World War II

Winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1961, this worldwide bestselling classic chronicles the most infamous era of our times.

THE DEFINITIVE EDITION Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, the remarkable diary that has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. Updated for the 75th Anniversary of the Diary’s...

A propulsive, never-before-told story of one family’s shocking involvement as Nazi and Japanese spies during WWII and the pivotal role they played in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It began with a letter from a screenwriter, asking about a story. Your family. World War II. Nazi spies. Christine...

Night is an unmistakably autobiographical account of the author's own gruesome experiences in Nazi Germany's death camps....

The Nazi regime preached an ideology of physical, mental, and moral purity. But as Norman Ohler reveals in this gripping new history, the Third Reich was saturated with drugs....

“A remarkable—and singularly chilling—glimpse of human behavior. . .This meticulously researched book...represents a major contribution to the literature of the Holocaust.""—Newsweek Now available in audio for the first time, Christopher R. Browning’s shocking account of how a unit of...

The Weimar Years is a vivid narrative of a dramatic period in German history. Year by year, from 1918 to 1933, Frank McDonough covers the major events in both domestic and foreign policy and the personalities who shaped them, together with developments in music, art, theatre and literature....

At one time, Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the idea that she had a story to tell.....

“This beautifully braided story...reveals the best and worst of humanity. A magnificent work of narrative nonfiction, true to the past and essential for the present.”—Mitchell Zuckoff, New York Times bestselling author of Lost in Shangri-La and 13 Hours An epic story of the triumph of good...

Stephen E. Ambrose’s classic New York Times bestseller and inspiration for the acclaimed HBO series about Easy Company, the ordinary men who became the World War II’s most extraordinary soldiers at the frontlines of the war's most critical moments. Featuring a foreword from Tom Hanks. They...

A New York Times Bestseller “I’ll be forever changed by Dr. Eger’s story…The Choice is a reminder of what courage looks like in the worst of times and that we all have the ability to pay attention to what we’ve lost, or to pay attention to what we still have.”—Oprah “Dr. Eger’s...

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers a fresh and compelling portrait of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2020 BY The Washington Post HuffPost The Seattle Times Lit...

Slomo Venezia was born into a poor Jewish-Italian community living in Thessaloniki, Greece. At first, the occupying Italians protected his family; but when the Germans invaded, the Venezias were deported to Auschwitz....

The “remarkable” story of America's secret post-WWII science programs (The Boston Globe), from the New York Times bestselling author of Area 51. In the chaos following World War II, the U.S. government faced many difficult decisions, including what to do with the Third Reich's scientific...

The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed....

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER One of The Wall Street Journal’s Ten Best Books of 2018 One of The Economist’s Best Books of 2018 One of The New York Times’s Notable Books of 2018 “Unarguably the best single-volume biography of Churchill . . . A brilliant feat of storytelling, monumental in...

From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, an electrifying re-examination of one of the 20th century’s greatest unsung power players When Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were predictably scathing – and many...

From one of the foremost historians of the period and the acclaimed author of Inferno and Catastrophe: 1914, The Secret War is a sweeping examination of one of the most important yet underexplored aspects of World War II—intelligence—showing how espionage successes and failures by the United...

“Larson is a marvelous writer...superb at creating characters with a few short strokes.”—New York Times Book Review Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction, and in his new book, the bestselling author of Devil in the White City turns his hand to a...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Who better to face the greatest evil of the 20th century than a humble man of faith? As Adolf Hitler and the Nazis seduced a nation, bullied a continent, and attempted to exterminate the Jews of Europe, a small number of dissidents and saboteurs worked to dismantle...

The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of World War II from Germany back to Paris. This program includes a...

There is no story in 20th-century history more important to understand than Hitler’s rise to power and the collapse of civilization in Nazi Germany....

A New York Times Bestseller In this uplifting memoir in the vein of The Last Lecture and Man’s Search for Meaning, a Holocaust survivor pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom, and living his best possible life. Born in Leipzig, Germany, into a Jewish...

* Library Journal Best Books of 2025 * New York Public Library Best Books of 2025 * Hyperallergic Favorite Art Books of 2025 * Publishers Weekly Best Books of Summer 2025 * BookBub Best Non-Fiction Release of the Season * Newsday’s Top Must-Read Book for Summer * Christian Science Monitor Best...

First published in 1955, They Thought They Were Free is an eloquent and provocative examination of the development of fascism in Germany....

Battle of the Arctic is a wonderfully evocative history and largely unknown saga of World War II. As the Soviet Union played its role in the conflict, Ally convoys from Britain, the United States, and Iceland fought to deliver essential supplies to Russia. In a clash of extreme elements—as well as fierce Axis opposition—the effort demonstrated an unparalleled commitment from Allied nations to supporting the Soviet Union.

The author of Britain at Bay—which The Wall Street Journal said may be “the single best examination of British politics, society, and strategy [from 1938 to 1941] that has ever been written”—picks up his sweeping social history in 1942, when what was once a regional war has become an...

Combining the personal recollections of soldiers with historical narrative and analysis of the actual invasion as it unfolded, this is a detailed description of the action at Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion of World War II.

Turned away from the Royal Canadian Air Force for his apparent youth and frailty, Farley Mowat joined the infantry in 1940. The young second lieutenant soon earned the trust of the soldiers under his command, and was known to bend army rules to secure a stout drink, or find warm—if non-regulation—clothing. But when Mowat and his regiment engaged with elite German forces in the mountains of Sicily, the optimism of their early days as soldiers was replaced by despair.

Berlin 1945: The Collapse of the Third Reich is a powerful narrative history of the final act of Nazi Germany, chronicling the brutal months that led to the fall of Berlin and the end of the war in Europe. Beginning with the winter collapse of the German armies on the Eastern Front, the book follows the relentless advance of the Red Army and the desperate, often delusional decisions taken by the Nazi leadership as defeat became unavoidable. The story moves from the shattered front lines along the Oder to the ruined streets and bunkers of Berlin itself, where military resistance, civilian ...

Discover the dark history of the Holocaust... Jewish communities have existed in the territories of modern-day Germany since Roman times, around the fourth century. By 1925, a census identified over half a million Jewish people living in Germany, accounting for around 1% of the total population. Jewish communities thrived in both economic and cultural terms, and Jewish people were active in commerce, science, the arts, and politics. During World War I, over 100,000 Jewish men fought in the Imperial German Army, demonstrating their commitment to the nation.

This unique memoir by the grandson of General George S. Patton Jr. offers a rare and intimate look into the life of the legendary man and the legacy he passed down from one generation to the next.

Two men. Two forecasts. Four hundred deaths. In the summer of 1944, a Black meteorologist from New Orleans and a Japanese American physicist from San Francisco have never met—but their work is about to collide in a disaster that will haunt them both for forty years. Samuel Delacroix earned his way into the Army's weather program despite every barrier Jim Crow could build. Now stationed in England, he's forecasting missions for the same military that won't let him eat in its mess halls. His predictions help keep bombers in the air and pilots alive. Until the day they don't. Kenji Yamamoto ...

In the crucible of World War II, Saint Petersburg—then known as Leningrad—stands as a testament to human endurance. As the Nazis encircle the city, intent on annihilating its 1.5 million inhabitants, the narrative plunges into the harrowing nine hundred days and nights of relentless hardship and unyielding resilience.

50 Wars That Changed the Course of History Explore the pivotal conflicts that shaped civilizations, transformed borders, and altered the course of human history. From ancient legends to modern warfare, this book brings to life fifty of the most influential wars ever fought. Chronological Journey: From the mythic Trojan War to the modern Russo-Ukrainian War, follow history’s most transformative battles. Engaging Storytelling: Discover the human stories behind the strategies, leaders, and events that defined each conflict. Global Perspective: Learn how wars affected societies, empires, and ...

When World War II cast its shadow across Europe, Britain faced an enemy unlike any it had known before—bombers in the night sky. To survive, the nation was forced to disappear into darkness. Blackout Britain reveals what life was truly like during those years when every window was covered, every streetlamp extinguished, and every household became part of a vast defensive shield made of shadow.

A partir d'un large éventail de sources, pour la plupart inédites, la première partie de cette biographie exemplaire raconte la vie et l'ascension du bras droit d'Hitler, de sa naissance au déclenchement de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Elle éclaire en particulier la mise en œuvre de l'Etat SS et la montée en puissance du premier d'entre eux, favorisée par la Nuit des longs couteaux et les luttes de pouvoir au sein de l'entourage du Führer.

El martes 6 de junio de 1944, las playas de Normandía, al norte de Francia, se convirtieron en un auténtico infierno de acero y fuego. Lo que para los Aliados supuso el glorioso Día D, para los soldados del III Reich se reveló, tal cual había presagiado su mariscal más joven, como «el día más largo» y toda una pesadilla. El desembarco dio paso a una batalla brutal, espléndida muestra de confrontación estratégica y logística pero también del poder devastador de la guerra, que evidenció la absoluta incapacidad germana de hacer frente a la arrolladora potencia aliada.

No Exit: 1942 is the fifth volume in The Protocols, a documentary-style chronicle of the Second World War built from primary voices and contemporary records. By 1942, the war had shed its early illusions. Conquest, resistance, and neutrality alike narrowed into survival. Violence became systematic, ideology hardened into policy, and moral compromise turned routine. Military fronts stabilized even as civilian life, language, and conscience eroded. Drawing on diaries, letters, battlefield reports, official directives, and journalism, No Exit: 1942 follows the war as it was lived and justified...

"The Arizona Series belongs alongside the great works of WWII fiction. The Last Witness is its devastating, perfect conclusion." I'm the last one. And in seven days, I'll be dead. At 102 years old, James Marsh is the final surviving crew member of USS Arizona. He has one week to live. One week to tell the truth about the five novels that defined how America remembers Pearl Harbor. They weren't just stories. They were confessions. For eight decades, Marsh has carried the weight of five men's lives—Calvin Webb, Thomas Avery, John McAllister, Percy Cole, and Vincent DeLuca. Five sailors who ...

"Masterful character development and impeccable historical detail. Ferrier has created something rare—a Pearl Harbor novel that's as much about identity as it is about war." "THE WEIGHT OF WATER delivers on every level—psychological depth, moral complexity, and the kind of prose that reminds you why you fell in love with literary fiction. This is Pulitzer-caliber work." "Ferrier doesn't just write about the USS Arizona—he makes you feel the weight of command, the cost of transformation, the burden of becoming real. Unforgettable." On December 7, 1941, at 0755 hours, Lieutenant Thomas ...

“I expected a Pearl Harbor novel. What I got was something far more intimate and unsettling. This book stays with you long after the last page.” “I’ve read a lot of WWII fiction. I’ve never read anything that put me inside survival the way this does. Claustrophobic, quiet, and devastating.” “This book doesn’t shout. It whispers—and somehow that makes it hit harder than anything else I’ve read about Pearl Harbor.” Six decks below the waterline, survival comes down to one breath. December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor is under attack. While bombs tear through the sky, Petty ...

THE SOUND OF JOY Book Five · The USS Arizona Series “Haunting, restrained, and quietly devastating—The Sound of Joy captures the fragile beauty of a life just before history shatters it, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it long after the final page.” Before the war. Before the fire. Before the silence that would echo across the Pacific. Vincent DeLuca learned early that music could do what words could not. Raised in a quiet Brooklyn apartment by a father who spoke through his trumpet, Vincent discovers that sound can comfort the grieving, move the hardened, and hide the pain no ...

BEFORE THE WATER ROSE In the literary tradition of The Things They Carried and All Quiet on the Western Front—a devastating portrait of a young man learning to disappear. Calvin Webb stands at windows. In small-town Kansas during the Dust Bowl, watching is safer than participating. Observation is easier than action. When a boy falls from a roof and Calvin freezes instead of running for help, he learns what paralysis costs. The U.S. Navy promises to fix what's broken. Boot camp will teach him to act without thinking. To move without hesitating. To become useful instead of frozen. And it ...

This work takes listeners to two countries ravaged by World War II, Poland and Japan, recounting the wartime experiences of teenagers Bogdan and Seiko. Bogdan’s family abandoned its home in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and fled to Warsaw, where Bogdan fought for the Polish Home Army in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. During this brutal conflict, as Poles tried to oust occupying Germans, Bogdan sustained severe injuries, and after the Germans crushed the Uprising, he endured seven POW camps. On the other side of the globe, in Hokkaido, Japan, Seiko’s country went to war against the U.S.

Selvom de fleste har hørt om Stauffenberg-attentatet mod Hitler, er det de færreste, der kender navnet på hjernen bag: Jens Peter Jessen. Historien har simpelthen glemt ham – men ikke med rette. DANSKEREN DER VILLE DRÆBE HITLER fortæller historien om Jessen, der voksede op uden for Tinglev i Sønderjylland og siden blev involveret i et af verdenshistoriens mest berømte mordforsøg. Da Hitler kom til magten i 1933, var Jessen overbevist nazist, men han blev hurtigt klar over, at han havde taget fejl.

The richly illustrated story of a woman who, late in life, copes with the buried trauma of her childhood as a Holocaust survivor by becoming a master needlework artist like her mother, who saved both their lives in the camps with her seamstress skills.

One afternoon David Singer was performing at the White House and that evening he was back behind the wheel of a New York City taxi. He shared the stage at Carnegie Hall with legends of classical music, only to find himself weeks later scaling fences and evading guard dogs to sell welding supplies before dawn.

Towards the end of the Second World War, a tragedy unfolded that many people are still not aware of. The granddaughter of a Countess, Anita, learns not to follow the traditional way of doing things. Heavily reliant on her intuition, which ultimately saved the life of herself and her daughter. She guides her family as they make their escape from East Prussia as the Russians make their final advance.

On September 17, 1944, over 8,000 men of the British 1st Airborne Division landed in German-occupied Netherlands as part of the largest airborne invasion ever undertaken. Twenty-two-year-old Canadian paratrooper Leo Heaps was one of them. Told with authenticity and clarity, Heaps’ personal account of the nightmare battle fought after the paratroopers dropped at Oosterbeek paints a remarkably vivid picture of one of the most dramatic and little-known events of the Second World War.