Riot Recommendation: 45 of Your Favorite WWII Works of Fiction
In Poland, as World War II rages, a mother hides with her young daughter, a musical prodigy whose slightest sound may cost them their lives. Inspired by the true stories of Jewish children hidden during World War II, Jennifer Rosner’s debut is a breathtaking novel about the unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter. Beautiful and riveting, The Yellow Bird Sings is a testament to the triumph of hope—a whispered story, a bird’s song—in even the darkest of times.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of World War II, and whether from a desire to better understand the war’s devastation or an interest in its untold stories, World War II fiction remains one of the most popular subjects in historical fiction today. It’s hard to pick a favorite, so we enlisted your help. We asked for your favorite WWII works of fiction and you gave us tons of epic family sagas, sweeping love stories, and stories of resistance and resilience (like we knew you would). Here are 45 of your top WWII reads!
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
China Dolls by Lisa See
Code Girls by Liza Mundy
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
From Here to Eternity by James Jones
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
In the Shadows of Wolves by Alvydas Šlepikas
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
Nisei Daughter by Monica Sone
A Pair of Silver Wings by James Holland
Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico
Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi
The Rogue Heroes by Ben McIntyre
Small Island by Andrea Levy
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
A Town Like Alice by Neil Shute
Transcription by Kate Atkinson
Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reis
War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk
The Wolf’s Hour by Robert R. McCammon
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
The Whistle Stop Canteen by Barb Warner Deane
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk
