Jennifer Ryan

Jennifer Ryan grew up in Britain and moved to Washington, DC fifteen years ago. Previously a non-fiction book editor, she now writes novels set in Second World War Britain and inspired by her grandmother’s stories of the war.

Her second novel, The Spies of Shilling Lane, tells the tale of a woman who heads into the London Blitz to see her daughter, only to find her missing.

Recently I asked Ryan about what she was reading. Her reply:

I recently read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, and even though I was afraid that it was going to be incredibly harrowing, I found it heartfelt, inspiring, and even upbeat.

The story is based on the life of a Jewish Slovakian man who was transported to Auschwitz early in the Second World War. There he is taken under the wing of the tattooist to be a junior, a job which allows him privileges and extra rations. Then he meets a young woman and falls in love.

I was utterly gripped by this book. The characters leaped off the page and stayed in my heart well after I finished. I learned more about the era and the horrors they endured, but more than that, I was inspired by how human nature withstands and overcomes the horrific realities. It was incredibly moving.

Visit Jennifer Ryan's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Spies of Shilling Lane.

--Marshal Zeringue