world war II - Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, & the Longest Night of the Second World War

By Scott J. Pearson | January 20, 2022January 20, 2022 by Scott J. Pearson

World War I unleashed many technological advances into warfare. These mainly brought about more advanced ways to kill more and more humans. After the war, a group of American military thinkers nicknamed the “Bomber Mafia” developed a theory about airplanes and the ability to undertake precision bombing. They thought that wars could be won in a more humane manner by targeting critical industries through carefully crafted bombing routines. These could cut down on land casualties…

The Last Rose of Shanghai: A Novel

By Scott J. Pearson | November 7, 2021October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

The genre of historical fiction is as well-known for romances as it is for stories set in World War II. This book takes those simple premises but upends them by adding so much more to produce a beautiful product of art. Its setting – Shanghai, China, during the war – is unusual as are its main protagonists, a Chinese businesswoman and a Jewish refugee. Apparently, Shanghai, long-known for its prowess as an international business culture,…

Biography-Memoir History

Franklin & Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship

By Scott J. Pearson | October 26, 2021October 26, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) and Winston Churchill both remain among some of the most towering figures in twentieth-century history. Without them, democracy might only be a relic of history. Without them, the lingua franca of the world might be German instead of English. Rather, their friendship, forged by need and trial, led to an end to great European wars and to the blossoming of hopes of world peace. It also cemented the Anglo-American alliance as a…

Biography-Memoir History

Eisenhower: The White House Years

By Scott J. Pearson | October 11, 2021October 11, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

After 70 years, Eisenhower remains a respected president with a mostly positive influence. Not only did he lead the Allies to victory in World War II, but as president, he also organized the world for a lasting peace. He continued to develop the American economy so that over time, America would win the Cold War against communism while not annihilating the world in the process. Newton analyzes these issues in careful detail, but he tends…

Fiction-Stories History

The Girls in the Attic

By Scott J. Pearson | May 6, 2021May 6, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

This tale, set in the fall of Germany in World War II, unpacks themes of love, loss, the Third Reich, the Holocaust, and the meaning of life. One of the main characters Max returns home after being injured fighting for the Nazis only to find his mother housing two Jewish girls in the attic. All the girls’ relatives have been murdered. Max’s values – formed by the Hitler Youth in rebellion against his Christian parents…

Fiction-Stories History

Tears of Amber

By Scott J. Pearson | April 10, 2021April 10, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

In twentieth-century Europe, the two great wars not only wrote the unfolding of history but also dramatically altered the landscape of life. This story tells the tale of how two peaceful families survived the Second World War and became intertwined by fate. Neither German family was particularly nationalistic. Sure, they did not stand up against oppression and slavery, but neither did they revel in it. Both families were ineluctably pulled into the ethnic and nationalist…

Fiction-Stories History

Gerta: A Novel by Kateřina Tučková

By Scott J. Pearson | January 30, 2021January 30, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

This novel, translated from the Czech language, describes the life of Germans in the Czech region of Europe before, during, and after World War II. It does not paint a pretty picture. Some Germans supported the rise of Adolf Hitler and paid a moral price for the rest of their lives. Others – especially women and children – were not directly involved in the political and war efforts, but were still forced on a death…

Fiction-Stories

The Last Correspondent by Soraya M. Lane

By Scott J. Pearson | October 6, 2020October 6, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

This tale, told from the perspectives of three female protagonists during World War II, exalts the inner strength of war correspondents/journalists, especially women. In fictionalized form, it tells of the courage it takes to report on war as it really happens. It speaks to the obstacles that must be overcome as well as the emotional toll that reporting can take. The note at the end shows how Lane borrowed from real-life history to inspire her…

Fiction-Stories Humanities

A Single Swallow by Zhang Ling

By Scott J. Pearson | September 12, 2020September 12, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

This tale, translated from the original in Chinese, centers on events surrounding one Chinese woman during the Second World War. It is told through the perspectives of the ghosts of three men who loved her and who she loved back, albeit in different ways. It narrates how war augments human stories of love, family, and relationships. The translation is generally excellent and fluent. Only the prevalence of Chinese customs make it obvious that this story…

Fiction-Stories History

Across the Winding River

By Scott J. Pearson | August 1, 2020August 1, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

This story is founded historically off of events around the Western European front of World War II. It enticingly employs a technique called “triple narrative” in which the plot is told from three perspectives across varying timelines. Altogether, it mixes together several thematic tales – of love, of the horrors of war, of family, of Jewish and Christian identity, of women overcoming obstacles, and of the power of the individual in authoritarian regimes. Runyan generally…