The Last Year of the War

The Last Year of the War follows Elise Sontag, a teenage girl growing up in Iowa during World War II as the American-born daughter of German immigrants. Her life changes when her father is arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer, leading to her family's forced relocation to an internment camp in Texas. At the Crystal City camp, Elise forms an intense friendship with Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles whose family faces similar circumstances. Their bond strengthens as they navigate the challenges of detention, discrimination, and discovering their identities between two cultures. Through dual timelines, the narrative moves between Elise's wartime experiences and her present-day life as she searches for closure and connection. The story spans from American internment camps to war-torn Germany, where Elise's family is eventually deported. The novel examines themes of loyalty, belonging, and the impact of war on civilian lives. Through its focus on little-known aspects of American wartime history, the book raises questions about nationalism, prejudice, and the meaning of home.

Readers found the book highlighted a lesser-known aspect of WWII history through its portrayal of Japanese and German American internment camps. The dual-timeline structure and historical details resonated with many readers. Readers appreciated: - Deep research into internment camp conditions - The friendship between Elise and Mariko - Connection between past and present storylines - Focus on civilian impact rather than battlefield events Common criticisms: - Slow pacing in the first third - Too much focus on present-day timeline - Some found the ending rushed - Several readers noted historical inaccuracies Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (23,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (2,800+ ratings) BookBrowse: 4/5 Reader comments often mention emotional impact: "Made me cry multiple times" and "Changed how I view this period of history." Multiple readers noted they hadn't known about German American internment camps before reading this book.

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🔹 While the main characters are fictional, the Crystal City internment camp in Texas was a real facility that held German, Japanese, and Italian Americans during WWII. It was the only internment camp that allowed families to stay together. 🔹 Author Susan Meissner was inspired to write this story after learning about the U.S. government's prisoner exchange program during WWII, where some German American families were sent back to Germany in exchange for Americans trapped behind enemy lines. 🔹 The book highlights a lesser-known aspect of WWII history - approximately 11,000 German Americans were interned in the United States during the war, compared to 120,000 Japanese Americans. 🔹 Susan Meissner worked as a newspaper reporter before becoming a novelist, and her journalism background influences her meticulous historical research process for each book she writes. 🔹 The friendship between German American Elise and Japanese American Mariko reflects real cultural bonds that formed in Crystal City, where internees from different backgrounds found common ground in their shared circumstances.