There was a time when it seemed that all I was reading was war-related novels, more typically World War II. I suppose that’s because my dad was a WWII Army veteran, who served in the South Pacific (1941-1945). Like most WWI vets, he never spoke about the war except to share stories about koala bears, and playing baseball and swapping cigarettes with aboriginal tribesmen. Then in 1996, he was part of a feature article in our local newspaper. He, along with a small handful of surviving gentlemen from our hometown, finally opened up about their service.
There are so many books set in WWII Europe that I think we often forget there is much more to the story. And, while WWII was a globally defining war, there’s much, much more to our global history. There’s a quote that, while Winston Churchill gets primary credit (1948), is attributed to George Santayana that says,
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
(Original quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”)
While I’ve always been a lover of history, my dad’s revelations made me want more from outside of history books. I began my quest to find books that spoke more of the human element of war and revolution – the relationships built and torn apart; the life and struggle; the role of survival instincts; and what it must feel like when it’s finally over. Even in fiction, much can be learned so that history is not doomed to repeat.
Here’s my Fab 5 Novels: Seeds of War & Revolution that will take you to different points in the world, at different times in history, during different wars and revolutions. While all are considered “fiction,” at their foundation is real-life events. What I love about them is they portray so well the human element.
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan – while this is a World War II novel, it’s set in Italy which is unusual. Based on a true story, this novel traces the course of one young man’s life from innocence to playing a key role in the underground railroad leading Jews over the Alps to neutral Switzerland, to enlisting in the German army to save his life, to becoming an embedded spy for the Allies. I literally could not put this book down!
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford – Japanese-Americans’ internment during WWII is yet one more terrible smudge on American history. “Hotel” tells the story of two children who by culture should be enemies, but by humanity become friends. Explore age old prejudices, choices made, generational divides, forgiveness found, and a bond that lasts a lifetime.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – Imagine being sentenced to house arrest for life in a grand hotel! Such is the life of Count Alexander Rostov. Following his sentencing by a Bolshevik tribunal, Rostov is relegated to the hotel’s attic room from which he observes some of the most turbulent decades in Russian history. Follow his life as he forms friendships within and outside the walls of his prison, and what he learns about himself and the world around him.
Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia – this book really intrigued me because of stories of revolution and escape told by two Cuban professors, husband and wife, I had in college. This book flows from the 1930s to the 1980s – three generations of a family divided by politics and geography. It’s beautifully written, enabling readers to “see” Cuba from the inside.
In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez – this “historical fiction” tells the story of four sisters who band together to fight oppression and overthrow the dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. The book is told in the voice of each sister as well as a narrator. It’s a bit gritty at points, and was banned from a school district in a borough of Long Island, NY.
That’s my Fab 5 Novels: Seeds of War & Revolution. Pick one up and take a read. Then I’d love to hear from you! Comment below with what you’ve chosen and how you liked it.
