I have been obsessed with historical fiction for about two years. So obsessed, that I have spent around a year reading solely historical fiction. It is the perfect mixture of history and literature. As a kid, I have always felt intrigued and inspired by history. During my middle school years (when I still lived in Argentina), I learned a lot about European History. I am mostly curious about World War II.

It is almost inconceivable that someone could have gone through all of that. It was such a different world compared to the one we live in today, yet in so many other ways, it was the same. Through these books, you will get lost in stories of bravery, dangerous espionage, love, and culture. There will be more than one instance in which you may, and probably will, tear up a little– or more than a little. But so many of these stories were inspired by real people. Don’t we owe them to read their stories if they fought for us to live in the world we live in today? Imagine how negatively different the world would be if those brave people wouldn’t have fought for humanity.

So, here are some of my favorite historical fiction books:

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

You have probably heard about this one or about Anne Frank. If you read my previous blog posts, you definitely have. The book is a journal written by Anne Frank in her youth during the years in which she hid in an annex with her family and others. It is interesting to see her view of the war mixed with the normal insecurities of a growing girl. She mentions daily fights with her mother, her youthful infatuation for a boy who lives with them, her love for books and the difficulty of accessing them, and her desire to one day become a writer. All of these rather ordinary events are interweaved with details about their living condition: days in which they had to remain quiet not to be heard by neighbors, bombings, and food rations. It is a crude narration of her life. A book I would recommend reading at least once in your life.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

This book explores the psychological complexity of a man who became a tattooist for the Nazis in order to save his life. Again, this is based on a real story. Through his stay in Auschwitz, we learn how he managed to help others while being under the Nazi’s supervision.  We learn about the sacrifices and ethical decisions that people had to make under pressure. There is also a romantic narrative because, even under catastrophic circumstances, he remained human. The love story is also based on his romance with a real woman, a prisoner.

The Dressmaker’s Gift by Fiona Valpy

In this book, history is merged with fashion in a beautiful way. It follows the lives of three dressmakers which get soon get involved in the Resistance. The story is filled with love, friendship, hardships, and hard work. Even though it is greatly set in World War II, like all the books I will be listing here, this one also traces the life of Harriet. She is Claire’s granddaughter, and Claire is one of the dressmakers. Yearning to know more about her grandmother, she delves into a journey of discovery. Throughout this journey she unveils her grandmother’s sacrifices and role during the World War II.

The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton

This story is based on the real story of Tante Truus, a woman who risked her life to save Jewish children from the Nazis. Like implied by the title, she was part of an escape route in which children were smuggled through train rides to nations that would take them in. It is heartbreaking how parents offered their kids to be taken just for a chance to save their lives. Truus’ story interweaves with Zofie-Helen’s, a Christian girl who is targeted because her mother owned a newspaper that published the atrocities caused by the Nazis. Like so many other children, she tries to escape Vienna with Truus’ help.

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Inspired by real stories, The Lost Girls of Paris is based on the post-war times. Grace living in New York, on her way to work, finds a lost suitcase in Grand Central Terminal. Unsure of what to do with it, she discovers that it is filled with pictures of young girls. She is set on discovering more about the lives of these girls. Through this journey, she finds out that the women in the pictures were secret agents. The book unravels as Grace uncovers secrets about the war and the network of female secret agents. A story of woman empowerment.

The Night Portrait by Laura Morelli

This book narrates two parallel stories: Da Vinci’s life in the 1400s and the role of art in World War II. We witness Da Vinci’s involvement in the arts, how he became a renown painter working for Italy’s monarchy, and how he created the famous portrait of The Woman with The Ermine. Interweaved with this story is the story of how the Nazis stole all of the art from other European nations. The story delves into how the allies formed a group of art professionals to recover the artwork and trace its whereabouts. If you are interested in art and history, this is the book for you!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

This is perhaps one of the most famous World War II novels in this list. Again, this book narrates Isabelle’s role in the Resistance as she helps soldiers escape the hands of the Nazis. A parallel story is narrated: Vianne’s. She is Isabelle’s older sister, but they are very different. She rather stays quiet and become “invisible” in the eyes of the Nazis, but that becomes an issue when a Nazi soldier is assigned to live with her while her husband is fighting for the Allies. This is a story about bravery and women’s war.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This was one of the first World War II fiction novels I read. The writing style in this book is beautiful and the short chapters follow the lives of two children through the war. Marie-Laure is a blind girl whose life becomes in danger as the war progresses. Her father works at an art museum, where he is asked to protect the most valuable treasures. Her father leaves her with her great-uncle who also plays a role because he secrets owns a radio through which he transmits to the world. The other parallel story that later merges with Marie-Laure’s is that of Werner. He is a German orphan who is accepted into a German school because of his math skills. He is soon being used to track radio signals.