NCW Libraries

Author Keith Maillard received critical acclaim with his novel Gloria, which told the story of a young woman on the cusp of womanhood in a town called Raysburg, West Virginia. In this book, The Clarinet Polka, Maillard turns that same eagle-eyed attention to the other side of the tracks of that very same town and creates a stunning portrait of Polish America and of one man's struggle to find meaning in his life and roots. The year is 1969, and young...

Return to World War II Shanghai in Dan Kalla's thrilling historical novel Rising Sun, Falling Shadow, the sequel to The Far Side of the Sky It's 1943 and the Japanese juggernaut has swallowed Shanghai and the rest of eastern China, snaring droves of American and British along with thousands of "stateless" German Jewish refugees. Despite the hostile environs, newlyweds Dr. Franz Adler and his wife, Sunny, adjust to life running the city's only hospital...

Emilia Zimic, a thirty-year-old widow, is in desperate straits. After the untimely death of her abusive husband, she is locked out of the marital home, and all of her clothing and personal possessions destroyed by a vengeful father-in-law. Alone in the world, with only two donated outfits to her name, the St. Lydia Shelter for Women informs her that her part-time temporary job disqualifies her for residence past one week. Searching for an inexpensive,...

WITH A FOREWORD BY EDMUND DE WAAL, AUTHOR OF THE HARE WITH AMBER EYES SET IN THE ASHES OF POST–SECOND WORLD WAR VIENNA, A POWERFUL, SUBTLE NOVEL OF EXILES RETURNING HOME FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER FLEEING HITLER'S DEADLY REIGN Vienna is demolished by war, the city an alien landscape of ruined castles, a fractured ruling class, and people picking up the pieces. Elisabeth de Waal's mesmerizing The Exiles Return is a stunningly vivid postwar story of Austria's...

The strange circumstances surrounding the death of the world chess champion and alleged Nazi collaborator Alexander Alekhine, as investigated by a literary grand master On the morning of March 24, 1946, the world chess champion Alexander Alekhine-"sadist of the chess world," renowned for his eccentric behavior as well as the ruthlessness of his playing style-was found dead in his hotel room in Estoril, Portugal. He was fully dressed and wearing an...

A poignant collection of letters from World War II soldiers, accompanied by photographs. Writers from twenty Allied and Axis countries are gathered in this unique collection of letters from servicemen and -women to their friends, families, and sweethearts. World War II Letters gives an unbiased look into the lives of those who served throughout the world-in Europe, the Pacific, Northern Africa, and Asia-and gives an intimate and honest portrayal...

In April 1945, Soviet forces descended on Berlin in the final phase of the war in Europe. The fighting was fierce as soldiers fanatically loyal to the Nazi party - and those afraid of the vengeance their opponents might enact - sought to stave off the end of the regime as long as possible. Even as it became clear that defeat was inevitable, Hitler and his subordinates determined to fight to the bitter end, resulting in a bitter, brutal end to the...

In this unforgettable World War II novel, inspired by true events, the lives of Central Texans on homeland soil are forever altered as many sacrifice it all for America's gain.------------Fall 1941. Grace Katherine Willis has it all – a loving family and community, a handsome fiancé, and a job as a schoolteacher. But when Grace discovers the government is possibly bringing a new Army camp to her beloved farming community and acting on its right...

In a world at war, can a husband and father bring his family together again?-The Krieg tore Europe apart, shattering countless families in the process. Separated from his family and forced to become a Nazi soldier, Aldous Schneider endures horrors under Hitler's rule for the sake of his wife and children, whose fates are unknown. But when faced with an impossible choice between following orders and saving his children, Aldous makes a dangerous split-second...

Blood, fire and iron: An unforgettable portrait of the most feared soldiers of World War Two In the closing years of the 1930s, German agent-provocateurs worked in secrecy. These crack units of elite soldiers paved the way for the invasions of Czechoslovakia and Poland, the spark that would ignite a war across Europe. In time, they would go on to shape the conflict with terrifying ferocity and skill. The mysteries of German special forces are...