Broken Songs By Graziella Hlawaty

Like all good historical novels, Broken Songs reveals what it was like for ordinary people to live through the great events of the history books. Through the eyes of the mostly apolitical fifteen-year-old protagonist we experience the songs and flags, the radio propaganda of the last year of World War II; frequent air raids, people taking shelter in the catacombs and emerging each time to assess the damage and see survivors digging bodies out of the rubble, often with their bare hands. In spite of her harsh and punitive mother, who thrusts too much responsibility for her younger half-brothers on her, there are moments of happiness, as friends and neighbors are obliged to incorporate extraordinary experiences into their daily routine.