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A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice
by Rebecca Connolly
What it is: a compelling, heart-pounding account of two eyewitnesses to an epic disaster.
What it's about: the remarkable true story of the Carpathia--the one ship and her legendary captain who answered the distress call of the sinking Titanic.
Try this next: The Midnight Watch by David Dyer.
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| Little Souls by Sandra DallasWhat it is: a descriptive and engaging story of survival and chosen family set during the 1918 Influenza pandemic.
Starring: Lutie, a Denver fashion illustrator; her older sister Helen, a nurse dealing with the pandemic on the front lines; 10-year-old Dorothy, who the sisters take in after the child becomes an orphan under violent, traumatic circumstances.
Why you might like it: though the situation is dire, Helen, Lutie, and Dorothy are a compelling little family whose bonds with each other lend a hopeful air to an otherwise heavy story. |
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| Shadows of Berlin by David R. GillhamThe setup: In her postwar life in 1950s New York, Holocaust survivor Rachel Perlman struggles to carry the weight of her survivor's guilt, which her American-born husband and in-laws -- despite being Jewish themselves -- can't seem to understand.
What happens next: Her estranged uncle Fritz announces that he's found a painting by Rachel's mother, who perished in a concentration camp, and the memories associated with the artwork and its subject force Rachel to contend with everything she did to survive the war.
Read it for: the haunting depiction of Rachel hiding in plain sight in Berlin during the war and the disarmingly poetic turns of phrase that she uses to tell her story. |
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| Two Storm Wood by Philip GrayWhat it's about: Just after the end of World War I, Amy Vanneck leaves England to look for her fiancé (or his body) in the devastated French countryside. After arriving at the Somme, she discovers a gruesome war crime and evidence that suggests that its perpetrator plans to kill again.
Why you might like it: Despite the darkness of Two Storm Wood's subject matter, readers will be pulled in by the moody tone and the intricate nonlinear plot structure.
Reviewers say: "Immersive and eerily atmospheric" (Booklist); "powerful historical fiction and a testament to war’s insanity" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Mrs. England by Stacey HallsStarring: Ruby May, a recent graduate of the Norland Institute for the Training of Ladies as Children’s Nurses who trades London for rural Yorkshire when she accepts a job as a nanny; Charles and Lilian England, Ruby's new employers.
The problem: Hardcastle House, the stately but isolated manor of the England family, is as full of Edwardian splendor as it is full of secrets. And though Mr. England and the children in Ruby's charge are friendly, Mrs. England and other household servants are aloof and cold to her with no explanation. |
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Girls of Flight City
by Lorraine Heath
What it's about: the brave American women who trained the British Royal Air Force during World War II.
Starring: Jessie Lovelace, a talented female pilot in 1941 Texas, who discovers that her small-town civilian flight school is secretly training British pilots for the RAF and fights to become an instructor.
Reviewers say: "Perfectly balancing tragedy and triumph, Heath's latest gives readers a war romance that keeps the pages turning" (Booklist).
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| Forbidden City by Vanessa HuaWhat it is: the atmospheric depiction of the dramatic change in circumstances that a young girl from the countryside undergoes after her dancing skills thrust her into the heart of power in 1960s China.
Starring: Mei Xiang, who narrates her harrowing story from the safety of San Francisco as she celebrates the 1976 death of party chairman Mao Zedong.
Is it for you? Forbidden City was inspired by the stories of the many teenage girls like Mei who experienced sexual abuse after being drawn into the Chairman's inner circle. |
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| A Woman of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-FigueroaWhat it's about: the role of Puerto Rico in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, explored through the story of Pola, an African woman who is used, abused, and force to bear children that her captors can sell for profit.
Why you should read it: Although Pola's ordeal is heartwrenching, her characterization is made even more compelling by her tenacious hold on her humanity and the rare moments of love and happiness she seizes for herself.
Try these next: The Prophets by Robert Jones or Things Past Telling by Sheila J. Williams, which both explore the rich inner lives enslaved people live despite their violent circumstances. |
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The Master Craftsman
by Kelli Stuart
What it is: a lavish, dual-time narrative that plunges you into the 1917 Russian Revolution, the fall of the Romanovs, and long-buried Soviet secrets.
What happens: When Ava Laine's dying treasure-hunter father entrusts to her his mission to find a missing Fabergé egg, she has no idea how high the stakes will climb--or how her allegiances will be tested.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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