Ambrose, Hosseini, Boyne

More TY Extended Essay reading ...

Kate Boyd Crotty recommends John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (also recommended by Robbie Hollis earlier): "This book, set during World War II, is about a boy whose father is a Nazi. They move to a place near a concentration camp and the boy makes friends with a young Jew through the fence. I liked the book because it had a factual background, but also presented a fictional story at the same time. It was enjoyable and very sad at the same time as this historical tragedy actually happened, and some people's lives ended very cruelly. It tells how hard life was then and how oblivious some people were of what was going on."

Andrew Martin recommends Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns (previously, Andy McCabe recommended the same author's The Kite Runner), and writes : "This book is about different peoples' struggle through Civil War in Afghanistan. It shows different relationships and how they can be affected by war. There are three different sections in the book; the first two deal with the stories of different people, and the third section we see those two people ending up together."

Finally, another war book : Bevan Nunan is reading Stephen Ambrose's non-fiction work Band of Brothers (which was turned into a TV series by Steven Spielberg, below):- "This is a factual book about World War II. Although it is factual, there is a lot more in it than facts. Ambrose concentrates on telling about the thoughts and relationships of the men, and how they grew to have their unique bond as a 'band of brothers'. He gives true insights into the spirits of the men and portrays the harsh realities of their experience. The intensity of war brought these men to hell, but they did not give up, never letting their fellow soldiers down. The telling of their struggle is emotional, a powerful piece of literature that is easy and interesting to read, not just for those who enjoy reading about war."