Three books offer different looks at World War II

Dates and battles.

When you were in school, you thought that was all there was to history: dates and battles. So why not change your own mind this spring with one of these great new books about the hidden histories of World War II?

By definition, a World War means that nearly the whole world was involved; but in “Hitler’s Aristocrats” by Susan Ronald (St. Martin’s Press, $32.50), you’ll read another part of the story not often presented. Ronald pulls the covers back on the elite civilians, wealthy donors, royal influencers, and non-military business leaders who quietly helped Hitler and the Nazis. But these behind-thescreen forces, those friendly to the Fuhrer, came from surprising places. Some of these names will shock and surprise you, making this a book for every World War II buff’s bookcase.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

World War II books by various authors

c.2022, 2023, various publishers

$28.00 - $32.50 various page counts

Imagine how the war would might’ve ended without every single one of its Allies in control. In “The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill” by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch (Flatiron Books, $29.99), you’ll read about a chilling plan that, if it had come to fruition, could have altered the world forever. True story: when the Nazis learned Franklin Roosevelt was planning on a meeting to discuss the War’s strategies with Churchill and Stalin in Tehran in 1943, Hitler’s men began to hatch a plan of their own. It involved not just one, but three assassinations they hoped would alter the course of the War. That might sound like the plot of a novel, but this tale is true and told only as Meltzer and Mensch can tell it. Yes, it’s a history book; but fans of fictional thrillers will eat this up.

And finally, a book begins before the War and then takes readers past it...

In “The Confidante” by Christopher C. Gorham (Citadel Press, $28.00), you’ll read about the life of a woman history has largely ignored. Her name was Anna Marie Rosenberg and she was a PR person in

Manhattan in the Jazz Age when she became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt — who was not yet then a First Lady.

Mrs. Roosevelt later urged her husband, the President, to hire Rosenberg — and he did, which was a good call since she was the right person for the job of special envoy for FDR during World War II. After the War, Rosenberg continued to work in Washington and she held considerable power (though, officially, she couldn’t). She rubbed elbows with the famous and infamous. She had the ear of some very influential men in America over the course of decades.

Some of the issues at the heart of politics today were on Rosenberg’s mind and if you follow current events, then you need to know this book.

Not enough for you? Then you need to seek out your favorite bookseller or librarian, who is a topnotch ace at finding the right book for you. In the meantime, grab one of these books and make a date with your easy-chair.

The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives in Wisconsin with three dogs and 10,000 books. v