History is Not Boring discussion

Hi all! :-)

I have just finished reading 'The Diary of a Young Girl and, I am now looking for similar kind of reads that is, trstimonies of children having lived under totalitarian/repressive regimes.

It can be about the Holocaust. It can also be about Apartheid, segregation, life under a fascist or communist regime etc.
I am mainly interested in non-fiction (unless it's based on real life events, in which case I might even consider books for children).

Once again: it's children's perspective I am after!

Any suggestion more than welcome!

Lenas Tagebuch
Rutka's Notebook: A Voice from the Holocaust

But when it comes to for example Soviet Union and life there (I believe the war time was a bit easier in that regard), I doubt you'll find many. Simply because it lasted so long that the people grew up, so most of the memoirs are from the adult perspective. Though I am planning to read a book by an Ingrian who was born in 1920 and by the time he escaped to Sweden in 1945 he had already managed to be a prisoner, spy and a guerilla.

Thanks. I have added it to my 'to read list'! I have also found Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust , that should give me a decent overview.

I don't mind if the books are by adults, as long as they remember their childhood.

There's a few about the Holocaust. I can't find many about other repressive regime (segregation, apartheid...).

Any more help anybody? :-)

Well, it's fiction, but Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins is about a 15-year-old boy who is tricked into fighting for the Burmese army against militant rebel minorities. It also flips to the minority perspective, of a boy who's forced to stay in a refugee camp because of the war. It's definitely a child's read - probably 4th grade level - but it is about a strong-armed government.

Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment

Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo

The Breadwinner Trilogy (The Breadwinner #1-3)
by Deborah Ellis

I personally love WWII history, I find it to be beyond interesting how Adolf Hitler wrote everything he was hoping

I have to say that it makes me uncomfortable to hear someone "loving WWII". One camp I took part of was on an area where we had to walk over old trenches, my grandfather lost his home, I've known men who lost their health (maybe even my uncle died young because of the war) or at least lost years of their lives and many have had to suffer from nightmares, my father lived through WWII as a child and so on. They actually knew how WWII felt and I am pretty sure they didn't love it. They were scared out of their lives. For the Baltic countries the occupation that started during WWII only ended in my lifetime, their WWII lasted for 50 years. It might feel like an ancient history to some but for others it's still too close.

Tytti wrote: "I have to say that it makes me uncomfortable to hear someone "loving WWII". One camp I took part of was on an area where we had to walk over old trenches, my grandfather lost his home, I've known m..."

I remember my high school world history teacher made us all write down what we liked/didn't like about history. She commented that, "A lot of you said you like wars, which is concerning..." We laughed it off, but it certainly got me thinking. Now I try to say that I find wars interesting.

I find wars interesting because they usually change things so much, especially the political side of them. But I have never liked war novels or not even all films. Some American films are not so bad, they are more like fictional adventures, but the more realistic ones are sometimes difficult to watch. The only thing I am more interested in are the long range reconnaissance missions, the survival side of them. They didn't even always fire their weapons because their object was to stay unnoticed. My mother isn't even interested, she said she heard enough war stories when growing up in the 1950's. Btw, I wonder if this is in the wrong thread...

It's not necessarily all about totalitarian regimes, but Why Do They Hate Me?: Young Lives Caught in War and Conflict is entirely about children living under duress, whether it's WWII or the Troubles or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It had a great impact on me when I read it (as a pre-teen), and maybe you'll find it as meaningful and moving as I did.

Aurelien wrote: "Hi all! :-)

I have just finished reading 'The Diary of a Young Girl and, I am now looking for similar kind of reads that is, trstimonies of children having lived under totalitarian/re..."

I recommend The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia by Esther Hautzig. I read it many many years ago, checked it out from my high school library. This is a true story--the author is a child at the beginning, spends her formative years in exile in Siberia.

Goodreads synopsis:
It is June 1941. The Rudomin family has been arrested by the Russians. They are "capitalists' enemies of the people." Forced from their home and friends in Vilna, Poland, they are herded into crowded cattle cars. Their destination: the endless steppe of Siberia.
For five years, Esther and her family live in exile, weeding potato fields and working in the mines, struggling for enough food and clothing to stay alive. Only the strength of family sustains them and gives them hope for the future.

by Nicholas Stargardt

Hi, this book has an extensive bibliography at the back which cites other books on children's wartime experiences. If you are not able to find a copy at your local library, you can look this book up on the Amazon website, click "look inside", and scroll down to the bibliography.

Beasts of No Nation -- Fiction, but it's the tale of a child soldier in Africa

God Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir -- Nonfiction, but it's an adult telling of his experience as a child soldier in Sudan.

A Girl Made of Dust -- Fiction

The Smell of Apples -- Fiction