All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a heart-wrenching story told from two perspectives during World War II. The book follows Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl, and Werner Pfennig, a German orphan. While trying to escape ongoing German occupation, Marie-Laure and her father reside on the coast of France. Meanwhile, Werner’s intrinsic talent for engineering radios ultimately causes the two characters to cross paths in Saint-Malo.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is an emotional retelling of the Greek myth of Achilles and Patroclus from Homer’s Iliad. Under the narration of Patroclus, he and Achilles create an inseparable bond despite the onset of war. Their relationship is portrayed through their contrasting perspectives as Patroclus is compassionate, gentle and quiet, while Achilles is charismatic and bold.
Berliners, by Vesper Stamper, is essentially the story of twin brothers Rudi and Peter Moser-Fleischmann. Rudi, a photographer, and Peter, an aspiring actor, are living in post-WWII Berlin. Not only is this a coming-of-age story, it is an exploration of a period of time often overshadowed and forgotten. It asks questions that we ourselves may be too afraid to ask, and confronts the reader with messages and lessons through lyrical prose that can be just as relevant today as it was in the 1960s.
Refugee by Alan Gratz is an exciting and emotional book that tells the stories of three young refugees from different times and places: Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba and modern-day Syria. Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud as protagonists face tough challenges, like escaping danger and crossing dangerous waters to find safety and refuge. Gratz does a great job of mixing action with deep emotion, making the characters’ struggles feel real.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a powerful historical fiction novel set in the racially segregated South, following Scout Finch, a young girl whose father, Atticus, is an attorney defending a Black man falsely accused of assaulting a white woman. Through Scout’s eyes, the story explores themes of justice, prejudice and morality. This book is both thought-provoking and deeply moving. I admired the way Lee balances the innocence of Scout’s narration with the heavy societal issues the story tackles.
Cloud Cuckoo Land connects five main characters using a fictional Ancient Greek codex called Cloud Cuckoo Land. This story is present and plays a significant role in all of the characters’ lives. Anna, a young girl who discovers Cloud Cuckoo Land, and Omeir, a boy conscripted into the Ottoman Empire, meet in 15th century Constantinople during the Ottoman Empire’s siege of the city.
During World War II, Gene Forrester is sent to a boarding school known for its academics and war preparation. There, Gene meets Finny and quickly becomes friends. Finny is the popular, athletic, and charming kid everyone dreams about being, and he helps to bring Gene out of his shell. It’s during a test of bravery that Finny gets hurt and might never recover. What’s worse, is that Gene might be behind this accident.
Projekt 1065, a historical fiction, written by Alan Gratz, tells the story of Michael O’Shaunessey during World War II. His father is the Irish ambassador for Germany. However, even though they are neutral, they are secretly a spy for the Allies. He is part of the Hitler youth, which essentially is training to become a Nazi soldier. He also meets Fritz and discovers that his house contained highly classified documents of a new plane that could be hugely beneficial for the allies.
It is 1957 Madrid, Spain, and Daniel Matheson, an 18-year-old Spanish American photographer is visiting Spain for the first time. All Daniel wants to do is get eye-opening photos for his portfolio and get into journalism school. However, his father, an oil baron, who is signing a deal with Generalissimo Francisco Franco, has other plans for Daniel. He wants Daniel to join the family oil company. Throughout navigating this messy time in Daniel’s life he meets Ana Moreno, an employee at the Castellana Hilton, the hotel he’s staying at.
The classic and captivating novel by esteemed author F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby is no stranger to the limelight of “best novels of all time”. Set in the roaring twenties, we are immediately taken to a place of lux and glamor of New York’s elite, amidst the Great Depression. This story will have you wondering what exactly the “American Dream” is all about? Main protagonist Nick Carraway is a simple man from the midwest, moving to New York to work at a big time company.
