“I Will Tell You No Lies”
Book Club Review
Hook: have you ever had to keep secrets?
Book Information:
Title: I Will Tell You No Lies
Author: Amanda McCrina
Year of Publication: 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction
Brief Overview: A story that takes place in and during the Cold War.
Thesis Statement: When looking at I'll Tell You No Lies closely, we see a young woman's experience in the Cold War and how she navigated her way throughout it.
Main Plot/Content: The book starts on an air force base in West Berlin (before the Iron Curtain had fallen
The main character in this story is Shelby Blaine, the daughter of a very important US spy
Historical Context: The main character's dad was a spy for the United States Air Force during the Cold War.
Strengths of the Book: The author did a great job demonstrating what life would've been like in the time period and describing the family's emotions.
Historical Accuracy/Research: Yes, it was, such as what life was like during that time in Berlin.
Writing Style: In my opinion, the style of writing was very good and allowed for a very clear and concise story to be told
Perspective/Insight: yes, it brought me a new prospective on people who were living in the US and Germany during that time.
Impact/Emotion: This book definitely struck a chord in me. It was a very deep and sad story.
Weaknesses of the Book (if any): In my opinion, the book was very strong and couldn't have been improved.
Bias: Yes, the author was definitely writing in favor of the United States
Lack of Detail: It felt like this book was very well written and wasn't lacking in any parts.
Clarity/Organization: No, it was very readable and easy to understand.
Engagement: No, it was all easy to read.
Supporting Evidence: because there was always things building up to the climax.
Relevance to the Topic: This book very effectivley builds up the story of this family in the cold war in a very good way.
What You Learned: It taught me and gave me a much deeper understanding of this time period.
Impact on Your Understanding: it deepened my understanding of WW1 very much because it gave me a story from a different perspective.
Emotional Response: The book makes me feel very sad because of how the storyline comes to a close.
Recommendation:
I would reccomend this book to any students who are interested in learning more about the Cold War period because it is a great story and does a really good job teaching more about this time period
Restate Thesis: Everyone grows up in life at one point or another but everyone's experience in order to grow up is different, when looking at Ill Tell You No Lies we see Shelby grow up in the cold war and we get her experience for ourselves
Final Thoughts: I think this book offers great value and is a really good story.
Overall Rating (Optional): I would highly recommend this book to anyone who was interested in this time period because it