Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Traitor by Amanda McCrina! Today, I have a fun dual review for you- a past and present WWII Polish setting, if you will! These two books are lovely, and while Amanda’s moving novel will help you understand the importance of the past, Liza’s will show you how we’re still dealing with the ramifications we see in Amanda’s novel. 

Traitor: A Novel of World War II by Amanda McCrina
Published by Farrar Straus and Giroux (BYR) on August 25, 2020
Pages: 368
Format:ARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review

Poland, 1944. After the Soviet liberation of Lwów from Germany, the city remains a battleground between resistance fighters and insurgent armies, its loyalties torn between Poland and Ukraine. Seventeen-year-old Tolya Korolenko is half Ukrainian, half Polish, and he joined the Soviet Red Army to keep himself alive and fed. When he not-quite-accidentally shoots his unit's political officer in the street, he's rescued by a squad of Ukrainian freedom fighters. They might have saved him, but Tolya doesn't trust them. He especially doesn't trust Solovey, the squad's war-scarred young leader, who has plenty of secrets of his own.

Then a betrayal sends them both on the run. And in a city where loyalty comes second to self-preservation, a traitor can be an enemy or a savior—or sometimes both.

Traitor is a compelling look at what was, to me, a lesser-known part of World War II. In Traitor, we follow two young men who find themselves ensnared in quite the dire battle. I will say before you go any further, this is a fairly brutal novel, which obviously makes sense given the subject matter. But it doesn’t shy away from some really violent stuff, so keep that in mind.

I will also say, that I don’t know if I personally would have categorized this as a YA, simply because I can see this appealing to fans of historical novels (especially those set in and around WWII), and that I don’t think that the typical YA parameters apply aside from the age range (and even that, loosely). So if you are a historical fan, this one is probably for you. In fact, I gave this book to my dad who is always on the lookout for WWII books, and is always very excited to connect to his familial Polish roots, and he just started it but is intrigued!

Traitor tells us the story of Tolya and Solovey, both of whom are fairly reluctant participants in this battle. I found my heart breaking for these young men, and all of those who experienced life in this hellscape, frankly. They were so young, and thrust into a situation so desperate, it was hard to wrap my mind around. I don’t want to say too much about the actual story, because it’s very twisty (as you’d imagine by the title, who knows who, if anyone is trustworthy!), but it definitely highlights the trials the young men are facing. We also see quite a bit of the war and the effects of it, as it switches POVs, alternating between 1941 and 1944. So not only do we see how the situation developed, but we get to see the ramifications of the fighting, and the toll it took on the people too.

I also learned a lot while reading this book! The author explains her research at the end (it’s impressive, frankly), and who is based on real people, etc. I had no idea that things were so desperately bleak in Poland during WWII- obviously I knew it was no picnic, but this was eye opening, without a doubt. I absolutely encourage anyone who is interested in historical fiction to check this out. You’ll feel deeply for the characters, and you’ll likely find yourself immersed in learning about a whole new side of the war.

Bottom Line: Another stunning example of why the US needs to do better when teaching history, I had my eyes open by this lovely novel exploring the atrocities that not only two young men, but an entire country faced while simultaneously being engaged in a world war.

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The Assignment by Liza M. Wiemer
Published by Delacorte Press on August 25, 2020
Pages: 312
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

In the vein of the classic The Wave and inspired by a real-life incident, this riveting novel explores discrimination and antisemitism and reveals their dangerous impact.

SENIOR YEAR. When an assignment given by a favorite teacher instructs a group of students to argue for the Final Solution, a euphemism used to describe the Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jewish people, Logan March and Cade Crawford are horrified. Their teacher cannot seriously expect anyone to complete an assignment that fuels intolerance and discrimination.

Logan and Cade decide they must take a stand. As the school administration addressed the teens' refusal to participate in the appalling debate, the student body, their parents, and the larger community are forced to face the issue as well. The situation explodes, and acrimony and anger result. What does it take for tolerance, justice, and love to prevail?

The Assignment is such a powerful novel that beautifully illustrates the importance of history, and the even bigger importance of not repeating the mistakes of the past. I thought that the author handled this issue in a way that was not only very sensitive, but very believable. And since it was based on a true story, which the author speaks about in her note, she absolutely does it justice.

See, when the titular assignment is given, it’s given by a very beloved, and usually socially aware teacher. As such, his words seem to hold more meaning to the class, who as a whole are hesitant to call him out on the straight up awfulness of the assignment. Logan and Cade are completely disgusted and aware of how messed up this whole thing is, but they’re not really sure how to handle it. Again, the author does a fabulous job of making it feel so realistic and authentic to how actual students would likely react.

The teacher and principal are not particularly willing to listen to the students’ concerns, which is obviously infuriating to both the reader and Logan and Cade. So, they come up with their own plans! They seek outside help (which is really smart, tbh, and something I applauded), and they also were driven to look more deeply into their own histories. I don’t want to get into it too much, because spoilers, but I loved that part so much. There were feels and tears, as both the characters and readers were able to explore past and present colliding.

While there were maybe a few two many character points-of-view for me to keep straight, I wholly enjoyed this story for both its necessity, and the story itself. Frankly, we can use more hopeful stories where we show that a handful of people can make positive societal changes. Especially in our current landscape.

Bottom Line: A beautifully written reminder of why we must stand up for what we know is right, stand up against the mistakes of the past, and that no matter the struggle ahead, it’s always, always worth doing.

Clearly, this is not the only current example of how we must not allow history to repeat itself, but it’s certainly an important one. Have you ever had such an assignment? Did you know about this aspect of WWII? Let’s talk!