The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany
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- Create Date：2021-05-07 18:31:19
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- Author：Gwen Strauss
- ISBN：125023929X
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Summary
The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky， who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris。
The nine women were all under thirty when they joined the resistance。 They smuggled arms through Europe， harbored parachuting agents， coordinated communications between regional sectors， trekked escape routes to Spain and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments。 They were arrested by French police， interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo。 They were subjected to a series of French prisons and deported to Germany。 The group formed along the way， meeting at different points， in prison， in transit， and at Ravensbrück。 By the time they were enslaved at the labor camp in Leipzig， they were a close-knit group of friends。 During the final days of the war， forced onto a death march， the nine chose their moment and made a daring escape。
Drawing on incredible research， this powerful， heart-stopping narrative from Gwen Strauss is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times。
The nine women were all under thirty when they joined the resistance。 They smuggled arms through Europe， harbored parachuting agents， coordinated communications between regional sectors， trekked escape routes to Spain and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments。 They were arrested by French police， interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo。 They were subjected to a series of French prisons and deported to Germany。 The group formed along the way， meeting at different points， in prison， in transit， and at Ravensbrück。 By the time they were enslaved at the labor camp in Leipzig， they were a close-knit group of friends。 During the final days of the war， forced onto a death march， the nine chose their moment and made a daring escape。
Drawing on incredible research， this powerful， heart-stopping narrative from Gwen Strauss is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times。
Reviews
Gail
，
The narrator Juliet Stevenson was very good。 She made the story real with great intonation。 It must have been a hard story to narrate。 I would definitely look for other books narrated by her。The tenacity of the nine women who banded together and escaped to freedom is a powerful story。 They had followed their heart and worked for the resistance and helped save many lives。 The Gestapo tortured， beat and raped these women to within a thread of their lives。 It’s a powerful story and the WWII atrocit The narrator Juliet Stevenson was very good。 She made the story real with great intonation。 It must have been a hard story to narrate。 I would definitely look for other books narrated by her。The tenacity of the nine women who banded together and escaped to freedom is a powerful story。 They had followed their heart and worked for the resistance and helped save many lives。 The Gestapo tortured， beat and raped these women to within a thread of their lives。 It’s a powerful story and the WWII atrocities must never be forgotten。 I can’t say that I enjoyed the book but it was a solid five star for me。 There were parts of the book that were very hard to read and imagine that these women had to endure these trials at that young an age。Thanks to Macmillan Audio production from St。 Martin’s Press 。。。more
twintastic
，
This work of nonfiction tells the true story of 9 courageous women - 6 French， 2 Dutch， 1 Spanish - who escaped a death march during the final days of World War II and survived a ten-day journey across the front lines with one goal in mind: freedom。 。。。 I am speechless。 There are no words sufficient to describe the horrors， atrocities， and injustices this group of nine women witnessed and faced。 All of the women risked their lives as part of the Resistance， which resulted in them being arrested， This work of nonfiction tells the true story of 9 courageous women - 6 French， 2 Dutch， 1 Spanish - who escaped a death march during the final days of World War II and survived a ten-day journey across the front lines with one goal in mind: freedom。 。。。 I am speechless。 There are no words sufficient to describe the horrors， atrocities， and injustices this group of nine women witnessed and faced。 All of the women risked their lives as part of the Resistance， which resulted in them being arrested， interrogated， tortured， and deported to Ravensbrück， a German concentration camp。 The story of The Nine's escape is so engrossing that at times I almost forgot it was nonfiction。 I have read several books about the Holocaust， but this book in particular touched me in ways I can’t even describe。 Thank you Gwen Strauss for writing this book and for bringing to light the incredible story of The Nine。 I found it incredibly powerful to read about their emphasis on female friendship during the darkest of times。 The Nine truly embodied bravery， determination， and resiliency。 I may not have known these women， but their stories will not be forgotten。Thank you St。 Martin's Press and BookishFirst for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Valerie in Nebraska
，
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [and women] to do nothing" - Edmund BurkeThe Nine by Gwen Strauss is the true story of the author's great aunt Helene Podliasky who led a group of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a Nazi labor camp and survived a nine-day journey across the front lines from Germany to Paris。 These young women were "nine who didn't want to die， and who fought together to return to life。" Diverse in many ways （6 were French， 2 Dutch， "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [and women] to do nothing" - Edmund BurkeThe Nine by Gwen Strauss is the true story of the author's great aunt Helene Podliasky who led a group of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a Nazi labor camp and survived a nine-day journey across the front lines from Germany to Paris。 These young women were "nine who didn't want to die， and who fought together to return to life。" Diverse in many ways （6 were French， 2 Dutch， and 1 Spanish）， they were united in their will to defeat the Nazis， help others， and survive。The Nine is primarily focused on their capture， imprisonment， and harrowing journey to freedom， which is far from over once they reach French soil。 It also includes information about the women's lives before and after WWII as well as the author's 10 years of research to identify and learn about other members of The Nine。I appreciated the photos in the print version， and Juliet Stevenson's narration of the audiobook， especially her fluid pronunciation of many French and German words and phrases， was excellent。 The audio production wasn't as polished as some I've enjoyed but that helped me stay in the non-fiction mindset。Reading books like this always cause me to wonder if I would have the bravery to put my life at risk by joining an underground resistance movement。 Thank you Gwen Strauss for sharing the experiences of your great aunt Helene and her dear friends and to St。 Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the review copies。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Linda McCutcheon
，
"We are only a group of women， meaning no harm。。。We don't understand war。 It's not our business。 We are just lost。 Just women。"Helene uses these words to trick the police after her and the others escape from their death march。 In the non fiction The Nine by Gwen Strauss we read first hand accounts of how these brave， resilient and fierce nine young women， all in their 20s， join the resistance in WWII against Hitler， smuggle arms， hide wanted resistant leaders， find safe routes to escape the Gest "We are only a group of women， meaning no harm。。。We don't understand war。 It's not our business。 We are just lost。 Just women。"Helene uses these words to trick the police after her and the others escape from their death march。 In the non fiction The Nine by Gwen Strauss we read first hand accounts of how these brave， resilient and fierce nine young women， all in their 20s， join the resistance in WWII against Hitler， smuggle arms， hide wanted resistant leaders， find safe routes to escape the Gestapo， hide Jewish children and even when are prisoners find ways to sabotage a munition factory。The author is the grand niece of Helene and was able to do intense exhaustive interviews and gather the truth of these women's heroism， the lives they saved and， unfortunately， the vicious torture and abuse they suffered at the hands of their captors。We also learn the aftermath of this war on Helene， Nicole， Jacky， Zaza， Lon， Guigui， Zinka， Mena and Josee。 The PTSD of being a survivor of the Holocaust and how it effects the generations of these survivors is something that needs to be understood by everyone。I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson。 Hearing her speak the words of these remarkable women was one of the most awe inspiring book experiences of my life。The Nine reads like an historical fiction novel which is a testament to the author。 There is a great deal to cover about The Nine and it was overwhelming and disjointed at times but nonetheless an achievement in WWII history。 This is the one book I wholeheartedly recommend to all WWII history buffs whether you read fiction or non fiction。I received a free copy of this book and audiobook from the publishers for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Janet
，
Although I thought the intention of the author was admirable， to bring to light the lives of some of the heroic people less likely to be remembered by history， I felt the execution of the book was flawed。 To try to do justice to the lives and wartime experiences of nine different women was just too broad a scope。 The first 40% held my interest most of the time， but after that it became work to continue on and I had to force myself to read on。 I can understand to some extent why the author was te Although I thought the intention of the author was admirable， to bring to light the lives of some of the heroic people less likely to be remembered by history， I felt the execution of the book was flawed。 To try to do justice to the lives and wartime experiences of nine different women was just too broad a scope。 The first 40% held my interest most of the time， but after that it became work to continue on and I had to force myself to read on。 I can understand to some extent why the author was tempted to include so much detail about all of these women， as their lives were certainly extraordinary， but in my opinion， it would have been better to focus on one or two of them。 By halfway through， I had stopped differentiating between the women or frankly caring much。 I was just overwhelmed by information overload。 Of course the content was also very dark， a reminder of the unspeakable cruelty that people are capable of。 This added to the difficulty of pushing through this difficult read。 As much as I would like to see the stories of these unsung heroes told， I can’t recommend this book。 There are many other books that chronicle the extraordinary heroism of resistance fighters of World War I that are readable and entertaining as well as informative， and these， in my opinion， deserve attention more than this one。 。。。more
Carol Perreault
，
I really could not read any more than about 30% of this book。 It was dry。 It was not something that I could get into。
Tina
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DNF at Page 62
Homerun2
，
4。5 starsThis is an account of the author's great aunt's WWII experiences as a French resistance fighter who ended up in a German concentration camp。 She and eight other women formed a fierce friendship and escaped together toward the end of the war， finally making their way back to France。Exhaustively researched， the historical facts are compelling。 But the emotional history is equally fierce and brutal。 The stories from the camps are mind-numbingly abhorrent and yet these women survived， mainl 4。5 starsThis is an account of the author's great aunt's WWII experiences as a French resistance fighter who ended up in a German concentration camp。 She and eight other women formed a fierce friendship and escaped together toward the end of the war， finally making their way back to France。Exhaustively researched， the historical facts are compelling。 But the emotional history is equally fierce and brutal。 The stories from the camps are mind-numbingly abhorrent and yet these women survived， mainly due to their strong bond and loyalty。This was not an easy or pleasant read， but it feels important to witness these testimonies。 The author also speaks in one section about rape during wartime。 I had not known about the U。S。 military statistics on rape committed by U。S。 soldiers and the evident overwhelming racial bias there。 Almost all of the soldiers executed for rape were Black -- when only 10% of the troops were Black。 Perhaps the most haunting part of the story was the "liberation" and return of these women to France。 They were like so many returning warriors -- they didn't fit in any more， and they did not speak of their burdens to others。 The author discusses the passing of this psychological trauma through subsequent generations。An important book， with a sorrowful legacy。 Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Deb
，
The Nine by Gwen StraussBy now， most of us have read a book or two on the Holocaust。 This book centers on nine young women who formed a very strong bond in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp。 The usual forms of punishment and cruelty at the camp are described。 Skeletal， hungry and barely clothed， the nine managed to get away during a forced march under armed guards。 Hélène was more or less the ring leader and cheerleader of the group， and as such， was the most prominent in the story。 Taken prisoner The Nine by Gwen StraussBy now， most of us have read a book or two on the Holocaust。 This book centers on nine young women who formed a very strong bond in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp。 The usual forms of punishment and cruelty at the camp are described。 Skeletal， hungry and barely clothed， the nine managed to get away during a forced march under armed guards。 Hélène was more or less the ring leader and cheerleader of the group， and as such， was the most prominent in the story。 Taken prisoner in 1944 for her work in the French resistance， she insisted the group keep moving ahead to find the Americans at the front， begging for help along the way。 The story continues to follow the lives of these nine women from after their rescue， through their lives re established， to reunions and their deaths-most of old age。 Thanks to St Martin’s Press and Net Galley for my ARC。 。。。more
Lauren
，
This is the true story of nine incredible women who escaped together from Nazi Germany after time spent in prisoner camps and a final death march as the Allies approached。 The story being told is amazing， and I feel so privileged to have read it and learned what the nine women and their descendants shared about their experiences as prisoners and their escape。 Each woman was an amazing person who worked with the resistance during the war。My favorite parts of the book were those that documented th This is the true story of nine incredible women who escaped together from Nazi Germany after time spent in prisoner camps and a final death march as the Allies approached。 The story being told is amazing， and I feel so privileged to have read it and learned what the nine women and their descendants shared about their experiences as prisoners and their escape。 Each woman was an amazing person who worked with the resistance during the war。My favorite parts of the book were those that documented the history and used the women's own words。 The book was well researched drawing from interviews and a variety of documents。 However， much of the weaving in of how and when interviews were done felt distracting from the potential power of this book。 The author's great aunt was one of the nine women， and the author regularly spoke about herself and her process of research。 Additionally， although the books was largely chronological， most chapters had one of the nine women's name attached， but that didn't consistently match to the contents of the chapter。 I would have preferred a more consistent chronology over the organizational pattern chosen。The underlying story of these nine women deserves a large audience and powerful retelling。 I learned more about the death marches than I had from previous nonfiction I have read。 I also found the discussion of the hierarchies amongst the prisoners quite insightful。Thank you to the publisher and BookishFirst for this advanced copy to read。 All opinions are my own。3。5/5 stars rounded up 。。。more
Donna
，
A definite must read book about a group of powerful and resilient women。
pawsandpagesbyannie
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The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen StraussNarrated by Juliet StevensonPublication Date: May 4， 2021。Description from NetGalley。。。“The nine women were all under thirty when they joined the resistance。 They smuggled arms through Europe， harbored parachuting agents， coordinated communications between regional sectors， trekked escape routes to Spain and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments。 They were arrested by French police， interrogat The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen StraussNarrated by Juliet StevensonPublication Date: May 4， 2021。Description from NetGalley。。。“The nine women were all under thirty when they joined the resistance。 They smuggled arms through Europe， harbored parachuting agents， coordinated communications between regional sectors， trekked escape routes to Spain and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments。 They were arrested by French police， interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo。 They were subjected to a series of French prisons and deported to Germany。 The group formed along the way， meeting at different points， in prison， in transit， and at Ravensbrück。 By the time they were enslaved at the labor camp in Leipzig， they were a close-knit group of friends。 During the final days of the war， forced onto a death march， the nine chose their moment and made a daring escape。”。Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan。audio @stmartinspress for the ALC in return for my honest review。 。My thoughts。。。Read this book！ It’s a history book， but the way it was laid out it felt like you were listening to a historical fiction。 Which made it easier to listen to。 The narrator was great and the book was unbelievable in every sense of the word。 The book followed the story of Gwen Strauss’ （author） great aunt Hélène Podliasky。 Hélène led a band of nine women resistance fighters as they escaped a labour camp。 Not only do we hear the stories of The Nine， but how Strauss researched and played detective to actually bring us their stories。 Strauss was not graphic， but there was enough here about the interrogation and torture the women suffered。 This was powerful， hard to listen at times， heartbreaking， heart-palpitation read that will open your eyes to the strength of humanity。 。。。more
Lea Rummel
，
I don't typically read very many history books but I am so fascinated about the resistance in WWII Germany。 It was so amazing to read about the bravery and persistence of these nine women during the war。 This read like a novel the majority of the time。 I think that people who don't normally read history will love this！ I don't typically read very many history books but I am so fascinated about the resistance in WWII Germany。 It was so amazing to read about the bravery and persistence of these nine women during the war。 This read like a novel the majority of the time。 I think that people who don't normally read history will love this！ 。。。more
Kristen Perry
，
The Nine tells the stories of nine women that were part of the Nazi resistance。 Gwen Strauss does them a great justice by weaving in their past along with the atrocities they faced while in prison camps and their harrowing journey back to their homes。 It is heartbreaking to hear that once women POW's and Jewish survivors were then shunned because society and， sometimes their own families， thought they were soiled goods because they had been raped。 Accounts of WWII are so hard to read， but really The Nine tells the stories of nine women that were part of the Nazi resistance。 Gwen Strauss does them a great justice by weaving in their past along with the atrocities they faced while in prison camps and their harrowing journey back to their homes。 It is heartbreaking to hear that once women POW's and Jewish survivors were then shunned because society and， sometimes their own families， thought they were soiled goods because they had been raped。 Accounts of WWII are so hard to read， but really should be read to make sure society is aware of the horrors that occurred and everything with in our power as the human race to never let them happen again。 。。。more
Janall
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。Meticulously researched， this is the true story of nine women resistance fighters who after suffering for years in a Nazi concentration camp， manage to escape while on a death march in Germany。 Even as the war was turning， the nine were being sent deeper and deeper into Germany and away from liberation。The story starts with their daring escape， then flips back and forth between it and what th Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。Meticulously researched， this is the true story of nine women resistance fighters who after suffering for years in a Nazi concentration camp， manage to escape while on a death march in Germany。 Even as the war was turning， the nine were being sent deeper and deeper into Germany and away from liberation。The story starts with their daring escape， then flips back and forth between it and what the author was able to learn about the background of each of the woman and how they came to find one another。 The book also touches on a couple of subjects that I hadn’t heard before- 1） the rampant prejudice with in the camps towards other nationalities: Jews， the Roma people， prostitutes and homosexuals。 Sadly， these biases run deeper and wider than just with the Nazis。 2） The raping of the women prisoners and German citizens by the “liberating “ Soviet army。 Then there were the Americans who believed the propaganda that French women were all sexually free， and the invasion of Normandy and liberation of France earned them the rights to take the women as a prize。 This went almost unpunished， other than to blame it all on the few black GIs。 While the French men celebrated for their victory， no one wanted to give credit for the female resistance fighters who sacrificed so much for the war effort。 Instead， 100，000s of female survivors were shamed by their families for being ‘soiled’。 Caution this book shouldn’t be read before going to bed。 No matter what you know， what these women suffered was worse。 Their heartbreaking stories of torture， rape， humiliation， sickness， starvation， pointless cruelty take up most of the the book。 Though horrific， I think its our duty to “bear witness” to the bravery and suffering of these remarkable women。 While all of this was happening， many stood by and just watched- it wasn’t their problem。 We must never forget where prejudice and authortism will eventually take us。 。。。more
Michelle Taylor
，
With carefully researched detail and intermittent imaginings， Gwen Strauss introduces us to nine ordinary women who nonetheless lived extraordinary lives。 As members of the French Resistance in Nazi occupied France， they served their country and humanity in any way they could。 And as political prisoners in concentration camps， they defied the odds， even managing to escape just before the liberation。 Strauss chronicles the lives these women， one of whom is her Tante Helénè， with grace and underst With carefully researched detail and intermittent imaginings， Gwen Strauss introduces us to nine ordinary women who nonetheless lived extraordinary lives。 As members of the French Resistance in Nazi occupied France， they served their country and humanity in any way they could。 And as political prisoners in concentration camps， they defied the odds， even managing to escape just before the liberation。 Strauss chronicles the lives these women， one of whom is her Tante Helénè， with grace and understanding， giving us a glimpse into the lives of those who refused to be marginalized。I was absolutely riveted by the tale of the women’s escape， but the author also manages to intersperse this slightly fictionalized story with gritty and well-researched explanations of their lives and the world。 The way in which the story is presented is both informative and engrossing。 Each woman’s personality shines through as Strauss takes you on their journey。 Heartbreaking and immersive， it is an important reminder that bravery and tenacity in the face of horror can also mask great trauma。 And that the scars of that kind of hardship can be passed on。 Beautifully done。 Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the free copy。 These opinions are my own。 。。。more
Laura Kuhn
，
More than 75 years after VE day， World War II fiction and non-fiction continue to capture our hearts and minds。 _The Nine_ by Gwen Strauss provides us another window into this world。 I enjoyed the text because it focuses on a subject of this period， women and the war， that is still just beginning to be explored。tIf you are looking for a different exploration of the Nazi camps and the role of women in the war， this is the book for you。 Strauss uses her connection to her great-aunt to introduce us More than 75 years after VE day， World War II fiction and non-fiction continue to capture our hearts and minds。 _The Nine_ by Gwen Strauss provides us another window into this world。 I enjoyed the text because it focuses on a subject of this period， women and the war， that is still just beginning to be explored。tIf you are looking for a different exploration of the Nazi camps and the role of women in the war， this is the book for you。 Strauss uses her connection to her great-aunt to introduce us to a brave group of female French resistance fighters （Though not all are of French nationality， all work within the French system）。 She briefly covers their resistance work and their arrests and experiences in various Nazi camps。 Most of the book details their escape from their imprisonment and journey back to the Allies。 tThe text touches on the social/emotional impacts of both first and second-generation trauma。 This is an important topic and is especially relevant to women， who so often act as the emotional hearts and caretakers for their families。 The Nine does not shy away from the challenges these women face as they move beyond their heroic journey home。 Nor does it shy away from the impact those challenges have on the people in the lives of the Nine。tWhere I had some difficulty was in managing the chronology of the book as well as the characters。 The text often bounced from one character or time period to the next， and this was occasionally difficult to follow。 I would have appreciated more clarity in how the text was organized。 tMy other question is one of how to categorize the text。 I’d place it in non-fiction， but there are clearly parts where the author uses some poetic license to fill in the gaps that 75+ years have left。 I did very much appreciate that the author was clear when some blanks were filled in with speculation。 I appreciated the closure the author provides in that while there are necessarily unanswered questions， we know what happens to each of the Nine。tI am grateful to Netgalley for providing me a free electronic copy of the book which enabled my review。 。。。more
Darla
，
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that。 Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that。--Martin Luther KingNine women break away from a death march and strike off across Germany to reach the front and the American line。 This is their story。 Six were French， two were Dutch， and one was from Spain。 The author is a great-niece to Hélène， one of the French women。 All were working for some wing of the Resistance in Paris when arrested and sent to Ravensbruck。 Together they were Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that。 Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that。--Martin Luther KingNine women break away from a death march and strike off across Germany to reach the front and the American line。 This is their story。 Six were French， two were Dutch， and one was from Spain。 The author is a great-niece to Hélène， one of the French women。 All were working for some wing of the Resistance in Paris when arrested and sent to Ravensbruck。 Together they were sent to a Leipzig munitions factory and when that facility was evacuated， the women made their move。 This book tells of the struggles they had throughout their lives， especially on that journey。 Strauss includes a brief synopsis of each woman at the beginning and a map as well as a number of photos。 She spent five years putting the book together， often filling in gaps about one of the women by consulting with a new lead in another woman's family。 There are many brutal， uncomfortable details and the temptation is to look away， but the trauma remains。 Highlighting the contributions of these women lifts us all up， but especially those who have been overlooked。 Thank you to St。 Martins Press for sending me a paperback ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
Nine young women in their early 20’s escape a forced march and attempt a return to their lives in the Resistance of WWII。 Gwen Strauss is the niece of one of the women and tells their stories with remarkable ease and candor; their survival is magnificent， their struggle is horrifying。 There is nothing easy about reading this book。 Even memory creates incredible pain and terror so many years later。 May their memory be a blessing。 I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley。
Christy Martin
，
Gwen Strauss， author of "The Nine" tells a relevant story from World War II。 Her characters， all captives of the German Army， experience extreme hardship and conditions in this book。 It is well written and detailed in the events that surround their captivity and escape from harrowing conditions at the end of World War II。 I did get bogged down as the reader in trying to keep nine characters separate in my mind as their stories were all intertwined。 Thanks to #NetGalley#TheNine for the opportunit Gwen Strauss， author of "The Nine" tells a relevant story from World War II。 Her characters， all captives of the German Army， experience extreme hardship and conditions in this book。 It is well written and detailed in the events that surround their captivity and escape from harrowing conditions at the end of World War II。 I did get bogged down as the reader in trying to keep nine characters separate in my mind as their stories were all intertwined。 Thanks to #NetGalley#TheNine for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Zeb Kantrowitz
，
Near the end of WW2， the SS began marching those remaining prisoners in the Concentration Camps toward central Germany。 They weren't going to anywhere in particular， and the only orders the Guards had was to make sure they all died。 Why not just shoot them all or gas as many as they could before the war ended？ There is no rational explanation。The camp at Ravensbruck north of Berlin was a woman only camp。 It was made up mostly of French resistance， and political prisoners from the Vichy governmen Near the end of WW2， the SS began marching those remaining prisoners in the Concentration Camps toward central Germany。 They weren't going to anywhere in particular， and the only orders the Guards had was to make sure they all died。 Why not just shoot them all or gas as many as they could before the war ended？ There is no rational explanation。The camp at Ravensbruck north of Berlin was a woman only camp。 It was made up mostly of French resistance， and political prisoners from the Vichy government。 Later in the war woman from all over Europe were sent and used to make munitions for the Wehrmacht。 In April 1945， the woman were separated into different sections， and each marched off without preparations for food or water。 Those that couldn't walk were killed in the camp before the others were marched off。What makes this such a stunning book is that most of the woman had only been in the camp for under a year （the others had already died off） and knew the Americans and Russians were closing in on Germany。 They just had to hold on for a little while and they would be free。 For the SS this was 'sport' and they killed randomly and wantonly， so that even the Wehrmacht soldiers were afraid of them。 Not too many days after having been marched out of the camp， there were fewer and fewer guards。 On a foggy morning， these nine woman （six French， two Dutch and 1 Spaniard） decided to escape。They hid in a culvert next to the road and acted like they were all dead。 The guards never even saw them leave so after a while they realized they were alone。 They were in a field of flowers where they were able to fill their stomachs with flower petals， this was not protein but it was the best they had。 They determined to walk towards the west hoping to meet American troops。 Strauss creates a narrative with the history of each of the woman and how they were captured and then tells the story of their escape and about the rest of their lives。What makes this 'story' so amazing is how they would use their 'femininity' to find food and shelter but also used their toughness to bluff soldiers and local government workers into helping them。 They were adamant that they would never trade "their favors" for any help or to survive。 Though some of them were hailed as heroes， very soon they were pushed into the background。 The French only wanted to exploit the male heroes and so create a Resistance 'myth' that would be a counterweight to the 'truth' about the failure of the French Army at the beginning of the war。 。。。more
Kendra
，
I had high hopes for this book about nine women who had been arrested for their work with the resistance in WWII， and later escaped from a German march。 But it's poorly organized and full of anecdotes rather than a narrative， and often the anecdotes lead down rabbit holes of unrelated information。 I'd love to read it after it's been through a substantial developmental edit to make it more organized and understandable。 I had high hopes for this book about nine women who had been arrested for their work with the resistance in WWII， and later escaped from a German march。 But it's poorly organized and full of anecdotes rather than a narrative， and often the anecdotes lead down rabbit holes of unrelated information。 I'd love to read it after it's been through a substantial developmental edit to make it more organized and understandable。 。。。more
Sandra Beck
，
This is one book everyone should read I say make it a REQUIRED reading book in every school。 Haunting account of the real life events which give evidence to the horrid crimes and atrocity to so many。。。This is REAL。。and can happen again if we as Americans and foreigners alike do not stand up against anything close to the events pointed out here。GOD bless these few survivor's left。Have mercy on us Lord。Stop the movement of the same happening now if we allow it。 This is one book everyone should read I say make it a REQUIRED reading book in every school。 Haunting account of the real life events which give evidence to the horrid crimes and atrocity to so many。。。This is REAL。。and can happen again if we as Americans and foreigners alike do not stand up against anything close to the events pointed out here。GOD bless these few survivor's left。Have mercy on us Lord。Stop the movement of the same happening now if we allow it。 。。。more
Jacinta Carter
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As stated in this book， the war stories of women are often pushed aside to elevate the war stories of men。 Gwen Strauss decided to change that and set out to learn more about her aunt and the eight women who escaped with her from a death march between concentration camps。 This book includes so many details that are often left out of World War II books， because historians rarely give the suffering of women the attention it deserves。 The tortures these women endured were horrific and I had to stop As stated in this book， the war stories of women are often pushed aside to elevate the war stories of men。 Gwen Strauss decided to change that and set out to learn more about her aunt and the eight women who escaped with her from a death march between concentration camps。 This book includes so many details that are often left out of World War II books， because historians rarely give the suffering of women the attention it deserves。 The tortures these women endured were horrific and I had to stop reading and walk away from the book several times。 That being said， I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about World War II。 。。。more
Mallory
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This book was heavy and hard to read at times but so worth it。 I’ve read a lot of books about the horrors that happened to the Jewish people by the Nazis， but this was the first I read about what happened to those who helped to resist racism and also ended up in camps。 The nine women depicted in this book were extraordinary and I’m glad they was being recognized as heroes who suffered for the fight for freedom。 I loved that the largest focus of this story was how these 9 women who escaped from a This book was heavy and hard to read at times but so worth it。 I’ve read a lot of books about the horrors that happened to the Jewish people by the Nazis， but this was the first I read about what happened to those who helped to resist racism and also ended up in camps。 The nine women depicted in this book were extraordinary and I’m glad they was being recognized as heroes who suffered for the fight for freedom。 I loved that the largest focus of this story was how these 9 women who escaped from a death march and made their way across the front lines to find freedom for themselves。 Their bravery， compassion， and resilience was inspiring。 I liked that the author not only had her connection to one of the women who was her aunt but she tracked down family for the other women and the reader got to see at least a glimpse of what happened after they achieved their freedom。 。。。more
Melissa S
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Wow， this book。 It gave me all the feelings。 I'm amazed and devastated， inspired and horrified， heart-warmed and heartbroken all at the same time。 The Nine tells the true story of the author's great aunt Helene Podliasky， who led a group of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten day journey across the front lines of WWII to escape from Germany and return to Paris。 The women endured horrifying conditions and were working at an armaments factory i Wow， this book。 It gave me all the feelings。 I'm amazed and devastated， inspired and horrified， heart-warmed and heartbroken all at the same time。 The Nine tells the true story of the author's great aunt Helene Podliasky， who led a group of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten day journey across the front lines of WWII to escape from Germany and return to Paris。 The women endured horrifying conditions and were working at an armaments factory in HASAG Leipzig as the end of the war approached。 To keep prisoners from falling into Allied hands， the camp was evacuated into a death march across Germany。 The story opens during the death march when the women realized that there were no guards nearby。 They took their chance and fled。 From here the story moves among the women who made up The Nine。 In each chapter， the focus is on one of the woman and we learn about her background， how she joined the resistance and how she came to be imprisoned by the Germans。 I thought this was a very clever and engaging approach to telling their story。 This keeps the story fresh and interesting and fills in the context for the situations they encountered。 The author also includes herself in the story， how her research unfolded and incorporating her discoveries along this journey。 The story itself very moving and powerful。 The bravery and ingenuity of these women was amazing。 While reading this book， I never stopped being amazed。 Amazed by the bravery of these women， what they were willing to risk to be part of the Resistance， what they endured， what they were willing to risk for each other and for their freedom。 The author， Gwen Strauss， noted that her family was aware that her great-aunt Hele was highly decorated for her service in the war， but， like many families， her service was just something they never talked about。 It felt taboo。 On a lunch date with Gwen in 2002， Helene mentioned that she had escaped the Nazis with eight other women。 Astounded， Gwen asked to record an interview to get the full story。 Helene didn't see the point of sharing her story but agreed to do so regardless。 Gwen assumed that there would be more conversations in the future to fill in the details， but the follow up visits never occurred。 Later， when she began to write the Helene's story， she began to discover other books， interviews， articles and documentaries that were by or about some of the other women who made up The Nine， or about other women who were in the same camps。 Gwen drew upon and compiled all of this research， collaborating with other researchers where possible， visiting archives to dig deeper， and traveling throughout Germany and Europe to walk some of the same ground as the Nine。 I found the result to be amazing， that so much of their story could be tracked and recreated。 It's really a feat of tenacious and tireless research to have identified the women and found their histories so long after the fact。 Strauss is trained and educated as a poet - not as a writer of non-fiction or a historical researcher。 She undertook this project outside of her comfort zone and I think she hit a home run。 Her passion for unearthing and sharing the stories of these brave women shines through the pages。 This is despite forces in history working to hide and obscure the facts。 And those facts are sometimes difficult to read。 These are important stories for us to tell， for us to hear， and for us to remember。 Thank you to St。 Martin's Press， Bookish Firsts， Netgalley and Macmilliam Audio for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion。 I experienced this book as a dual read - I switched back and forth between the physical book and the audio。 The physical book is absolutely incredible - Strauss has obtained and included photographs of the women， some of their families， some of the camps， events and locations that were mentioned in the book and a map of the area where they traveled on their escape route。 The audiobook was equally amazing。 The narrator， Julie Stevens， was very good and I thought her voice was lovely and complimented the story beautifully。 There were a few parts that she even sang beautifully。 Really lovely audio to complement an incredible and moving story。 。。。more
Olivia Fink
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Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review。 What makes this story unique which I will warn you there are a lot， is that it isn’t only about the story of these nine women。 Parts of the story take us through step by step of the journey the nine went through but we also get to hear part of the story like the author is telling it to us。 We get to hear parts of her experience learning about her great aunt and the other 8 women。 So there is a family eleme Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review。 What makes this story unique which I will warn you there are a lot， is that it isn’t only about the story of these nine women。 Parts of the story take us through step by step of the journey the nine went through but we also get to hear part of the story like the author is telling it to us。 We get to hear parts of her experience learning about her great aunt and the other 8 women。 So there is a family element to the story because the author is related to one of the women。 We also get a detective element because Gwen had to do a lot of digging to find the names of some of the women， to learn about their past and their story， and to track down living relatives to hear their stories and experiences of these women。 I appreciate that the author didn’t write this as too graphic of a novel but also included enough for us to grasp the horrors of what they went through in the camps and even after。 There were a lot of things mentioned that I had never known before。 Like the author mentions in an interview she had， the stories of women were kind of put to the background and so hearing of what they went through just opened up a whole new realization of the tragic way that the Nazis treated other human beings。 But I also appreciate that the author includes in the story how not all Germans were bad。 Many had no idea what was happening。 Some were also treated very badly and tried to help the people imprisoned。 I think this is an important thing to remember as well when thinking and reading about the holocaust。There were many things that stood out to me in the audiobook version of this novel。 I have read a lot of audiobooks but I appreciated a few different things included in the audiobook。 The audio of the book included a recording of one of the people mentioned in the book actually singing， which is something you wouldn’t be able to experience when physically reading it。 I also liked how the narrator for the story sang parts of the novel when it was appropriate。 This made it so much more engaging because it often talks about how one of the women was asked to sing by the others and had a love for music。 I also enjoyed hearing an interview with the authors at the end of the audio recording。 I would highly recommend listening to this interview once you have finished the recording of the actual book。 The narration not only added a lot to the book with the singing numbers but also the voice was changed for each of the people in the story and added accents and tried to mimic their personality， the speed they would talk at， etc。And you can tell with this book that it took a lot of research and time for the author to gather the information to write this story and tell it in a way that won’t just depress us about what happened but also provide a sense of hope and joy in how they found companionship with each other。 This story is one of great courage， endurance， love， not only one filled with challenges and struggles。 I have nothing against their story as it took a lot of courage for Gwen’s aunt to tell her story and I am sure it will be very inspirational for all who hear it， the only reason I give it a four-star is that the narrative was a little jumpy。 It went back and forth。 It started by telling the background of one of the girls and telling up to how they started their escape then it would jump back and tell the story of another one of the women before picking up with their escape。 I have to say this isn’t an action-packed book。 It will take time to progress as a lot of it is just explaining the story of the nine women。 So it is different than what I typically read。 I mostly read actioned packed and faced-paced， but I really liked this change of speed and taking the time to hear about the nine women， the author's journey to discover their stories， and of their family。 Another problem， with no fault to the book was that I had a hard time keeping straight who each person was and I still don't know。 There were just a lot of people to keep track but it was nice that at the beginning of the book there is a list of the nine women and who each one was， but I couldn't refer back to it when listening， which is a downside of the audio version。 It was also nice to hear at the ending of the book how life turned out for the women to the best that the author could find。 Most storied end with them finding freedom but this one continues to tell you their life after and shines a light on the fact that they couldn’t just move on from what they had experienced。 It stayed with them and affected them for the rest of their lives。 It is hard to hear about the horrible things they endured but it definitely helped to show another side to the story and again showed me a lot of things I never knew before。 With lack of better words， it was a really good true story， would recommend reading。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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The Nine was a really good read。 It was inspirational and demonstrated the strength of the human will。 Just how much can a person live with？ I’ve thought a lot about thst question over the last month。 I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve always loved reading about WWII and the resistance。 These people lived through uncertain hell and survived and were willing to pay with their lives。 That’s true courage and strength。Read this book and get inspired。 Thanks to St。 Martin’s Press and NetGalley fo The Nine was a really good read。 It was inspirational and demonstrated the strength of the human will。 Just how much can a person live with？ I’ve thought a lot about thst question over the last month。 I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve always loved reading about WWII and the resistance。 These people lived through uncertain hell and survived and were willing to pay with their lives。 That’s true courage and strength。Read this book and get inspired。 Thanks to St。 Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the early copy。 。。。more
Laura Skladzinski
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This book was incredibly powerful - a nonfiction account of nine women who were in the French Resistance， were imprisoned in Ravensbruck， and managed to escape together。 Although I've read a number of books about World War II and the concentration camps， I didn't know much about the French Resistance， and it was fascinating to read how young women risked their lives to help others。 The book was written so that each of The Nine had her own chapter， and the narrative alternated between the "presen This book was incredibly powerful - a nonfiction account of nine women who were in the French Resistance， were imprisoned in Ravensbruck， and managed to escape together。 Although I've read a number of books about World War II and the concentration camps， I didn't know much about the French Resistance， and it was fascinating to read how young women risked their lives to help others。 The book was written so that each of The Nine had her own chapter， and the narrative alternated between the "present day" escape and the history of how that woman came to be there。 Although the detail was well-researched and certainly contributed to my understanding， there were times when I got frustrated to leave the main narrative; I think I might have preferred if the book were told chronologically， starting with each woman's pre-camp work / history， rather than jumping around。 Still， by halfway through the book， I couldn't put it down。 Definitely recommended。 。。。more
Tammy Buchli
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