This article contains discussions of violence and war crimes.

Summary

• Maus presents the Holocaust through an allegorical lens, showcasing the trauma ed down through generations of survivors.
• Leningrad delves into the brutal reality of the city's siege, pointing fingers at all involved in the catastrophic events.
• All The Light We Cannot See weaves a tale of love and loss during WWII, shedding light on humanity's relationship with technology.

The best books about World War II range across a variety of genres, from pure nonfiction and educational to historical fiction and even graphic novels. Since it was such a pivotal conflict in world history, few countries and peoples were untouched by its events. This inspired authors from all walks of life to explore the topic from their experiences and point of view. When discussing such a wide-reaching and violent time, it's important to get as many perspectives as possible and touch upon the biggest and smallest parts of the war to learn about the full scope of this time.

However, working within historical fiction can also provide insight into World War II, as it makes the events more relatable and accessible to younger readers.

Many World War 2 movies have been praised for their accuracy and realism by historians and viewers. Similarly, books that successfully capture the details of the events receive great acclaim. However, working within historical fiction can also provide insight into World War II, as it makes the events more relatable and accessible to younger readers. That being said, reading and examining primary sources and firsthand s of those present during different parts of the war are invaluable in teaching future generations about the lasting impact of World War II.

10 Maus (1980)

Written by Art Spiegelman

The graphic novel Maus uses cats and mice as stand-ins in its allegorical retelling of the Nazi's treatment of the Jewish people during the Holocaust. Art Spiegelman wrote and illustrated the work, using interviews with his father, a Holocaust survivor, as the frame for the true stories of his parents' experiences during the war and in concentration camps. Spiegelman interweaves his relationships with his mother and father and the fallout of the trauma ed down to him through them. Emotionally raw and revealing, Maus should not be overlooked because of its format, as it’s elevated by its cartoon form.

As the first graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize, Maus is a seminal piece of literature that transcends genre in a way that's inspired countless other authors. Using post-modern stylization and storytelling, Maus is a work of art as much as it's a novel, and shouldn't be contained by either marker. Not only does Maus portray the stark realities of the Nazi regime, but it takes on the guilt and legacy of survival after the unthinkable happens.

9 Leningrad: The Epic Siege Of World War II, 1941-1944 (2011)

Written by Anna Reid

The siege of Leningrad was one of the longest and most brutal of World War II, and in the end, starved and killed the majority of the citizens in the city. Though the fallout of relations between the other Allies and the Soviet Union after WWII colors much of the perception around the Russian participation in ending the war, Leningrad re those who sacrificed their lives for the greater good. However, Leningrad is still a stinging indictment of the Soviet government and its own cruel treatment of its people even as the Nazis attempted to starve out the city.

By all s, the Germans should have broken through and Stalin should have done more to help the city, and Reid points the finger at everyone involved.

Though Stalingrad by Antony Beevor is better known than Anna Reid's Leningrad, Reid's work is a feat of political and wartime analysis that leaves no stone unturned in searching for the cause of the siege. By all s, the Germans should have broken through and Stalin should have done more to help the city, and Reid points the finger at everyone involved. Reid draws upon personal s from people living in Leningrad during the siege, looking at the minute details as well as the broad scope of the events on the political stage.

8 Band Of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne From Normandy To Hitler's Eagle's Nest (1992)

Written by Stephen Edward Ambrose

Of all the three Band of Brothers shows based on the events in the novel by Stephen Edward Ambrose the first, Band of Brothers premiered in 2001 and was co-created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. While each adaptation has merit, for a full retelling and description of the military company and its bravery, reading the book is the best course of action. The novel features many interviews with the veterans of the 101st Airborne Division who were part of the Parachute Infantry.

While many WWII books and stories feature pilots, these men fought on the ground and in the air. Following their journey from training in Georgia to fighting in the European theater, no task the company faced was easy. The book went on to become a New York Times bestseller, and this was because it appealed to readers of all genres through the humanity within its pages. One of the most thrilling events it chronicles, and one of the most adapted moments of the novel, is the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden.

7 A Bridge Too Far (1974)

Written by Cornelius Ryan

A Bridge Too Far chronicles the failed Operation Market Garden. The author, Cornelius Ryan, uses the ambitious but ultimately flawed mission as a means of analyzing war tactics during World War II. For those interested in the intricacies of battle and how certain strategies were chosen to be put into practice during the conflict, A Bridge Too Far is the perfect read. The operation encomed an attempt to capture a series of bridges in the Netherlands as a means to break through a German line.

The action culminated in the Battle of Arnhem, which though less known, had a higher causality count for the Allies than other prominent conflicts.

It received a film adaptation in 1977, but it remains relatively unknown, as the subject matter is exciting. However, it's difficult to play out the high stakes of internal war strategies in a way that translates to the screen. The action culminated in the Battle of Arnhem, which though less known, had a higher causality count for the Allies than other prominent conflicts. While most s of great battles focus on the ones where the Allies come out as the victors, A Bridge Too Far shows that even in the face of defeat, honor and bravery are constants.

6 All The Light We Cannot See (2014)

Written by Anthony Doerr

Anthony Doerr has written many books within the historical and realistic fiction genres, but All The Light We Cannot See is his most famous novel. Even though its characters are fictional, much of All The Light We Cannot See is rooted in reality, as Doerr researched the settings and events of the story with an eye for detail. Through his style of prose and non-linear storytelling, Doerr takes a topic that has been explored many times and reignites it. He does this by using the perspective of two young people with differing involvement in the war.

Winning both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, as well as earning a place on the New York Times bestseller list for many weeks in a row, there is no shortage of accolades to back up the quality of the work. The recent miniseries adaptation by Netflix was highly anticipated, but All The Light We Cannot See makes big book changes. Through the setting of WWII, Doerr makes larger comments on the nature of humanity and people's relationship to nature and technology. He ensures that these parts of life are not overlooked.

5 The Rape Of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust Of World War II (1997)

Written by Iris Chang

In the case of an event like World War II, the suffering of the people who were affected and brutalized all over the world should not be pitted against each other or compared. In war, all casualties and violence are of equal importance. When discussing WWII, the Holocaust and the genocide of the Jewish people are some of the biggest war crimes of the 20th century, but sometimes the other atrocities are overlooked. This is touched upon in The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang.

Chang brings to light one of the most horrific parts of the war, the massacre of Nanjing, in her harrowing but vital text about the event. Reading the novel is not easy, as the atrocities committed by the Japanese military on Chinese civilians are more horrible than most audiences can imagine. Chang also grapples with the legacy of these war crimes and how Eastern and Western governments alike wish to pretend it didn't happen. Gaining great popularity all over the world, Chang's novel has changed many people's perceptions about World War II.

4 Against All Odds: A True Story Of Ultimate Courage And Survival In World War II (2022)

Written by Alex Kershaw

As a historian and journalist, Kershaw tirelessly digs up details and personal s of these men, using their individual stories as an example of the overall valor and spirit of the people fighting alongside them.

Alex Kershaw examines the stories of four Medal of Honor recipients who belonged to the same unit and fought all across North Africa and Europe. Though medals and decorations aren't the ultimate test and indication of courage, the men Kershaw writes about clearly earn the title of "hero," as they fought in pivotal battles that would turn the tide of the war. As a historian and journalist, Kershaw tirelessly digs up details and personal s of these men, using their individual stories as an example of the overall valor and spirit of the people fighting alongside them.

A New York Times bestseller, Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II, doesn't just stop at the battlefield, and follows each of the men until the end of their lives. Returning to civilian living after becoming living legends and being on the front lines every day was a shock for these men, especially since they were often the first to step up and take the biggest risks. The book seamlessly blends thrilling battlefield sequences and empathetic personal events that will enthrall war buffs of all types.

3 Black Rain (1965)

Written by Masuji Ibuse

Much of the Western perception and examinations of World War II only focus on the European theater. However, the war fought in the Pacific, primarily between the U.S. and Japanese armies, was just as devastating. One of the lasting impacts of WWII was the invention and use of the atomic bomb, invented by J. Robert Oppenheimer, that was dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Masuji Ibuse's Black Rain takes place in the aftermath of the bombs' devastation. It follows a couple who takes in their niece after her parents die in Hiroshima.

Much of Japanese literature and cinema of the 20th century and beyond is colored by the dropping of the bombs, and Black Rain grapples with the radiation sickness that poisoned so many who survived the initial blast but were in the fallout zone. Ibuse's work takes the frame story and threads through real s of people who lived through the bombing. It calls into question the nature of war and the postwar experience after so much unjust devastation has been inflicted. It’s an essential work for any scholar of WWII and any human being.

2 The Diary Of A Young Girl (1947)

Written by Anne Frank

It's difficult to imagine that the public's perception of WWII and the Holocaust would be the same without the recovery and publication of The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank. Also known by the title, The Diary of Anne Frank, the book was compiled from the real diary that Anne Frank kept while she hid from the Nazis in the Netherlands in the 1940s. What's most remarkable about the book is that even though it's about the Holocaust and the terror of the occupation, it's also a window into the heart of a child like any other.

In even the darkest times, Frank retained her curiosity and her spark for life, which is seen through the chronicling of her life and experience.

In even the darkest times, Frank retained her curiosity and her spark for life, which is seen through the chronicling of her life and experience. Today, the book is one of the best-known s of what it was like for Jewish families in hiding from the Nazis, and the inner workings of these hiding places and networks of allies. Though the novel doesn't touch upon her time in the concentration camp and the horrors that were faced there, it's lauded more for its insight into the mind of a girl who managed to grow and mature in unimaginable circumstances.

1 Churchill: Walking With Destiny (2018)

Written by Andrew Roberts

The best versions of Winston Churchill in movies and TV don't come close to the vivid portrait Andrew Roberts paints of the Prime Minister and flawed man in charge of making many decisions that set the course of the war. As a historian and journalist, Roberts has written extensively about WWII and the history of European conflicts, with several major works about Napoleon. However, in taking on Churchill, the author knew that the life and legacy of such a pivotal figure in world history would have to be handled delicately and with the utmost accuracy.

In a sweeping biography that doesn't just touch upon World War II, but the history of Churchill's life in general, Churchill: Walking With Destiny colors each section of the leader's life with the inevitability of his position during the war. The novel features diary entries, minutes taken at Cabinet meetings, letters, and much more, with Roberts taking material that could be made dry and breathing life into it. One of the most notable parts of the book is that it's contained within one volume, making it accessible to readers who want a thorough but manageable work.