The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Warmth of Other Suns identifies the qualifying characteristics of historical caste systems to reveal how a rigid hierarchy of human rankings, enforced by religious views, heritage and stigma, impact everyday American lives.
City of Thieves by David Benioff
When a dead German paratrooper lands in his street, Lev is caught looting the body and dragged to jail. He shares his cell with the charismatic Kolya, a handsome young soldier arrested on desertion charges. Instead of the standard bullet in the back of the head, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt to find the impossible.
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Mr. Wam Huis in 't Veld teachers
Humanities, Socials, and Law. He coaches Senior Boys Soccer. In his free time, he enjoys sports and dinner parties. His favourite genre is historical fiction. Of this novel, he says: "This is beautiful and heart wrenching story about survival, war, and love. Set against the backdrop of the siege of Leningrad in WWII, this book will take you inside a city in war." |
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to try to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country.
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Teacher-Librarian, Ms. Gloria Piovesan is the organizer of our Summer Reading program. She teachers Lit Studies/New Media 10 and sponsors the Reach for the Top trivia team. She is a big fan of reading, especially historical fiction. She also enjoys her Peleton and doing jigsaw puzzles and crosswords-- "Sunday New York Times Crossword is my jam."
So why should you read this book: "If you are a fan of this genre, Ruta Sepetys is the go-to for great historical perspectives on forgotten conflicts, peppered with a bit of romance and intrigue; and she will always make you mad about injustices in this world." |