A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII by Sarah Helm Doubleday, 2006 493 pages More than 15 years ago, at the beginning of our marriage, my husband and I read William Stevenson's A Man Called Intrepid together. It was a fascinating story - the true tale of a secret WWII intelligence … Continue reading A Life in Secrets
Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald Dial, 2014 247 pages I love literary serendipity. A couple of years ago, while my husband was out of town one week, I watched a documentary called The Rape of Europa. It was my first encounter with the story of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) military … Continue reading Under the Egg
Every year around Thanksgiving, I share a post about an inspiring woman I'm grateful to have known. This year, as Thanksgiving approaches, I'm particularly grateful to have known "Nan." She was my husband's grandmother, and she died earlier this year at the age of 90, leaving behind her a remarkable and influential legacy. I first … Continue reading I’m Thankful for: My Husband’s Grandmother
The Secret Lives of Codebreakers: The Men and Women Who Cracked the Enigma Code at Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay Plume, 2012 352 pages Near the beginning of our marriage, my husband and I read the book A Man Called Intrepid. It's the story of Sir William Stephenson, a Canadian airman who became the … Continue reading The Secret Lives of Codebreakers
A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France by Caroline Moorehead Harper, 2011 374 pages I don't really remember when I first learned about World War II. Probably very early in childhood, since I grew up with a grandfather who often told stories of his time in "The … Continue reading A Train in Winter
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr; ill. Ronald Himler G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1977 80 pages About four months ago, when I posted for Banned Books Week, I mentioned that inspiring books often push our boundaries or make us question long-held assumptions. In many cases, they challenge our ideas about what the world … Continue reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Nim and the War Effort by Milly Lee; ill. by Yangsook Choi Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997 40 pages American history is far from spotless. Particularly where immigrants and people of color are concerned, our nation has often struggled to fulfill its founding promises of freedom and equality for all. During World War II, for … Continue reading Heritage, Patriotism, and Grace
