Here are the books I read in July 2018!

Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr

The second in Kerr’s trilogy of novels based on her own experiences of WWII, following on from When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. All three stories are in this collection, Out of the Hitler Time, and focus on Anna, a fictional version of Kerr herself.

This story details Anna’s life as a teenager during the Blitz in London, her family’s struggles with refugee status in England, and discovering her emerging talents as an artist. Highly recommended, this tale covers the familiar ground of London in WWII, yet with a different, personal perspective; that of a German refugee living in England during wartime.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

I know that I have been slow to get around to reading this book; it was released way back in 2006, and a movie was made in 2008. For those of you that haven’t read it, it’s a short book (I read the whole thing in a day) but don’t be fooled into thinking the book is slight. It packs an emtional punch, and being about WWII, it makes a good companion to the Judith Kerr book above.

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

A very funny read (naturally, seeing as Noah is a comedian) yet at the heart of this memoir is the brutal, tragic and downright appalling story of apartheid in South Africa. How anyone survived that madness and inhumane experience is beyond me. Yet, here he is, making jokes about it and bringing his family’s story to life. Highly recommended.

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