Indie Spotlight: World and Military History
In this edition of our monthly thematic roundup of BookLife titles, we feature books on world and military history. Want to see your book featured? Check out the Indie Spotlight calendar at booklife.com/indiespotlight.
Api’s Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather’s Nazi Past
Gabrielle Robinson
ISBN 978-1-64742-003-1
Author statement: “Discovering the diaries my grandfather, Api, had kept during the fall of Berlin 1945, I wanted to tell his story both as a tribute and for its historical value. My father, a fighter pilot, had been shot down over England in 1943. The only surviving male member of my family, Api had served as doctor in two world wars. But the diaries revealed that Api had been a Nazi. Shocked and ashamed, I hid them as my mother had done. It took two years before I got up the courage to face the past. Born in Berlin in 1942, I am the author of eight books and many essays.”
Betrayed: Child Sex Abuse in the Holocaust
Beverley Chalmers
ISBN 978-1-83975-021-2
Author statement: “My interdisciplinary focus and extensive international experience provide a novel perspective on the Nazi era. This book exposes a taboo aspect of Holocaust history: the sexual abuse of children. The Nazis’ genocidal brutality facilitated the sexual abuse of children, in addition to targeting them for murder. After the war, they were again betrayed by those who discounted their experiences, and by Holocaust scholars who refuse to acknowledge their stories or give credence to their memories.”
Four Stories of Immigrant Kids: True Tales of Courage and Faith
Karl Beckstrand
ISBN 978-1-951599-36-2
Author statement: “Discover adventures spanning 70 years from 1856 to 1926—telling the true stories of four children, each seeking a better life. Each is set in an important era of immigration history. When a publisher asked me if I had any true stories of people who immigrated to the U.S.A. as children, I found these gems in my own family history. It’s been fun to piece together people’s histories from letters, journals, and extant records.”
The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton: A Trailblazer in Modeling, Advertising, WWII Pinup Girls, and Shaping Future Stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age
Nancy Thornton Navarro and Adriana Thornton-Cornejo, with Philip Mershon
ASIN B0CZF5WH15
Author statement: “Our journey to uncover our father’s legacy began in 2004 with a single photograph that appeared in the movie Seabiscuit. This striking 1929 image of my father, Walter Thornton, attempting to sell a car for pennies on the dollar, blurred the lines between history and myth. As we explored the source of this photo, we uncovered his significant role in the pinup girl movement during WWII and the powerful women he championed. We hope readers gain a richer understanding of the unique history we present, especially since no other books delve into the origins of modeling agencies and the patriotic pinup girl movement with such depth and accuracy.”
17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive
Angie Mangino
ASIN B08WK2LD44
Author statement: "My fascination with Tottenville’s history began when I was a reporter for the Staten Island Register weekly newspaper. Different assignments led to uncovering bits and pieces, encouraging my interest in researching further. After the Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI) awarded a grant in 1999 to continue my research and to present an interactive workshop in the community, I was hooked. My writing style is conversational rather than a listing of facts one finds in a history textbook. I share the information in ways that allow readers to meet the people, experience the events, and imagine for themselves how this history impacted far beyond the area.”
Swim Home: Searching for the Wild Girl of Champagne
Kathleen McDonnell
ASIN B0C547R33N
Author statement: “In September 1731, a feral child emerged from the woods in the Champagne region of France. Clothed in animal skins, with matted, unkempt hair, and wielding a small club, she ran like a hare, climbed trees like a cat, and ate leaves and raw meat. But who was Memmie LeBlanc? Driven by a strong sense of kinship with the tragic Memmie LeBlanc—especially our shared love of cold-water swimming—I worked for several years writing an honor-winning historical play about her. In time I came to realize there was another story begging to be told, involving academic rivalries, disappearing websites, small-town politics, and dark, brutal Canadian history.”
They Never Reigned: Heirs to the British Throne Who Never Became the Monarch
Blair Hoffman
ISBN 978-1-398-41947-6
Author statement: “As the title suggests, the book contains biographical sketches of many heirs to the British throne who, for various reasons, never became king or queen, including, for example, two princes named Arthur; Edward, the Black Prince; four heirs who died during the Wars of the Roses; Mary, Queen of Scots; and the tragic Princess Charlotte. I had the idea for the book for many years and decided to write it after I retired. The stories contain many fascinating ‘what-ifs’ of history: for example, what if Geoffrey, the third son of Henry II, who would have become king after Richard I died childless and was the posthumous father of a prince named Arthur, had not died in a jousting accident?”
Warrior Judge: One Man’s Journey from Gridiron to Gavel
Holly Newman Greenberg and Ed Newman
ISBN 978-1-63784-457-1
Author statement: “I needed to write my father’s life story. There were too many universal life lessons that had to be captured—before it was too late. He was a professional football player turned lawyer and then judge. He is a three-time cancer survivor. He is my hero, and yet the humblest man I know. And, after watching numerous of his teammates pass away too early due to CTE and other sports-related injuries, I knew I couldn’t wait. The time was now. For four years, he shared his stories and provided deep insight into the psychology of a professional athlete. At first, he was my subject. But in time, my dad became my co-author and then my co-editor.”
