Historical Fiction on My Must Read List

Dear Readers,

If you have been following my last four posts, you know that my 2020 Toastmasters challenge is to create eight compelling blog posts.  Today on Martin Luther King Jr. Day I started reading one of my favorite magazines, FIRST for Women, the February 10 issue. I like to browse the books recommended by the editors of the magazine. My eyes went directly to the Historical Fiction category first.

The historical fiction recommended by Patty Bontekoe, FIRST executive editor was Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain. According to Patty, the book flips between the past and present. The setting is North Carolina in 1940 and 2018. I came across this blog, Booked Solid with Virginia C., which has a detailed review of the book and background information on the writer.

The other category in the magazine that caught my attention was the Classic category. Victoria Conn, the FIRST assistant fashion editor, recommended  Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  This turned out to be another historical fiction. The classic category was a reference to the fact that the book was published in 2011. The setting is Copenhagen during World War 11 when the Germans began their campaign to “relocate” Danish Jews. The story is told from the point of view of a 10 year old girl. Amazon indicated that this  book is for children aged 10-12 years old and the writer was awarded the Newberry Medal for this book.

What fascinated me was that just last week, I had a conversation about this exact period in Danish history with a history professor. He told me that he attended an event years ago where the speaker was born in Denmark and was among the Danish Jews who survived with the help of the Danes by escaping via Sweden.  What a coincidence to come across this book dealing with that exact period of Danish history.

What do you know about the Danish Resistance?