Poland during World War II is a story of heartbreak, survival and bravery. The books set in wartime Poland really bring home the human side of history and show what people went through in the face of unimaginable hardship.
I love WW2 fiction and they don’t come more poignant than those set in Poland.
Here are ten must-read novels set in Poland during World War II.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Yellow Bird Sings is one of the most thought-provoking and heartbreaking WW2 novels I’ve read.
The story follows Róza and her daughter, Shira and they are forced to hide in a neighbour’s barn as Nazi soldiers hunt Jews in their town,
As their hiding place becomes too dangerous, Róza most choose whether to keep Shira close or make the decision to send her away for a better chance at survival.
In pre-war Poland, Johann and Rachel marry, only to face devastation when Johann disappears after the Nazi invasion.
Alone in the Warsaw ghetto with their newborn daughter, Ilona, Rachel must summon all her courage to save her child by entrusting her to her Christian sister-in-law, Irena, risking everything for a chance at survival amidst escalating antisemitism.
In Warsaw 1942, Elzbieta Rabinek is thrust into the dangerous world of deception, smuggling children out of the ghetto, and helping a Jewish family facing impossible choices.
As her involvement deepens, Elzbieta’s life is put at risk when Roman Gorka’s reckless rebellion brings danger to them all.
In 1943, 16-year-old Stefania faces an impossible decision when the German army invades Przemsyl, Poland. With the Diamant family forced into the ghetto, Stefania is left to care for her sister Helena.
When Izio’s brother Max escapes a death camp train, Stefania hides him and 12 others, risking their lives daily. But when the Nazis come knocking, Stefania faces a harrowing decision to protect those she loves.
In Nazi-occupied Poland in 1940, Tomasz is forced to choose between joining the German army or seeing his loved ones sent to camps.
In present-day London, Isla discovers a photograph that uncovers a hidden past, linking her grandfather to a secret wartime mission that challenges everything she thought she knew about him.
Zosia Lewandowska and Hania Silverman’s lives cross in Krakow’s ghetto during World War II. Zosia, working with pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz, risks everything to help Jews under Nazi rule, while Hania fights to survive amid cruelty.
The Zookeeper’s Wife tells the true story of Jan and Antonina Zabinski, Polish zookeepers who saved over three hundred people during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw.
Nineteen-year-old Emma Bau is left alone in the Jewish ghetto of Poland when her husband joins the resistance. Smuggled to Krakow, she assumes the identity of Anna Lipowski, a gentile, and becomes the assistant to a Nazi official.
As the war’s horrors intensify, Emma faces impossible choices, living a dangerous double life to protect herself and those she loves.
Set in 1939 Warsaw, Anna Nowak’s life is upended by the war. With her brother Lech called to fight and Jan struggling under German occupation, Anna joins the resistance.
As the Gestapo closes in, she risks everything to help save her country.
