Today is my grandpa’s 90th birthday.
One of the downsides of living so far from family is all the missed celebrations. I’m a big fan of cake and ice cream and being with my family, so birthdays are always a good reason to get together. (Confession: I’m also terrible about getting cards in the mail for people’s birthdays. I’m really good at buying cards and then forgetting to send them. Or maybe I’m just a year ahead of schedule. Who knows?!)
We’ve learned to make phone calls on birthdays and schedule Skype calls and resort to e-mail and Facebook (and the occasional blog post because words can be a gift.)
I could write a thousand words or more about my grandpa. He’s 90, and I’ve known him for 37 years. That’s a chunk of time I don’t take for granted, although it was only 15 years ago that I really learned about him. On his 75th birthday, my mom and I made him a scrapbook. We were in a scrapbooking phase then. And I saw pictures of my grandfather performing gymnastic feats in college, and he told us story after story about his service in Japan during World War 2.
In recent years, World War 2 has been a popular subject. Or maybe I’m just more aware of the stories. I read Unbroken earlier this year and was captivated by the true story of Louis Zamperini. I’ve yet to read more true-life stories from the era, but I’ve read a good deal of fiction books set in this time period.
If you’re interested in that era, in stories based on that generation of people and circumstances, allow me to offer some of the best books I’ve read in that genre. (And please add your own!)
Grandpa’s stories are still some of my favorites. And I’m thrilled that he has a display at a local World War 2 museum near my hometown.
Happy birthday, Grandpa!
And here’s my list (in no particular order):
The Girl from the Train by Irma Joubert. This one begins during World War 2, although most of it takes place in the decade afterward. Still, I appreciate seeing the after-effects of the war.
Maggie Bright by Tracy Groot tells the story of the evacuation of Dunkirk and how civilian ships rose to the occasion and rescued the British army. It is a work of fiction based on a historical event that I knew nothing about. And Tracy Groot is one of my favorite writers. Another excellent World War 2 novel by Groot is Flame of Resistance. 
Promise to Cherish. What about the Amish during World War 2? It’s a question I never considered until I started reading this series by Elizabeth Byler Younts. This book is the second in the series, but they stand alone and it was by far my favorite of the three. I rarely recommend Amish fiction, but anything by Younts is worth reading.
Remember the Lilies by Liz Tolsma. Tolsma also has a three-book series set during World War 2. This one is different because it is set in the Philippines at an internment camp. Many of the books I’ve read set during World War 2 are also set in Europe. I enjoyed the different setting.
Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner. Here’s another author whose historical stories are among my favorites. This follows a contemporary storyline along with one set in 1940s London.
The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron. This one, also, follows a dual timeline, and shows the amazing resilience of art and beauty to withstand the worst of circumstances.
Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion. This book of short stories is a slice of life as paths cross in Grand Central Station. I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but the connectedness of them kept me reading. I enjoy being exposed to authors I haven’t previously read, and a book of short stories is a good way to do that.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. A blind girl in occupied Paris and a German boy who becomes one of the Nazi’s best resistance trackers. The two storylines seem hardly to connect until you keep reading. It’s a bleak but beautiful story, one that leaves you feeling both a bit depressed and hopeful.
If I think of others, I’ll add them. What are your recommendations?