{"id":61780,"date":"2020-06-23T09:28:38","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T13:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/?p=61780"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:37:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:37:29","slug":"fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"How World War II fiction is helping me navigate this pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Written by Kara S. Anderson<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

When I was a little kid, I used to read in closets. Mostly Nancy Drew.<\/span><\/p>\n

My mother worried, but of course no one talked about introverts much back then. It was years before <\/span>Jamie\u2019s book<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>community<\/span><\/a> would be born.<\/span><\/p>\n

So I read in closets, and my mother fretted, but she saw that the reading was helping me, so she kept me stocked in Nancy Drews. Thank goodness there were so many of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Good books = \u2018Comfort food\u2019<\/h3>\n

Lately, I\u2019ve again been reading for comfort<\/strong>; I\u2019ve been devouring World War II era fiction<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When the pandemic started, I was OK until the library closed, and then I started sweating. I knew we would need books. I put pretty much our entire homeschool budget, entertainment budget and let\u2019s face it – any other dollars I could find – toward books.<\/span><\/p>\n

And for myself, I ordered a lot of World War II fiction.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have always felt tied to World War II since hearing my grandparents\u2019 love story – dances at the army base, long distance love, he proposing within minutes of stepping off the train …<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But I will admit that I knew little about what it was really like during World War II before I started reading historical fiction. (See? We all have gaps in our education!)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For example, until I read <\/span>The Postmistress<\/span><\/a>, (afflink) it hadn\u2019t occurred to me that we didn\u2019t <\/span>know<\/span><\/i> if German soldiers would storm our eastern coast in the U.S. I had simply never considered it.<\/span><\/p>\n

I also became interested in rationing as our nation started to have shortages. (This is <\/span>nothing<\/span><\/i>, I could remind myself when I started a tizzy over the \u201cright\u201d shape of pasta.)<\/span><\/p>\n

I ended up ordering a <\/span>ration book<\/span><\/a> off of Ebay so I could share it with my kids. And in <\/span>Secrets of a Charmed Life<\/span><\/a>, I learned toilet paper was hard to get during World War II too!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Keep Calm and Carry On<\/em> was part of a British motivational campaign during World War II, and it has a fascinating history. Click the photo to read more.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Books + Conversation<\/h3>\n

A big part of what we do here is talk<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That sounds simple – too simple. But books can open up such wonderful discussions.<\/strong> We often chat about what we\u2019re reading, and my World War II era books were so fascinating to me that I couldn\u2019t help but share them.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t NOT talk about the charm of <\/span>84, Charing Cross Road<\/span><\/a> – letters exchanged following World War II between an American writer and the staff of a London bookshop.<\/span><\/p>\n

The writer, Helene Hanff, sends the staff eggs and meat and arranges a drop off of stockings for the female staff. I read it in a morning and now I want to read it again just writing about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h3>\n

Handling hard times<\/h3>\n

And so, good books have been getting me through.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the times it all felt <\/span>heaviest<\/span><\/a>, and when it felt like <\/span>our school year just crumbled<\/span><\/a>, I could look to the heroines in my books and realize that in the past, nations have faced a lot and people have still handled hard times with kindness and care for others.<\/span><\/p>\n

To see the growing list of World War II books that are continuing to bring me comfort, <\/span>head here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which books have helped you through a challenging time?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Kara S. Anderson When I was a little kid, I used to read in closets. Mostly Nancy Drew. My mother worried, but of course no one talked about introverts much back then. It was years before Jamie\u2019s book and community would be born. So I read in closets, and my mother fretted, but…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":61785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[342,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-relationships","category-relationships"],"yoast_head":"\nHow World War II fiction is helping me navigate this pandemic - Simple Homeschool<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When the pandemic started, I was okay until the library closed, and then I started sweating. 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