For fans of The Boys in the Boat

Last week, author Daniel James Brown spoke about his book,  The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics at several Whidbey Island locations.  For those of you who've enjoyed this fantastic book, here are some other stories of remarkable individuals meeting the trials of WWII with courage. (Each of the following books received at least one starred review, and were published within the last 3 years).

Agent Garbo: how a brilliant, eccentric spy tricked Hitler and saved D-Day, by Stephan Tally.
Describes the life of Juan Pujol, a poultry farmer who opposed the Nazis and concocted a series of staggering lies that lead to his becoming one of Germany's most valued spies, while actually acting as a double-agent for the Allies.

Diary of the Dark Years, 1940-1944: collaboration, resistance, and daily life in occupied Paris, by Jean Guehenno.
Jean Guehenno's diary is the most oft-quoted piece of testimony on life in occupied France.  A sharply observed record of day-to-day life under Nazi rule in Paris and a bitter commentary on literary life in those years, it has also been called "a remarkable essay on courage and cowardice". (Caroline Moorehead, Wall Street Journal).  This is the first English translation of this important historical document.

Frozen in Time: an epic story of survival and a modern quest for lost heroes of World War II, by Mitchell Zuckoff.
Drawing on intensive research and a firsthand account of the dangerous 2012 expedition, this thrilling true story of survival which moves between World War II and today, follows the survivors of a U.S. cargo plane crash in 1942 and their 148 days spent fighting for their lives during a brutal Arctic winter.

Isaac's army: the Jewish resistance in occupied Poland, by Matthew Brzezinski.
Describes the formation of one of the most daring underground movements of World War II under the leadership of twenty-four-year-old Isaac Zuckerman and the group's collective efforts to gather information, build and arms cache, participate in uprisings, and organize escape systems.

Pere Marie-Benoit and Jewish rescue: how a French priest together with Jewish friends saved thousands during the Holocaust, by Susan Zuccotti
Unlike many Catholics of the time, Franciscan priest Pere Marie-Benoit vehemently opposed anti-Semitism and championed protection for the Jews.  He rescued thousands of Jews during WWII by sheltering refugees in France, and assisted Italian Jews after his transfer to Rome.

Prague winter: a personal story of remembrance and war, 1937-1948, by Madeleine Korbel Albright.
The former Secretary of State paints a portrait of her early life from 1937-1948 during which she witnessed teh Nazi invasion of her native Prague, the Holocaust, the defeat of fascism, the rise of communism, and the onset of the Cold War.

The dog who could fly: the incredible true story of a WWII airman and the four-legged hero who flew at his side, by Damien Lewis.
And instant his in the UK, this is the true account of a German shepherd who was adopted by teh Royal Air Force during World War II, joined in flight missions, and survived everything from crash-landings to parachute bailouts--ultimately saveing the life of his owner and dearest friend.

The liberator: one World War II soldier's 500-day odyssey from the beaches of Sicily to the gates of Dachau, by Alex Kershaw.
Traces the achievements of the world War II regiments under Felix Sparks, documenting their clashes with Hitler's elite troops in Sicily and Alerno and their heroic liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.

You are not forgotten: the story of a lost WWII pilot and a twenty-first-century soldier's mission to bring him home, by Bryan Bender.  
Follows the story of a Marine corps pilot who was shot down in World War II and the J-PAC soldier who resolved to bring home his remains six decades later, offering insidght in to the factors that challenged the recovery mission.