12 Books About World War II in Estonia and Latvia

Learning about the Baltics, as this list of books about WWII in Estonia and Latvia aims to help with, and the impact that World War Two had on them is a part of having a well-rounded understanding of the many ways the war impacted Europe. Eastern Europe, specifically Estonia and Latvia, is often left behind in favor of books about France, Germany and Poland, but these two Baltic nations were truly caught in between Hitler’s Nazi Regime and Stalin’s USSR. This had major, devastating consequences for the politics and people who lived in Latvia and Estonia, and this book list gives insight into the lives and events that shaped the history of WWII.

Related: Best WWII Books About Russia, Best Historical Fiction Books About Poland, Best Historical Fiction Books About Europe During WWII

The Mascot by Mark Kurzem

63 years after the horror that Alex Kurzem experienced at the hands of SS soldiers he reveals his past to his son. 5 years old at the time, Alex witnessed the murders of his family and escaped by hiding in the woods until he was found by the very people who were supposed to shoot him on the spot for being Jewish. This true story of one boy’s fight for survival during WWII is one of strength, identity, courage and the need to find answers the past has long hidden.

The Last Train From Estonia by Jaak Jurison

This is a beautifully written memoir detailing the events that 8 year old Jaak carefully observed, from his peaceful childhood with his parents, through the invasion of his beloved country, murder of his father, to what happens to him after. It’s a heartbreaking yet compelling narrative of love, luck and surviving despite the odds stacked against you- all told through the eyes of a young boy.

When The Doves Disappeared by Sofi Oksanen

This fast paced novel about the lives of two cousins intertwines two time periods in Estonia: 1941 as the Allies and Axis powers wage war, and 1963 when Estonia is back under communist Russian control. It reads as a historical thriller, giving you a sense of what types of choices had to be made in order to survive.

Walking Since Daybreak by Modris Eksteins

Part history, part autobiography, this book tells the tragic story of the Baltic nation of Latvia before, during, and after World War II. Walking Since Daybreak is an insightful look into the destruction and survival of both a nation and a family.

Between Giants: The Battle For The Baltics by Prit Buttar

With the exception of Poland, there was no territory which experienced more suffering during World War II than the Baltics. They were caught between Soviet Union and the Third Reich, occupied over and over. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia became a battle between these two giants and used as pawns to gain control over Eastern Europe. This is a story of conquest and exploitation, of death and deportation and the fight for survival by the families who endured it.

Under Fate’s Wing: A Refugee Girl’s Fight to Freedom by Hillevi Ruumet

This memoir is one of a 6 year old girl who had a wonderful life in Estonia, until WWII broke out. This book chronicles her mother’s fight to keep her alive and out of the Russian Gulags. This is a story of love, war, survival and hope, as the family ends up in a Displaced Person’s camp for 4 years in search of a country who would accept them and allow them to start a new life that once seemed so out of reach. Eventually arriving in New York, this young woman is able to create a future that looks nothing like the camp she spent so long living in.

Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler & Stalin by Timothy Snyder

The Bloodlands, defined as the area east of Nazi Germany and the western border of Russia, was caught in the middle of these two regimes. This book is a look at not just the military actions that were taken, but is also an excellently written narrative of what life was like for real citizens who were caught in-between. This book is not a light read, but highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn more about Eastern Europe.

DPs: Europe’s Displaced Persons by Mark Wyman

One of the most comprehensive yet readible depiction of the relocation, resettlement and reparation that took place in Eastern Europe of millions of people. This book does a masterful job at compassionately examining and explaining the events that took place from a social, political and historical perspective. If you want to learn an accurate timeline of the circumstances and human crisis that took place as a result of WWII, this book is the one that will teach you.

A Woman in Amber by Agate Nesaule

A Woman in Amber is a memoir written about a young girl’s experience in Latvia as war took everything she knew. It’s an insightful and honest look into how Latvia’s history shaped so many people who lived through the horrors and how the damage didn’t end with the closing of the camps. It’s a moving book that will give you a deeper understanding of Latvian culture, history and what it takes to overcome.

When Titans Clashed by David M. Glantz and Jonathan M. House

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the vast scope of the USSR’s reign of terror in Eastern Europe. This is a very in depth, a well-researched and well-documented account of battles won and battles lost by Germany and Russia, and the true devastation they created.

Among The Living and The Dead: A Tale of Homecoming & Exile by Inara Verzemnieks

Inara Verzemnieks was raised by her Latvian grandparents in Washington State, and grew up hearing her grandmother’s stories of the home she fled and family she left behind during WWII. Inara travels back to her grandmother’s village, piecing together the trauma, loss and love that her grandmother and sister experienced, and learning more than she bargained for about all that her family had endured.

Flight From Latvia: A Six-Year Chronicle by Dagnija Neimane

A very detailed account of the author’s 6 year experience escaping from Latvia with her family after the Soviet invasion. By sheer luck they survived while so many didn’t, and this story highlights staggering hardships this time in our history forced people to endure and the way one family helped each other trough it.

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