bergen and Anton, a German prisoner brought to her hometown in Arkansas. She is Jewish but soon learns to have an open heart and develops a friendship based on mutual loneliness and a misunderstanding by those who surround them. She is willing to risk everything to help him escape and it will change her life forever. • I actually remember reading this book. It is a relatively easy read, for students with lower reading abilities. • This book teaches empathy and for students to look beyond stereotypical views of Nazi’s and Jews. It also takes place in the United States, away from Nazi Germany so it gives an interesting perspective on how much the US population knew of what was going on over in Europe in regards to the holocaust.

5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society • Schaffer, M. A., & Barrows, A. (2008). The guernsey literary and potato peel pie society. New York: The Dial Press. • This book is a heartwarming tale of a woman who comes across an island full of characters who relate their tales of being occupied by German forces and how they resisted the rule of the German forces on the Island through their literary club. She comes across this island full of character after one of the members of the literary club comes across her name in a book and starts a correspondence with her. This spurs a trip to the island and even a permanent residence. • This book is great in that it makes connections between the importance of reading like the book thief does and it is easily on an 11th graders reading level. • This is an easy read that flows well and creates intrigue in wondering how the characters will all connect in the end.

6. The Complete Maus • Spiegleman, A. (2003). The complete maus. New York: Penguin. • This is an animated comic book series that tells the story of a man and his family hiding during the holocaust. It uses the metaphor of animals as characters to show the suppression of the Jewish race. The complete series combines the 1st and 2nd book, the first being where the family is in the ghetto and the second, where their trouble really begins and they are forced into the concentration camps. This book touches on more themes than just Jewish struggles during the holocaust but also on a father son relationship and how that has been affected by his father’s experience in the holocaust • This book is excellent for relating to students in that it puts in in simpler terms using the metaphor for animals • I would say that this is an easy read for any student that can handle the graphic content.

7. Edelweiss Pirates ‘Operation Einstein‘ • Cooper, M. A. (2012). Edelweiss pirates ‘operation einstein'. West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania: Infinity. • In the Nazi takeover, it became compulsory to join Hitler Youth. Those who did not join formed resistance groups, the largest of which was the Edelweiss pirates who numbered over 100,000. In this story, boys witness a tragedy so horrifying that they decide to resist the Hitler youth, playing pranks on them and generally just being teenage boys. It shows a diverse perspective on the idea that every single child was brainwashed in the third Reich. • This book would appeal to both boys and girls in the classroom. I have never heard of this so it is an interesting topic to read about and gain background on Hitler Youth and the resistance to it. • The readability of this text is not bad. It’s a longer book but it reads very easily and flows well. It is told in story format with the grandfather relating his tale to his grandson so it is easy to follow.

8. Mr. Churchill's Secretary • MacNeil, S. E. (2012). Mr. churchill's secretary. New York: Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks. • This is the story of one young college grad, Maggie Hope whose mind for code breaking raises her from a lowly typist to secretary to Churchill himself. This story is set in the heart of London during Blitzkrieg. This is a tale of intrigue, with a strong female lead sniffing out assassination attempts and other plots against the country. Along with this protagonist is the portrait of Churchill which is painted through her story. • This is intriguing in that it gives us insight in to how Churchill was dealing with the war and it is done through a female perspective which appeals to the girls in the class (and me). • This may be a harder read for some students as it is bogged down with intense research on the subject matter and includes many dates however it is a story of intrigue which keeps students interested in the read.

9. Eyes of the Emperor • Salisbury, G. (2007). Eyes of the emperor. New York: Laurel Leaf. • Despite the fact that Eddy Okana joins the army weeks before the Pearl Harbor attack, afterwards nothing is the same. Japanese Americans are highly distrusted. The American government takes eddy and other Japanese American soldiers for a special mission on an island off the coast of Mississippi. He is going to be training guard dogs. However, he is the bait. • This is great for the classroom in that it provides a different perspective on the war than students normally look at. • This is only a 230 page book which would make it perfectly readable for a 10th grade world history class and would appeal to the boys in the class anyways.

10. Anne Frank and Me • Bennett, C. (2002). Anne frank and me. New York: Puffin • Anne Frank and me is about Nicole Burns, who is a modern day girl who is transported back in time mysteriously at the Anne Frank museum. She then becomes a privileged Jewish teen before WWII. She has a boyfriend and a little sister. But all of that changes when the Germans occupy France and she is forced into a concentration camp and rides in a cattle car with Anne Frank to their deaths. • I read this book in 7th grade over and over. It is a gripping tale reminding us how privileged we are to not have lived through these events and how nice it is to be transported back when you finish the story. • I was above average as a reader so I think this could be an easy read for 9th and 10th graders but would maybe be too easy for grades above that.

11. Flygirl • Smith, S.L. (2009). Flygirl. New York: Putnam’s Sons • Following in her father’s footsteps, Ida Mae Jones wants to be a pilot. However, she is black and she is a woman which are 2 strikes against her in 1940. However when America enters the war the WASP unit is formed giving women a chance to be pilots. However WASP won’t accept her as a black women so Ida has to choose whether she will lie about her race and try and pass for white to fulfill her dream. Denying her true identity is a burden though and Ida must decide if it is worth it to help her brother in the pacific. • This book gives a unique perspective of a black woman in the war and the hardships and oppression that they were still being faced with despite the fact that we are fighting a war against oppression by the third Reich. It would be an excellent classroom tool to show more perspectives. • This book is meant for a middle school to lower high school reader. It is easy to get through as historical fiction and an interesting take on the normal strong feminine character who wants to fly airplanes.

12. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navaho Marines of World War II • Bruchac, J. (2006). Code talker: A novel about the navaho marines of world war II. New York: Speak. • This book tells the story of the young Navaho boys who were recruited from their boarding school to talk code and relay messages worldwide without the Axis powers breaking the code. These boys were all told that their language was useless and that they needed to conform to Americanized ways until their value was discovered in that their language was an almost unbreakable code. • This book also shows a unique perspective on the war that is rarely talked about or just mentioned in passing and would be great for students to read more about. • This book has been on reading Olympic lists forever now due to its great readability. It is good for any reader from 7-11th grade. It would especially appeal to the boys in the class but would be a great read for the girls too.

13. Soldier Boys • Hughes, D., & McGillivray, K. (2003). Soldier boys. New York: Simon Pulse. • Soldier boys tells the story of two boys on either side of the war, both desperate to prove themselves. Dieter quickly gets promoted from Hitler Youth the the real German army. Spence drops out of school to become an American Paratrooper. Both never want the war to end, until they actually enter and see the true horrors of this war. • This book is great for the classroom in that it shows a parallel between young German soldiers and young American soldiers and how much this war was not a game but a horrid thing. • This would also be appealing to the boys in the classroom but would be a great reading to assign as an easy read about war that isnt as technical but still depicts how awful it is to actually be fighting. I would easily recommend it from 7-11 grades depending on the students reading levels.