Band of Brothers

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg produced this fantastic mini series based around the efforts of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne in the Second World War. It is mainly based on the best selling biography of the men by Stephen Ambrose. It takes them back to the formation of Easy Company and the rigorous training that they had to complete before being shipped off to England. Here, they received yet more training and learned that they were to be part of one of the largest 'drops' in WWII – D-Day.

It goes through the various places they fought in the war from France, the disastrous 'Market-Garden' in Holland and the freezing winter in the Ardennes in Belgium, right through to Germany and the end of the war. Easy Company received a 100% casualty rate during the war, but this didn't stop them from becoming known as the “Battered Bastards of Bastogne”. Instead, the events that they went through bonded them as a group and helped form a sense of camaraderie that only exists in certain circumstances, such as combat.

The series follows various characters and their reactions to the situations that they had to face. I would highly recommend this series. It kept me riveted from the start to the dramatic conclusion. The Library has Band of brothers in both DVD and Blue-ray.

(Reviewed by Jasmine)

New Adults Non-fiction

More New Releases

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Laura Hillenbrand

“Unbroken” chronicles the amazing life of American, Louis Zamperini. An Olympic competitor in the 1936 Berlin Games, Louis starts training for the Tokyo Olympics in 1940. However, when World War II breaks out in Europe, the Tokyo Games are cancelled. Drafted into the Army Air Corps, Louis is posted to an island in the Pacific. One day, whilst out on a search and rescue mission, Louis’s bomber ditches into the ocean, leaving Louis and two other crewmen adrift on a tiny raft in shark infested waters. After many weeks floating along on the current, starving, thirsty and constantly harassed by sharks, the survivors wind up in Japanese territory. Louis’s journey has only just begun.

“Unbroken” is the extraordinary true story of a juvenile delinquent turned Olympic runner turned War hero. A riveting read, it will appeal to a wide readership.

(Reviewed by Jill)

Ayako

Osamu Tezuka

Osamu Tezuka is arguably one of the greatest manga authors of all time and in this book, first serialized in the 1970s, he gives us his take on post World war II Japanese society.

The story revolves around the Tenge family, the remnants of the aristocratic landowners of feudal Japan, and their desperate attempt to hold onto the power and prestige of earlier days. When four 4 old Ayako witnesses a crime which could bring the family name into disrepute they decide to fake her death and lock her in a storage shed. Here she will remain for 23 years.

Tezuka's naturalistic story telling style fits this grim graphic novel perfectly. He portrays a rotten family in a world changing too fast for comfort. As well as the personal story of Ayako Tezuka draws on several true scandals from the late 1940s and the effect is not flattering for the Japanese government of the day and America's involvement with it. A worthwhile read for anyone who isn't offended easily and has an interest in this often forgotten era of Japanese history.