The Battle for Survival

Why is historical fiction important? Historical fiction takes the readers to another time and place, either real or imagined. Writing historical fiction means creating a balance between historical facts and fiction, and while it includes real people and events.

Reading history helps you to understand what actually happened in the past. It gives the readers the opportunity to be moved by what happened. It is human nature to continue digging for sense and meaning even after knowing the facts. This is the essence of humanity. Historical fiction writers expose the readers to the lives of people, time and place, which illuminates history’s untold stories allowing the reader to experience complex truths.

According to Hilary Mantel, ‘Historical fiction comes out of greed for the experience. violent curiosity dives humans and takes the readers far from the time, and shore and often beyond the compass.’ Children associate the word history with dry, full of facts and dates to remember, which is not true. The best historical fiction book series allows the readers to read history with fiction in such an interesting way that they are able to relate the past with the present.

The past is not a mythical place, but a reality people have endured. History is a long river of people’s lives, how they used to live, their culture and happenings around them during that time. Historical fiction is a time machine. The factual history makes the character feel real and immersed in the story, making history a living experience for the reader.

History is always relatable because human emotions are timeless: relationships, social status, gender-appropriate roles and issues are ever-changing. There are many World War 2 books based on true stories. The stories include the lives of orphans, women and loves who lived in the shadow, hidden or secret. Nothing is more satisfying than a long-lost secret. Through historical fiction, you explore the buried treasure, which makes your curiosity dig for more.

Historical fiction also opens the dialogue between the past and present. The attitudes of the past, from the new perspective of present-day readers, might seem questionable because, in the past, many social norms were not questioned. History fiction is a true representation of the past, and it comes with no labels. People do everything they want without considering its side effects.

It is important for everyone to benefit from the treasures of history. It is one of the things about history, you cannot change the past, but when you read books like ‘Escape’ by Elaine Blair, you might feel like the past has changed you.

‘Escape’ by Elaine Blair is a story about Dresden, Germany was nicknamed Florence on the Elbe River because of its beautiful Baroque buildings and cultural history. History was changed forever when the British and American bombers attacked the unsafe city on February 13, 1945. There was a Firestorm during three waves of bombing in twenty-four, which destroyed everything.

Frieda Jacobsmeyer was a blond-haired girl with blue eyes. Her family that, included Mama and Nana, used to sit in the basement of the apartment building during the first wave of terror. Her Jewish friend, Walther Goldschmidt, his mother and father used the bombing as an opportunity to leave Dresden and their deportation to a work camp.

The question is, who will survive the firebombing of Dresden? Who will endure the Gestapo looking for Jewish families that left Dresden during the bombings? Would the sparks ignite between Frieda and Walther in their flight and fight for survival?

Elaine Blaire is a book lover who loves to be called a ‘book nerd’. She is a retired teacher who loves to read. Moreover, she is also a travel freak which also changed many aspects of her life. Her trip to Germany with her husband in the fall of 2019 inspired her to write Escape. There are many books about Auschwitz survivors which will open the doors of enlightenment for readers.

Escape by Elaine Blair is one of the best books about Ww2. It is an amazing addition to your bookshelf that will give you a detailed insight into history. Head to the website and buy this book now! It is also available on Amazon.