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UnderratedReads is devoted to discovering underrated books and under-represented authors. We highlight hidden gems from around the world–honest reviews only, never pay-to-play.
Tag Archives: WWII
The German Client: A Bacci Pagano Investigation-Bruno Morchio
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “If Germans and fascists don’t shoot us, Americans bomb us.” Private Investigator Bacci Pagano doesn’t have an easy relationship with the past. He grew up poor as his mother worked in a cigar factory and … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Italian Literature
Tagged Genoa, Italian literature, translated world literature, WWII
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A Divided Life: A Personal Portrait of the Spy Donald Maclean – Robert Cecil
(Reviewed by Ila Bullinger) Who was Donald Mclean? The son of a parliament member born to class in Marylebone, London in 1913. He was privileged, educated, handsome and charismatic. So why did he become a spy? Could you be persuaded … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History, Politics and Social Justice
Tagged biography, communism, politics, socialism, WWII
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Five Days That Shocked the World: Eyewitness Accounts from Europe at the End of World War II – Nicholas Best
(Reviewed by Glenda W. Anderson) Another WWII book? Since this reviewer devours this period of history, before even opening the pages, I thought, “Ah, the last days in the bunker, the Russians getting the honor of performing the coup … Continue reading
Posted in History, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged Audrey Hepburn, book reviews, Hitler, Non-fiction, WWII
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The Last Best Friend – George Sims (Author), Martin Edwards (Introduction)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Had Sammy, on the towering ledge, been tempted by death, the last best friend? The endless embrace, offering oblivion and release from the remorse that Sammy felt for his parents and sisters left behind to be … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Lost and almost forgotten
Tagged British crime, fiction, London, WWII
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Russia: History of Russia: Kievan Rus to Vladimir Putin, Tsars and Revolutions – All Shaping Russian Culture and Russian History- Ian Maslow
(Reviewed by JD Jung) I have been requested to review some short non-fiction books, and as promised, I am posting reviews of those that I recommend. History of Russia is such a book. Russia: History of Russia: Kievan Rus to … Continue reading
Posted in History
Tagged Russia, short books, Soviet Union, WWII
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The Hideout – Egon Hostovsky (Translated from the Czech by Fern Long)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I keep having the feeling that a good half of the human race got drunk in a kind of gigantic space where the air is all breathed out. The born fighters and brawlers started to … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Lost and almost forgotten, Slavic Literature
Tagged adultery, Czech, France, introspection, loyalty, short books, WWII
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The Butcher’s Daughter: A Memoir – Florence Grende
(Reviewed by Judy Deutsch) The Butcher’s Daughter is a personal story of a young girl in Poland during The Holocaust and how she and her family survived. The book reads like a diary and is filled with descriptions during the … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged Holocaust, memoirs, short books, survivors, WWII
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Savaged Lands – Lana Kortchik
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Kiev was still burning and executions at Babi Yar continued, even though the river of condemned people had gradually dwindled to a creek. Not because the Germans relented, no. Because there was hardly anyone left to … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction
Tagged book reviews, Romance, Ukraine, WWII
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Sisters in the Resistance (Revised Edition) – Margaret Collins Weitz
(Reviewed by Glenda Anderson) Macho Man extraordinaire, Ernest Hemingway—who never met a war he didn’t salivate over—often carried a gun right at the front alongside with fighters, or got his vantage point from inside a local bar with his typewriter. … Continue reading
Sailor Man: The Troubled Life and Times of J.P. Nunnally, U.S. Navy – Del Staecker
(Reviewed by Glenda Anderson) Tremendously touching and skillfully written, Del Staecker’s Sailor Man is succinct yet powerful. And it stunned me. This is a true story of a sixteen-year-old so anxious to join the Navy in WWII and so patriotic to do … Continue reading