War in My Town
By Edy Graziani
Publisher: Second Story Press
Published: Mar. 23, 2015
ASIN: B00V54JSHG
Amazon Synopsis:
Bruna is the youngest of seven children, living an idyllic life in a small Italian village in northern Tuscany. Though the Second World War has been raging in Europe for some time, the dangers haven’t seemed to reach her, and the Italian leader Mussolini’s allegiance with Hitler and the distant reports of fighting seem far away. But before long, Bruna's brothers are called to fight and by 1943 food rationing and shortages begin to take a toll on her family.
Soon the Italian people turn against their fascist regime and war comes to the region. When the retreating Nazis occupy her village, Bruna struggles to cope and help her mother and sisters stand up to the soldiers. Her peaceful life is shattered when her beloved village and its occupants find themselves in the centre of the fighting between the Nazis and the Allied forces pursuing them - the final front defended by the Nazis in Europe.
Soon the Italian people turn against their fascist regime and war comes to the region. When the retreating Nazis occupy her village, Bruna struggles to cope and help her mother and sisters stand up to the soldiers. Her peaceful life is shattered when her beloved village and its occupants find themselves in the centre of the fighting between the Nazis and the Allied forces pursuing them - the final front defended by the Nazis in Europe.
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My Thoughts:
Most of the books that we study about the history of World War II are about the various campaigns that took place across Europe. War in My Town is the true, historical account of one family’s experience of World War II.
The author is the daughter of Bruna, the main character in the story. The tale is told through her eyes. The family lives in a small town in Italy and the story begins just before the war breaks out.
The author does an excellent job of describing the effects of the war not only on the family, but also on the small town that they live in as the family goes through famine, Nazi occupation, Allied bombing and missing children. This book brings home the personal story of what war is truly like, the nitty gritty day to day difficulties that the civilians lived through in those difficult years.
I thought the author did a good job of showing what a scary time it was in those days, watching for the Nazi’s to come so you would have time to warn the men of your town to hide in order for them not to be conscripted to serve in the Nazi army. Or the fear of occupation when they were forced to work for the Nazi’s building bunkers and feeding them while they themselves went hungry. The most fearful time for Bruna was when the pastor of the town put his own life on the line for several of the men, including her brother.
I think this book is a valuable record as a personal account of life during that period. I believe it was well written and I found it very interesting. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in stories of that era, and people interested in true stories. I gave War in My Town 4 stars out of 5.
Thank you to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
E. Graziani resides in Ontario, Canada with her husband and four daughters. She is a teacher and self-proclaimed life-long learner who believes in constantly setting new goals for herself and working hard to achieve them. Her love of history, word artistry, and storytelling help to fuel these goals as do her students who particularly enjoy her classroom read alouds.
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