Popular European Biography Books

Find biography books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (154)

111.

The Bosnia List : A Memoir of War, Exile, and Return by Kenan Trebincevic, Susan Shapiro EN

0 Ratings
Description:
A young survivor of the Bosnian War returns to his homeland to confront the people who betrayed his family. The story behind the YA novel World in Between: Based on a True Refugee Story. At age eleven, Kenan Trebincevic was a happy, karate-loving kid living with his family in the quiet Eastern European town of Brcko. Then, in the spring of 1992, war broke out and his friends, neighbors and teammates all turned on him. Pero - Kenan's beloved karate coach - showed up at his door with an AK-47 - screaming: "You have one hour to leave or be killed!" Kenan’s only crime: he was Muslim. This poignant... continue

112.

The Boy Between Worlds : A Biography by Annejet van der Zijl EN

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Country: Europe / Netherlands flag Netherlands
Description:
From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of An American Princess comes the true story of an unconventional family divided by war and prejudice during WWII. When they fell in love in 1928, Rika and Waldemar could not have been more different. She was a thirty-seven-year-old Dutch-born mother, estranged from her husband. He was her immigrant boarder, not yet twenty, and a wealthy Surinamese descendant of slaves. The child they have together, brown skinned and blue eyed, brings the couple great joy yet raises some eyebrows. Until the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands explodes their promising li... continue

113.

The Choice : Embrace the Possible by Edith Eva Eger, Esmé Schwall Weigand EN

Rating: 5 (2 votes)
Country: Europe / Hungary flag Hungary
Description:
A powerful, moving memoir, and a practical guide to healing, written by Dr. Edie Eger, an eminent psychologist whose own experiences as a Holocaust survivor help her treat patients suffering from traumatic stress disorders.

114.

The Communist's Daughter : A 'remarkably Powerful' Novel Set in East Berlin by Aroa Moreno Durán EN

Rating: 3 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / Spain flag Spain
Description:
'[I was] completely transported . . . so sparely and yet vividly told' Clare Chambers Winner of the Premio Ojo Crítico Katia has grown up amongst the ruins of the once mighty Berlin, now shattered by Allied bombs. In their tiny, freezing flat, Katia's father teaches her of the righteousness of the new Soviet republic, who will always keep watch over them. As a young woman, a chance encounter with a man from the west causes Katia to realise there might be more to life on the other side of the wall. But blinded by the first blush of love, she fails to understand that it's not what lies ahead, bu... continue

115.

The Description of the World by Marco Polo EN

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Country: Europe / Italy flag Italy
Description:
Composed in a prison cell in 1298 by Venetian merchant Marco Polo and Arthurian romance writer Rustichello of Pisa, The Description of the World relates Polo's experiences in Asia and at the court of Qubilai, the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. In addition to a new translation based on the Franco-Italian "F" manuscript of Polo's text, this edition includes genealogies of the Mongol rulers and nine maps of Polo's journey, as well as thorough annotation and an extensive bibliography.

116.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank EN

Rating: 4 (100 votes)
Country: Europe / Germany flag Germany
Description:
A timeless story rediscovered by each new generation. The Diary of a Young Girl stands without peer. For both young readers and adults it continues to bring to life this young woman, who for a time survived the worst horror the modern world had seen - and who remained triumphantly and heartbreakingly human throughout her ordeal. For those who know and love Anne Frank, The Definitive Edition is a chance to discover her anew. For readers who have not yet encountered her, this is the edition to cherish.

117.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly : A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby EN

Rating: 4 (4 votes)
Country: Europe / France flag France
Description:
A triumphant memoir by the former editor-in-chief of French Elle that reveals an indomitable spirit and celebrates the liberating power of consciousness. In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young children, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to... continue

118.

the doll by Ismail Kadare EN

Rating: 3 (4 votes)
Country: Europe / Albania flag Albania
Description:
Young Ismail's world centres around his mother. Naïve and fragile as a paper doll, she is an unlikely presence in her husband's imposing house, with its hidden rooms and infamous dungeon. Yet despite her youthful nature, she is not without her own enigmas. Most of all, she fears that her intellectual, radical son will exchange her for a superior mother when he becomes a famous writer. From the winner of the first ever Man Booker International Prize, this is a disarming story of home and creative ambition, of personal and political freedom. Rooted in the author's own childhood in Albania, it is... continue

119.

The Dragon Empress : Life and Times of Tz'u-hsi, Empress Dowager of China, 1835-1908 by Marina Warner EN

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Description:
Reveals the influence of the Chinese empress' personality and obsession for power on her reign and relationship with various countries

120.

The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / Lithuania flag Lithuania
Description:
War. The true story of a young girl's incredible war-time years in exile in Siberia, told without bitterness and set down in a remarkably compelling and wholly unforgettable narrative.