THE BOOKWORM
Recently I’ve been reading books about those that save items during times of war.
Madeline Martin’s 2023 novel “The Keeper of Hidden Books” revolves around the friendship of two young women in Poland during the outbreak of World War II, and beyond.
Both women are so fond of literature and believe in the importance of books, they begin a book club and read books the Nazis have banned.
When the Nazis come to power in Poland, Janina, who is Jewish, is forced to move into a ghetto. But she continues to share her love of reading by helping to set up a library for children within the ghetto. Zofia works at a library in Warsaw, and when the Nazis take over, she works with others to rescue books that are banned and transport them to a secret warehouse.
“The Animals of Lockwood Manor” by Jane Healey is another novel of World War II, and an eerie tale set in an old manor house. Think “Rebecca” or “Mexican Gothic.” Only with lots of specimens of animals from the Natural History Museum of London, which have been transported to the manor house for safekeeping during the war.
“National Treasures: Saving the Nation’s Art in World War II” by Caroline Shenton, is a fascinating non-fiction title. It focuses on the monumental task by museum workers to move priceless works of art and artifacts from London to secret locations all over England.
The book focuses on the real people who worked tirelessly behind the scenes during a very uncertain time.
“Babylon’s Ark” by Lawrence Anthony is another non-fiction work that covers the author’s race to save the animals of the Baghdad Zoo during early 2003.
The author is a conservationist from South Africa, and this memoir covers his and the efforts of others to help animals trapped in a very dangerous place and time. If you are interested in reading any of these titles, they are cataloged in print format within the library.
If you are a lover of history and keeping stories alive, you might consider attending an upcoming program at the library which will be held on Thursday, November 9 at 6 p.m. Ana Krahmer is the director of the digital newspaper program out of the University of North Texas Libraries. She will be giving a presentation titled, “The Texas Digital Newspaper Program: Walking the Footprints of Your History.”
The Texas Digital Newspaper Program hosted by University of North Texas Libraries’ Portal to Texas History, is the largest access open digital newspaper preservation repository in the U.S. Their work does include The Boerne Star.
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