I like to read about history. I especially enjoy historical fiction and nonfiction that deals with the ins and outs of World War II. I don't know why this time period fascinates me, I just know that it does and that is true for many of you too – and many of you have read much more widely than I about this period of history. Still, I want to mention a few that I read and enjoyed recently.
Agent ZigZag: a True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre was published in 2007 after the MI5 finally declassified the files about this fascinating man. Agent Zigzag was Eddie Chapman, a British double agent who spied for England during WW II and was also awarded the Iron Cross by the Nazis. He was quite a character and the book about him is an interesting and quick read.
Halsey’s Typhoon: the True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm and an Untold Rescue, written by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin is another book I really enjoyed. Drury and Clavin tell an amazing story of what happened to Admiral William “Bull” Halsey’s Third Fleet in December 1944 when Typhoon Cobra slammed the Third Fleet while it was trying to refuel east of the Philippines.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a novel written by John Boyne and set in 1942. It is a haunting story about a nine-year-old boy who is the son of a Nazi officer. He moves with his family to “Out With” and becomes friends with another boy who lives behind a wire fence nearby. It is a short but powerful story.
Agent ZigZag: a True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre was published in 2007 after the MI5 finally declassified the files about this fascinating man. Agent Zigzag was Eddie Chapman, a British double agent who spied for England during WW II and was also awarded the Iron Cross by the Nazis. He was quite a character and the book about him is an interesting and quick read.
Halsey’s Typhoon: the True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm and an Untold Rescue, written by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin is another book I really enjoyed. Drury and Clavin tell an amazing story of what happened to Admiral William “Bull” Halsey’s Third Fleet in December 1944 when Typhoon Cobra slammed the Third Fleet while it was trying to refuel east of the Philippines.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a novel written by John Boyne and set in 1942. It is a haunting story about a nine-year-old boy who is the son of a Nazi officer. He moves with his family to “Out With” and becomes friends with another boy who lives behind a wire fence nearby. It is a short but powerful story.
Agent Zigzag looks excellent, I have it on reserve. I have a somewhat rare copy of "The Ultra Spy" about another British agent F.W. Winterbotham who also re-invented high altitude spy photography and ran the "Ultra" decoding system at Bletchley Park.
ReplyDeleteSome people confuse the book "The Ultra Spy" with his later book "The Ultra Secret" (which was only published in England.) No, they are two different books, Winterbotham was also a spy in Germany and even met Hitler!
This somehow made me think of another WWII spy book I had seen referenced in other non-fiction accounts "The Double-Cross System: The Incredible True Story of How Nazi Spies Were Turned by JC Masterman. That wasn't in the library so I found it online and ordered it.
Interesting; looking around I find that Agent Zigzag has a youtube "book trailer."
ReplyDeleteAlso the BBC Show Timewatch - Double Agent: Eddie Chapman (BBC) is online and includes interview questions with Eddie Chapman from around 1994.
Sounds like you're a fan, Wayne! Thanks for sharing some of those links with us. Any other favorites you'd recommend?
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