The Willow Wren
By: Phillip Schott
Release date: March 23rd 2021
Review Written By: Emma - Grade 9
Rating: 5 star
The Willow Wren is a historical non-fiction book based in World War II, Nazi Germany. The author, Phillip Schott wrote this book so well you felt like you were in the story which in my perspective is every authors goal. This novel is all about living throughout the war time in Nazi, Germany. Phillip Schott’s father, Ludwig was just a young boy when the story took place and we follow him as well as his family, before, during and after the war. Ludwig’s father was also part of The Nazi party and became a high-ranking Nazi throughout the course of the war. We learn about the different lifestyle of a German family throughout the novel. During the Cold War we learned about the different dynamics and economics of each of the occupied zones. The two occupied zones this novel focuses on are the Russians and the British zones, these two had major differences. The Russian zone was not as focussed on the German people meaning the economy was low and the people were not treated fairly. As for the British side they were focussed on helping the people of Germany with food rations, the economy, etc. It was also quite difficult to cross the zone lines because they were run by two different places. In “The Willow Wren” we learn how the family is split between these two zones and how they find their way back to each other. I would give this book a five star rating because it was very in-depth and factual, for history buff like myself it was a fun read and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who is into history of wars especially World War II. My favourite part about this book was the ending when Philip Schott the author updated us on his life and his family. He summarized and ended the book well, with no unanswered questions.