Book Recommendations; Five WWII Non-Fiction Books Worth The Read

Those that know me well enough probably know by now I'm a bit of a WWII history geek, in addition to having some beef with historical fiction set during that period (giving a stink-eye to The Tattooist of Auschwitz). Based on that, I figured out it was only fair I sooner or later wrote a quick book recommendations post on non-fiction books worth the read. That said, as the majority of WWII non-fiction books I've read has been by Norwegian authors and thus written in Norwegian, I had to narrow it down to books written in or translated into English.

Anyway, here's a few books worth picking up if anyone is interested.

Hitler’s Northern Utopia: Building the New Order in Occupied Norway by Despina Stratigakos

It's one of those books that may be a bit dense and heavy-duty for those who aren't used to reading academic texts, but it's a book that goes into great detail and totally worth reading.

The Auschwitz Photographer: The powerful true story of Wilhelm Brasse prisoner number 3444 by Luca Crippa and Maurizio Onnis

I suspect quite a few people have seen some of the photos taken by this photographer, without knowing the history. It's obviously a heartbreaking read, but it's one of those books that shows just why I prefer reading non-fiction about WWII - it tells the factual stories of people who lived it, and not a novel that makes Auschwitz sound a lot better than it was.

Escape From Auschwitz by Andrey Pogozhev

Escape From Auschwitz is about one of the few who actually managed to flee the death machine that was Auchwitz. The story is a bit mind-boggling at times, and for obvious reasons heartbreaking, but it tells the story about how life in Auschwitz was in a way no historical fiction can do properly.

I Flew for the Führer by Heinz Knoke

Probably an unexpected book on this list, but with the saying of "history is written by the victors", I think it's at times crucial to read books from the "other side" too, even if it's unpleasant at times. It's anyway one of those books that gives some insights in how WWII was for the Luftwaffe pilots.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

I couldn't write this list and NOT mention Anne Frank's diary, could I? The diary is heartbreaking and haunting, yet so hopeful at the same time. It just makes us think - what could all those kids and teenagers accomplish, if they had been allowed to live?

The Diary of a Young Girl is probably one of those books that would make you cry, considering Anne died in Bergen-Belsen shortly before the was liberated by the British forces.