Book cover of After the War

Book description

"Didn't the gas ovens finish you all off?" is the response that meets Ruth Mendenberg when she returns to her village in Poland after the liberation of Buchenwald at the end of World War II. Her entire family wiped out in the Holocaust, the fifteen-year-old girl has nowhere to go.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked After the War as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I like this book because it shows in an exciting and engaging way, that a war is not over, just because it is declared to be over. For many survivors, such as Ruth Mendenberg, it is the beginning of a new war in which they fight to re-establish their identity and their right to a place to call home once again.

From Kathy's list on youth during the Holocaust.

If you love After the War...

Book cover of Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander

Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander by Christian Hurst,

When seventeen-year-old Lily Starling is found in San Francisco with no memory of who she is, her search for answers pulls her into a future she never imagined. Taken aboard the Union starship Salamander, she becomes entangled in a mission that will test the limits of identity, loyalty, and courage.

Want books like After the War?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like After the War.

Browse books like After the War

Book cover of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Book cover of The Book Thief
Book cover of I Am David

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,366

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like After the War, you might also like...

Book cover of Marvelous Jackson

Marvelous Jackson by Laura Anne Bird,

Since losing his mom, thirteen-year-old Jack Wilson has spent most of his time seeing just how much trouble he can get away with so that he feels like a winner at something. But he takes his mischief too far and is faced with the possibility of unbearable consequences. He…

Book cover of THE END - Alpha

THE END - Alpha by Aaron Ryan,

When a man with power believes he's God, mankind doesn't have a prayer.

In a world ravaged by chaos and despair, where faith itself is under siege, one man’s thirst for power threatens to plunge humanity into darkness. 

The End: Alpha thrusts readers into the year 2113, where Constantine…

5 book lists we think you will like!