09/08/2026
Avoca Public Library September staff pick, by Pam Paulson:
My staff pick for September is yet another historical fiction that takes place during WWII. But give it a chance—it offers something new! (At least it was new to me.) The Sunflower House, by Adriana Allegri, shows the strength and courage of people facing terrible circumstances during the Holocaust. It gives a personal look at what life was like during this period and shows the importance of hope, friendship, and standing up against cruelty. The story is meaningful because it reminds us that even in the darkest situations, people can find ways to survive and keep their humanity. Reading this book helped me learn about an important part of history.
While the main character, Allina Strauss, and the town of Badensburg are fictional, the events described reflect the very real, systematic terror tactics used by the N**i regime, particularly the SS, across occupied Europe. The Hochland Home is also a fictional place based on a real institution in Steinhöring, Germany, that developed the N**i eugenics operation and specifically Heinrich Himmler’s Lebensborn (LAY-buhns-born) program. The name means Fountian of Life, and the program was a secret, state-registered association and eugenics program founded in N**i Germany in 1935.
I hope you find this book as entertaining and educational as I did. Stop by and check it out in regular or large print!
