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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   3529 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 26, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

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I seek recommendations for a book about WWII for my son. He's 8 years old and is an advanced reader... he hasn't read much text targeted for adults but sucks down 500-page young adult fantasy novels on a day.

We watched a documentary about FDR and now he wants to learn about World War II. I think what I seek is something non-fiction targeted to adults but also targeted to popular consumption -- not something super dry but something a bit more meaty than a fantasy novel.

Alternatively, good fiction that's not just super depressing could be interesting as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Horrible Histories entry when I was in primary school: https://www.amazon.com/Woeful-Second-World-Horrible-Histories/dp/1407163914

Despite the funny illustrations, it's remarkably unsanitised for a children's book. I think this is actually where I first learned what the Holocaust was. There's a chapter going into detail about the moral ambiguity of the conflict, pointing out that, while the Nazis were obviously evil, the Allies did some pretty questionable things too, such as the firebombing of Dresden. Surprisingly confrontational given the intended demographic.

These books made me better at British history than 99.9% of American middle schoolers. The Slimy Stuarts stands out as an especially entertaining entry.

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