Monday, November 6, 2017

Nonfiction November Week 2 - Book Pairings

It’s week 2 of Nonfiction November! If you haven’t had a chance to read my week 1 post, you can read about my 2017 in Nonfiction here!

This week is one of my favorite weeks in Nonfiction November, because we are talking Book Pairings! The discussion is being hosted by Sarah at Sarah’s Bookshelves. Here is the prompt:

This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.

This prompt is perfect for readers like me, who always want to ‘read more about it’! Google is my friend when I am reading nonfiction and historical fiction! I love to read historical fiction that teaches me something. Really good historical fiction inspires me to continue learning either with my friend Google, or when I’m really lucky, I come across a nonfiction book on the same subject.

Because I didn’t participate in Nonfiction November last year, I am jumping back to a pairing I read in 2016. Early that year I read a historical fiction novel, Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly . I was drawn to the book by the beautiful cover, but don’t let that fool you; this is not a light read! This is a fictional version of the story of the young women of the Polish resistance during WWII. These women were captured by the Nazis and sent to a women’s prison camp, Ravensbrück, where they became the human subjects of medical experimentation. Many were crippled as a result of these medical experiments. Because they walked with a limp, they became known as the ‘Polish rabbits’.




A few months later I came across a nonfiction book, Ravensbrück: Life and Death in Hitler’s Concentration Camp for Women by Sarah Helm. This is an account of Ravensbrück, the only Nazi camp specifically for female prisoners. The book includes information on the Polish rabbits.




However, the women of the Polish resistance were by no means the only women held at Ravensbrück. The book goes into detail about many of the other prisoners from many other countries. For this reason, the book would also pair well with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which was a fictional story about women involved in the French resistance.
Be sure to visit Sarah's post to see what others are pairing up this week!
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19 comments:

  1. I've had the Ravensbrück book recommended to me by a few people but it definitely sounds like something I need to be in the right mood for. I've been reaching out for more uplifting books lately.

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  2. Nice choices! I need to get my hands on Ravensbruck...

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  3. Another book set in Ravensbrück is Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. Devastating.

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    1. Thank you for the recommendation! I'm going to look for it!

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  4. I can't believe I've never heard of this concentration camp - I read a lot of WWII novels and have never come across it. I'm definitely adding "Ravensbruck" to my TBR - this is something I need to know more about.

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  5. It took me awhile to warm up to The Nightingale, but once I did I was hooked. What a powerful story. Ravensbruck looks interesting, too.

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  6. The only one of these I haven't read is the nonfiction, Ravensbruck. I'd like to read it, especially after reading Lilac Girls. Nice pairings!

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  7. These are such great pairings. I had no idea there was a concentration camp just for women. I'm going to have to look that book up.

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    1. I wasn't aware there was a concentration camp for women only until I read Lilac Girls. So much to learn!

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  8. Great pairing, Kim! I enjoyed The Nightingale and have Ravensbruck on my tbr. Will have to chose my reading time carefully though.

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    1. I understand. Too many good booka and not enough time!

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  9. Oh these do sound like they would be great pairings. I have had Lilac Girls on my TBR for a while but will add the others as well!

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    1. You should bump Lilac Girls up towards the top of your list. It's very good!

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  10. Great pairing and I'm eager to read more about Ravensbruke. I'm always sadly amazed at the stories I just now learn about WWII and the crimes of the Nazis.

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  11. Yes! I always like when my books connect with each other and I get a chance to really get into a topic. I'd like to do that more intentionally in the future :)

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  12. I've read both The Nightingale and Ravensbruck and agree- they were wonderful and powerful. Now I think I may have to read Lilac Girls as well!

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    1. Oh, you definitely should! I think you will enjoy it....well, as much as one can enjoy a book about pain and torture, anyway.

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