It's Friday. I'm Chloe Valtman here with NPR's Book of the Day podcast. On deck today, a pair of

novels both related to the Second World War. Luis Alberto Urrea's Goodnight Irene and the postcard by

Anne Berest have another thing in common. They're both based on real-life characters and events.

In a bit, we'll hear more about Urrea's intriguing book,

inspired by his mother's contribution to a little-known piece of wartime history. She was part of a core of women, widely known as the Donut Dollies,

who drove around dispensing treats and good vibes to American troops.

Up first, though, a conversation

between NPR's Scott Simon and Anne Barest, the author of a moving and powerful novel,

originally written in French, that traces the author's family history to the Holocaust.

Berest tells Simon that even though the postcard is based on real-life events, she calls her book, quote,

a true novel because it contains some fictionalized details. The author says she didn't use

real names of people whose behaviour led to suffering during the war because she doesn't want

their living descendants to face repercussions. Here's Scott Simon. In the US.S., national security news can feel far away from

daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors. On our new show,

Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

An unsigned postcard arrives at the Brestome in Paris in January of 2003.

A photo of the opera garnier is on the front, on the back, no message, just four

names written in ballpoint pen, Yvram, Emma, Noemi, and Jacques. The names were of writer

Anne Bérez, maternal great-grandparents, and their children who had died in Auschwitz.

But it takes 16 more years for her to try to find out who sent that postcard and why and what

...