Riot Recommendation

Riot Recommendation: Tell Us About Your Favorite WWII Fiction

Vanessa Diaz

Managing Editor

Book Riot Managing Editor Vanessa Diaz is a writer and former bookseller from San Diego, CA whose Spanish is even faster than her English. When not reading or writing, she enjoys dreaming up travel itineraries and drinking entirely too much tea. She is a regular co-host on the All the Books podcast who especially loves mysteries, gothic lit, mythology/folklore, and all things witchy. Vanessa can be found on Instagram at @BuenosDiazSD or taking pictures of pretty trees in Portland, OR, where she now resides.

Flatiron Books, publisher of The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner

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’re relying on you for help: what are your favorite works of World War II fiction? Shout them at us on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #riotrecommendation, then we’ll round up your answers and be back next week to share a roundup with your fellow Riot readers. Give us all your epic family sagas, sweeping love stories, and all the tales of resistance and resilience. You can even hit us with the five-alarm snot bombs; we’ll get the tissues ready.