"The Little Liar" by Mitch Albom

The Little Liar by Mitch Albom
Call Number: FICTION Albom
Eleven-year-old Nico Krispis never told a lie. When the Nazi's invade his home in Salonika, Greece, the trustworthy boy is discovered by a German officer, who offers him a chance to save his family. All Nico has to do is convince his fellow Jewish residents to board trains heading to "new homes" where they are promised jobs and safety. Unaware that this is all a cruel ruse, the innocent boy goes to the station platform every day and reassures the passengers that the journey is safe. But when the final train is at the station, Nico sees his family being loaded into a large boxcar crowded with other neighbors. Only after it is too late does Nico discover that he helped send the people he loved--and all the others--to their doom at Auschwitz. Nico never tells the truth again.

Historical Context:
- How well did the book capture the historical context of the Nazi occupation of Greece? Did it provide a comprehensive understanding of the events leading up to and during the occupation?
Impact on Greek Society:
- Explore how the occupation affected different segments of Greek society. How did ordinary citizens, resistance fighters, and collaborators experience and respond to the occupation?
Resistance Movements:
- Discuss the portrayal of resistance movements in the book. Were there specific instances of resistance that stood out, and how did these actions impact the overall narrative?
Occupation Policies:
- Examine the portrayal of Nazi occupation policies in Greece. How did the occupation authorities govern and control the Greek population, and what were the consequences for those who resisted?
Human Stories:
- Focus on individual stories of characters within the book. How did the characters navigate the challenges and hardships of the occupation, and how did their experiences contribute to the overall narrative?
Collaboration and Complicity:
- Address the theme of collaboration and complicity within Greek society. Were there characters who collaborated with the occupiers, and how did the book handle the moral complexities associated with collaboration?
Impact on Culture and Heritage:
- Explore how the Nazi occupation affected Greek culture, heritage, and identity. Were there instances of cultural preservation or suppression during this period?
International Responses:
- Discuss how the international community responded to the Nazi occupation of Greece. Were there diplomatic efforts, humanitarian actions, or international collaborations portrayed in the book?
Legacy and Commemoration:
- Reflect on how the book tackled the legacy of the Nazi occupation in Greece. Were there discussions of post-war justice, commemoration, or efforts to reckon with the past?
Relevance Today:
- Consider the relevance of the book's themes to contemporary issues. How do the experiences of occupation, resistance, and collaboration resonate with present-day discussions on human rights, justice, and international relations?

The timeline of World War II in Greece reflects the complex series of events that occurred during the Axis occupation. Here is a brief historical timeline:

1940:

October 28: Italy invades Greece from Albania but faces strong Greek resistance, leading to a series of battles known as the Greco-Italian War.

1941:

April 6: Germany, led by Hitler, intervenes to support its Axis ally Italy in the Balkans. German forces invade Greece from Bulgaria.
April 27: The Battle of Thermopylae takes place, and German forces break through Greek defensive lines.
April 30: German troops enter Athens.
May 20: The Battle of Crete begins, marking the first major airborne invasion in history.
June 1: Crete falls to German forces, completing the occupation of Greece.

Occupation Period:

1941-1944: Greece is under Axis occupation. The occupation is marked by hardship, resistance, and collaboration. The Greek Resistance, composed of various groups, engages in guerrilla warfare against the Axis forces.

1943:

September 8: Italy signs an armistice with the Allies, leading to a power vacuum in parts of occupied Greece. German forces take control of these areas.

1944:

September 27: The National Liberation Front (EAM), a major resistance group, launches a general strike, known as the Dekemvriana events, against both Axis forces and the Greek government in exile.
October 12: The Dekemvriana events escalate into armed conflict between EAM forces and British-backed Greek government forces, marking a prelude to the Greek Civil War.

1945:

January 15: British forces re-establish control in Athens, effectively ending the conflict between EAM and government forces.

1946:

March 31: The Greek Civil War officially begins, pitting the communist-led forces against the government and its Western allies.

The timeline provides a glimpse into the major events during World War II in Greece, from the initial Italian invasion to the German occupation and the subsequent complex period marked by resistance, collaboration, and the beginnings of the Greek Civil War.

Mitch Albom is an American author, journalist, and broadcaster, best known for his inspirational and philosophical works. Here is a brief biography of Mitch Albom:

Early Life:

Born: May 23, 1958, in Passaic, New Jersey, USA.
Albom grew up in a middle-class Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Education:

Albom attended Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.
He later pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Columbia University.

Career:

Albom initially worked as a musician and songwriter, playing in various bands. He also worked as a nightclub performer.
His career took a significant turn when he became a sports journalist, working for the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel, the Detroit Free Press, and later, as a columnist for the Detroit Free Press.
Albom gained widespread recognition for his sports writing, winning numerous awards.

Notable Works:

Albom's breakthrough as an author came with his non-fiction book "Tuesdays with Morrie" (1997). The book is a memoir recounting Albom's conversations with his former sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, who was battling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
His other notable works include "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" (2003), "For One More Day" (2006), and "The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto" (2015), among others.

Philanthropy:

Inspired by the success of "Tuesdays with Morrie," Albom and his wife, Janine Sabino, founded the Have Faith Haiti Mission & Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The mission provides support and education to underprivileged children.

Media Career:

In addition to his writing career, Albom is a regular guest on radio and television programs. He has also hosted his own radio show.

Awards:

Mitch Albom has received numerous awards for his work, including the Red Smith Award for lifetime achievement in sports journalism.

Adaptations:

Several of Albom's books have been adapted into films or TV movies, including "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven."

Mitch Albom is known for his ability to blend life lessons, spirituality, and emotional storytelling in his works. His books often explore themes of love, forgiveness, and the human condition, resonating with a wide readership.

At the Hour Between Dog and Wolf by Tara Ison
Call Number: FICTION Ison
When Danielle Marton's father is killed during the early days of the German Occupation, her mother sends her to live in a quiet farming town near Limoges in Vichy France. Now called Marie-Jeanne Chantier, Danielle struggles to balance the truth of what's happened to her family and her country with the lies she must tell to keep herself safe. At first, she's bitter about being left behind by her mother, and horrified at having to milk the cow and memorize Catholic prayers for church. But as the years pass and the Occupation worsens, Danielle finds it easier to suppress her former life entirely, and Marie-Jeanne becomes less and less of an act. By the time she's fifteen and there is talk amongst the now divided town of an Allied invasion, not only has Danielle lost the memories of her father's face and the smell of her mother's perfume, but her very self, transforming into a strict Catholic and an anti-Semitic, fervent disciple of fascism.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Call Number: FICTION Morris
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism--but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive. One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her. A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.
The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards
Call Number: FICTION Robards
On an April day in 1937, the sky opens and fire rains down upon the small Spanish town of Guernica. Seventeen-year-old Sibi and her family are caught up in the horror. Griff, an American military attaché, pulls Sibi from the wreckage, and it's only the first time he saves her life in a span of hours. When Germany claims no involvement in the attack, insisting the Spanish Republic was responsible, Griff guides Sibi to lie to Nazi officials. If she or her sisters reveal that they saw planes bearing swastikas, the gestapo will silence them--by any means necessary. As war begins to rage across Europe, Sibi joins the underground resistance, secretly exchanging information with Griff. But as the scope of Germany's ambitions becomes clear, maintaining the facade of a Nazi sympathizer becomes ever more difficult. And as Sibi is drawn deeper into a web of secrets, she must find a way to outwit an enemy that threatens to decimate her family once and for all. Masterfully rendered and vividly capturing one of the most notorious episodes in history, The Girl from Guernica is an unforgettable testament to the bonds of family and the courage of women in wartime.
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Call Number: FICTION Rosnay
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel d'Hiv roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours. Paris, May 2002: On Vel d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv, to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

*ebook & audiobook on Libby
*audiobook on hoopla
The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Call Number: FICTION Shattuck
Three women, haunted by the past and the secrets they hold. Set at the end of World War II, in a crumbling Bavarian castle that once played host to all of German high society, a powerful and propulsive story of three widows whose lives and fates become intertwined--an affecting, shocking, and ultimately redemptive novel from the author of the New York Times Notable Book The Hazards of Good Breeding. Amid the ashes of Nazi Germany's defeat, Marianne von Lingenfels returns to the once-grand castle of her husband's ancestors, an imposing stone fortress now fallen into ruin following years of war. The widow of a resister murdered in the failed July 20, 1944, plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Marianne plans to uphold the promise she made to her husband's brave conspirators: to find and protect their wives, her fellow resistance widows. First Marianne rescues six-year-old Martin, the son of her dearest childhood friend, from a Nazi reeducation home. Together, they make their way across the smoldering wreckage of their homeland to Berlin, where Martin's mother, the beautiful and naive Benita, has fallen into the hands of occupying Red Army soldiers. Then she locates Ania, another resister's wife, and her two boys, now refugees languishing in one of the many camps that house the millions displaced by the war. As Marianne assembles this makeshift family from the ruins of her husband's resistance movement, she is certain their shared pain and circumstances will hold them together. But she quickly discovers that the black-and-white, highly principled world of her privileged past has become infinitely more complicated, filled with secrets and dark passions that threaten to tear them apart. Eventually, all three women must come to terms with the choices that have defined their lives before, during, and after the war--each with their own unique share of challenges.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Call Number: FICTION Zusak
It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist -- books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles: "The Little Liar" by Mitch Albom

"The Little Liar" by Mitch Albom

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