The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos
- Downloads：5509
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-19 04:12:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Judy Batalion
- ISBN：0062874217
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Pam
，
I was provided an advance copy of The Light of Days。 This is not an easy book， but it is an important one。 It is well researched and written in an academic manner。 With focus on certain Jewish women who risked their lives as resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation of Poland， The Light of Days brings to the forefront some largely untold stories; stories that contributed to the outcome of WWII。 Keep in mind that these are factual stories of real women; not historical fiction or fictional ch I was provided an advance copy of The Light of Days。 This is not an easy book， but it is an important one。 It is well researched and written in an academic manner。 With focus on certain Jewish women who risked their lives as resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation of Poland， The Light of Days brings to the forefront some largely untold stories; stories that contributed to the outcome of WWII。 Keep in mind that these are factual stories of real women; not historical fiction or fictional characters。 The brutality of their stories is chilling。 That these women stood their ground in the face of indescribable psychological and physical pain is testimony to their strength and resilience。 The Light of Days celebrates their bravery and honors their many sacrifices。 。。。more
emma （pagesofachilles）
，
This book was incredibly intense， compelling and well researched。 I cannot even begin to imagine the hours of research Batalion put into this， it feels like a decade of work。 From the get-go it was clear that this would be a hard-hitting historical non-fiction， and it did not pull any punches。 It was gritty， heartbreaking， shocking but most importantly， moving。 And Batalion tells the story of women who we've not heard much from in History。This is the kind of book that every history buff should r This book was incredibly intense， compelling and well researched。 I cannot even begin to imagine the hours of research Batalion put into this， it feels like a decade of work。 From the get-go it was clear that this would be a hard-hitting historical non-fiction， and it did not pull any punches。 It was gritty， heartbreaking， shocking but most importantly， moving。 And Batalion tells the story of women who we've not heard much from in History。This is the kind of book that every history buff should read about。 Honestly， there are almost too many books out there about what the men did in the war， we need more books like this。 Books that highlight women's stories and puts them front and centre， without making any apologies about it。 I came away from this book with a greater appreciation for what Jewish women sacrificed during the war and how much they gave to keep their faith alive。 I'm grateful to have read this， but even more grateful that Batalion put this book out。 It's a testament to the strengths of women and how much of history is still left untold。Thank you to the publishers for kindly sending me an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Lisa of Hopewell
，
https://lydiaschoch。com/top-ten-tuesd。。。 https://lydiaschoch。com/top-ten-tuesd。。。 。。。more
Jennifer Mcniece
，
I received an advance copy of The Light of Days from #netgalley。 This is a collection of untold stories from women resistance fighter’s in Hitler’s ghettos。 I found the style， which jumped around quite a bit， difficult to get drawn into。 That said， these are important stories and a perspective on the WWII experience that I had not read before。
Beth
，
These are the stories of Jewish women resistance fighters during WWII who organized uprisings and fought against the Nazis， bombed trains， and so much more。 I kept expecting this to end， thinking things like， "these women have already been through so much，" and， "there's no way they can pull this off，" but I was wrong。 I found myself continually surprised， shocked， devastated， and in awe of their chutzpah， even *after* the war had ended。 I can think of no better read than this during Women's His These are the stories of Jewish women resistance fighters during WWII who organized uprisings and fought against the Nazis， bombed trains， and so much more。 I kept expecting this to end， thinking things like， "these women have already been through so much，" and， "there's no way they can pull this off，" but I was wrong。 I found myself continually surprised， shocked， devastated， and in awe of their chutzpah， even *after* the war had ended。 I can think of no better read than this during Women's History Month。 Judy Batalion's research and writing are incredible。 This is a long one and it will break your heart， but it is so worth your time。Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the chance to read this early。 Release date is April 6。 You'll want to preorder this！ 。。。more
Elizabeth Schroeder
，
[Thank you to William Morrow/HarperCollins for the free Advance Reader's Edition]I am a strong believer in reading any and everything documenting the Holocaust。 As we move farther away from the years during which these atrocities took place， survivors are almost gone or will have passed soon。 A distressing rise in social conservatism and far right beliefs means Holocaust deniers are continuing to spread their lies。 So I will start this book review by saying， it is worth reading。At the same time， [Thank you to William Morrow/HarperCollins for the free Advance Reader's Edition]I am a strong believer in reading any and everything documenting the Holocaust。 As we move farther away from the years during which these atrocities took place， survivors are almost gone or will have passed soon。 A distressing rise in social conservatism and far right beliefs means Holocaust deniers are continuing to spread their lies。 So I will start this book review by saying， it is worth reading。At the same time， however， I will say that it is a difficult book to get through。 Painstakingly researched over （I believe） more than a decade， there is a lot。 It is page after page of violence， pain， suffering to which we must all continue to bear witness。 At the same time， the writing itself was uneven， vacillating between the melodrama that can come with recounting people's personal stories， particularly after having survived such horrors， and straightforward history。 My preference is for the latter; historical fiction is its own genre， and not every writer can pull it off。 The melodrama in these stories of incredible courage， stamina and survival is unnecessary -- they are compelling on face value。This is the story of the Polish girls and women who made up the Resistance during World War II。 Their stories must be told。 If anything， I appreciated how much this book centered their lives and experiences -- as opposed to so many books focusing on the horrors of what the Nazis did to Jews and those who tried to help them， this book focused on those who fought back。 And in this case， the girls and women， whose stories have consistently taken a back seat。 There are many accounts of how girls and women were particularly brutalized during these times -- and Ms。 Batalion offers stories of those who， with unimaginable strength， devised strategic plans， took great risks to help others， and ended up fighting and killing along with men。 The sexism of the generation has not allowed for anywhere nearly enough of their stories to be told。The first time I began to plow through it was Chapter 30， when Ms。 Batalion's writing switches and becomes straightforward。 The earlier chapters needed far better editing （words were occasionally missing， and perhaps that can be resolved in the final publication）， not only for general editing purposes， but also to fix the circuity of the chapters and stories to make it easier to follow。All that written， I will say again that it's worth a read， although it is a book you may need to put down and pick up again。 。。。more
Sheenah
，
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Judy Batalion's The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos was a fascinating view into the world of "courier girls"， the young women who fought in the resistance by smuggling goods， weapons， and information。 Much of the book is about Renia Kukielka who was from an educated， middle-class family， but the book also touches on so many others。 The sheer volume of informa Thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Judy Batalion's The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos was a fascinating view into the world of "courier girls"， the young women who fought in the resistance by smuggling goods， weapons， and information。 Much of the book is about Renia Kukielka who was from an educated， middle-class family， but the book also touches on so many others。 The sheer volume of information and people who are named as contributors to the resistance got to be overwhelming at times， and I think part of that was due to listening to the audio version instead of reading it。 Ultimately， the story always comes back to Renia and that is where I was most invested， as was the author。 This was an impressive account of brave women who went through hell and should not be forgotten to history。 。。。more
Charlsa
，
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the Advanced Listeners Copy of the audiobook。 My review is my own。I missed that this is a non-fiction book when I requested it， but I’m glad I received it。 The narrator does an excellent job with the book。 This could have been a dry recitation of data， but when the stories of these brave women are told， it reads more like a narrative non-fiction。 The book tells the stories of several young， Jewish women in Poland who fought against the oppression of th Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the Advanced Listeners Copy of the audiobook。 My review is my own。I missed that this is a non-fiction book when I requested it， but I’m glad I received it。 The narrator does an excellent job with the book。 This could have been a dry recitation of data， but when the stories of these brave women are told， it reads more like a narrative non-fiction。 The book tells the stories of several young， Jewish women in Poland who fought against the oppression of the Nazis and the atrocities of the Holocaust。 Make sure you read both the forward and the Author’s notes as they provide the author’s journey to write the book and how important it was to her to tell these women’s stories with both accuracy and respect。The author tells the stories of several women， many of whom chose to stay in poverty， oppression， and almost constant danger to help others， when they could have chosen personal freedom。 Their stores reflect true heroism。 You don’t come across many stories about the Jewish women who fought in the resistance， and the author explains the reasons， both personal and political， for that。 This book has sections that are difficult to read much less imagine。 Triggers: brutal killings， abuse， torture， starvation， rape。 Yet， Judy Batalion has finally given these women a voice。 Their stories are intense， compelling， and powerful。 Their stories will stay with me for a lifetime， and The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos is a book I will recommend to anyone with an interest in history。Release date is April 6， 2021 by William Morrow and Harper Audio 。。。more
Eva
，
I received an ARC of the audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。The Light of Days chronicles the lives （and often， the tragic and courageous deaths） of the brave young Jewish women who tirelessly worked in secret to resist and fight back against the Nazis in World War II。 I was fascinated to dive into this book because this is not a perspective I had ever read about before。 The lives of women in history， in general， are not written about enough， and I’m always happy to see a n I received an ARC of the audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。The Light of Days chronicles the lives （and often， the tragic and courageous deaths） of the brave young Jewish women who tirelessly worked in secret to resist and fight back against the Nazis in World War II。 I was fascinated to dive into this book because this is not a perspective I had ever read about before。 The lives of women in history， in general， are not written about enough， and I’m always happy to see a new history book that sheds light on the lives and exploits of remarkable women。 This book closely follows the stories of a particular handful of Jewish women， and takes quotes and anecdotes directly from their own memoirs written after World War II。 （Some of them， anyway – sadly， not all of the women whose lives we follow in the book lived to see the end of the war。） I listened to the audiobook， and while the topic is an interesting one， I had a little bit of a hard time concentrating on the book if anything else was going on。 I don’t usually have that problem with audiobooks。 Unfortunately the narrator is slightly too monotone to keep my attention well – or it may have also been because the writing was somewhat dry。 Granted， it’s not a happy or fun topic， but it definitely reads more like a textbook than a work of narrative nonfiction。 It was difficult to keep track of which character was which。 This might be due to the writing， but it is also just generally hard to keep track of which character is which in audio format sometimes， especially in nonfiction。 The book provides a “cast of characters” at the beginning of the book， to help readers keep the characters straight， but that’s of limited use in an audiobook where you can’t flip back and forth to refer to it。 Overall， this is an impressively well-researched book on an interesting， important， and little-explored topic， but the writing is less engaging than I’d prefer， and the audiobook experience is somewhat lacking。 Some nonfiction works well in audio， some doesn’t。 For some reason， this is one of the ones that doesn’t。 Personally， I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it and enjoyed it more if I’d read it instead of listening to it。 Skip the audio， and read this one in ebook or in print。 。。。more
Susan Crowell
，
What a moving story。 Judy Batalion brings us this book about many Jewish women in Poland during World War II。 In the story， Renia Kukielka and other women are brought to life the women’s stories of survival while fighting to carry out their missions in the resistance。 It tells of some of the missions and other work the women completed， the many different identities these women had to hold in order for their work to be completed， and how they， the women， were the reason for so many successes duri What a moving story。 Judy Batalion brings us this book about many Jewish women in Poland during World War II。 In the story， Renia Kukielka and other women are brought to life the women’s stories of survival while fighting to carry out their missions in the resistance。 It tells of some of the missions and other work the women completed， the many different identities these women had to hold in order for their work to be completed， and how they， the women， were the reason for so many successes during this horrific time。 I listened to this book as an audio and at times had to go back to listen to make sure I heard the story right。 Sometimes I had to pause and walk away because the details were heavy， and I needed to process them。 I did learn more about the lives of Jewish people that lived in Poland during World War II。 The different viewpoints of each helped me learn the many different roles and how the dramatic events played on each one。I only rated it 4 stars because as audio it was more difficult， at least for me， to follow at times with the so many moving parts。 Thanks to #netgalley and #WilliamMorrow for the #eARC of this book by Judy Batalion。 。。。more
Ashley Elliott Shaw
，
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book。 I listened to an audio version of The Light of Days。 When I read historical fiction I often gravitate towards anything about WWII。 Our book club always jokes that this is a typical topic for us and we have to consciously try to select something that is not about WWII。 I really wanted to like this book and I wonder if I would have if I had read it myself and not listened to it on audiobook。 The narrator was no Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book。 I listened to an audio version of The Light of Days。 When I read historical fiction I often gravitate towards anything about WWII。 Our book club always jokes that this is a typical topic for us and we have to consciously try to select something that is not about WWII。 I really wanted to like this book and I wonder if I would have if I had read it myself and not listened to it on audiobook。 The narrator was not my favorite。 Her voice was a bit monotone and didn't have a ton of inflection。 It made me bored with the story and did not keep my attention well。 I did enjoy that this book was focused on the women on WWII and how they did some AMAZING things to keep their families and loved ones alive， as well as how they worked against the Nazis to survive。 Again， I think I would have gotten more out of this had I read it and not listened to it。 。。。more
Madeleine Nicole
，
I loved everything about this。 I've read a lot of historical nonfiction about World War 2， but none of it has addressed the female resistance fighters。 Batalion had the perfect mix of historical narrative and informative facts。 I felt emotionally connected to these characters and I was so invested。 At one point I sat on my bed doing nothing for two hours straight without realizing any time had passed while I was listening to this。 It was beautifully written and researched and this is a story tha I loved everything about this。 I've read a lot of historical nonfiction about World War 2， but none of it has addressed the female resistance fighters。 Batalion had the perfect mix of historical narrative and informative facts。 I felt emotionally connected to these characters and I was so invested。 At one point I sat on my bed doing nothing for two hours straight without realizing any time had passed while I was listening to this。 It was beautifully written and researched and this is a story that absolutely needed to be told。Note: I don't rate nonfiction and I'll be removing the rating when this book comes out， but I feel like I need to give this book the five stars it deserves because it has an unfairly low rating right now from people who thought it was fiction。 。。。more
Kitty
，
Lately I have been reading a lot of nonfiction books on WWII。 Most WWII books are written by men， and are about the accomplishments of men。 The books I have been reading are about the contributions women made to support the war effort。 The Light of Days （ to be published in April 2021） is about the Jewish women， really teenagers， who took it upon themselves to help the resistance fight the Nazis。 This book showed how determined and strong women are in the face of conflict。 They were willing to r Lately I have been reading a lot of nonfiction books on WWII。 Most WWII books are written by men， and are about the accomplishments of men。 The books I have been reading are about the contributions women made to support the war effort。 The Light of Days （ to be published in April 2021） is about the Jewish women， really teenagers， who took it upon themselves to help the resistance fight the Nazis。 This book showed how determined and strong women are in the face of conflict。 They were willing to risk their lives to save their fellow Jews。 I was in awe of the risks these women took to fight the Nazis。 They understood the dangers， that they could lose their lives， but it was worth it to save others。Judy Batalion is a superb writer。 I felt like I was there in the ghetto with Renia and the other ghetto girls。 This book shows that females are capable of doing anything。 This book is an inspiration。 I highly recommend it。 #NetGalley #The Light of Days" #JudyBatalion。 。。。more
Cassandra Fay
，
This book was too awesome。 I blame my mother for my fascination with WW2 history and literature。 I recommend this book to enthusiasts of WW2 and Feminist reading materials alike。 Reads more like a story with historical context thrown in rather than a historical account。 Very exciting and very very cool。 I’d love to see more books written about this in the future。 NetGalley review。
Bookworm
，
2。5 starsI guess when I requested this audiobook， I was expecting a flowing story with warmth and heroism。 Although the author delivered on the latter， the former was lacking。 The narrative was extremely well researched but read more like history than historical fiction。 This may have been the intent of the author and I misunderstood what I was requesting。 My rating is based solely on my enjoyment and does not reflect the quality of information and detailed accounts of how these brave Jewish wom 2。5 starsI guess when I requested this audiobook， I was expecting a flowing story with warmth and heroism。 Although the author delivered on the latter， the former was lacking。 The narrative was extremely well researched but read more like history than historical fiction。 This may have been the intent of the author and I misunderstood what I was requesting。 My rating is based solely on my enjoyment and does not reflect the quality of information and detailed accounts of how these brave Jewish women fought and resisted during the Holocaust in WW2。 Just know going in that it is comprised of various stories written as factual historical accounts not a plot driven historical fiction novel。 The narrator's performance was well suited to the nature of the book。 Thank you to Harper Audio and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Barbara
，
For the most part， war histories have been written by men， and brave women have been given short shrift。 Judy Batalion helps correct this by telling the stories of Jewish women in Poland who resisted the Nazis during World War II。 These women served as couriers， caretakers， and fighters， especially in Będzin， Krakow， Warsaw and other cities that had relatively large Jewish communities。Jews in Warsaw before World War IIAfter the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939， Jews in cities were relegated to cramp For the most part， war histories have been written by men， and brave women have been given short shrift。 Judy Batalion helps correct this by telling the stories of Jewish women in Poland who resisted the Nazis during World War II。 These women served as couriers， caretakers， and fighters， especially in Będzin， Krakow， Warsaw and other cities that had relatively large Jewish communities。Jews in Warsaw before World War IIAfter the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939， Jews in cities were relegated to cramped ghettos where living space， food， medicine， clothing， money， sanitation， work papers， etc。 were in short supply。 Warsaw GhettoWomen smugglers who could pass for Polish Christians would sneak out， round up supplies， pass messages， and do what had to be done。。。。with no thought to their own safety。Some Jewish women in Poland could pass as Aryans A female memoirist describes the girls in a diary: 'Heroic girls; boldly they travel back and forth through the cities and towns of Poland。 They are in mortal danger every day。 They rely entirely on their Aryan faces and on the peasant kerchiefs that cover their heads。 Without a murmur， without a second's hesitation， they accept and carry out the most dangerous missions。 If someone needed to travel to Vilna， Białystok， Lemberg [or other cities]， to smuggle in contraband such as illegal publications， goods， money， the girls volunteer as though it's the most natural thing in the world。 If comrades have to be rescued， they undertake the mission。 Nothing stands in their way。 The missions are dangerous; the women are often arrested and searched。 But they are indefatigable。' Jewish women resistance fightersThe book， which is almost 600 pages long， contains the stories of many women - all of them memorable。 To provide a feel for the narrative， I'll briefly summarize one woman's tale。 In 1942， Renia Kukielkher was a 17-year-old girl living in the Warsaw Ghetto with her family。 Jews who made their way to the ghetto from outside told horrible tales。 Renia heard the story of a German， foaming at the mouth who killed two infants by kicking them with spiked boots。 The mother was ordered to watch， then dig them graves。 The German finally crushed the mother's skull with the butt of his rifle。 On another day Renia saw a group of half-insane women - raggedy， pale， blue-lipped， and shaking - who told her that their town had been surrounded。 Gunshots flew and the Nazis beat their children to death。Nazis killed Jewish childrenOther women told stories of Poles adding to the persecution， blackmailing Jews for money and possessions， under threat of turning them in。 When the Nazis began liquidating the Warsaw Ghetto， and deporting Jews to work camps and concentration camps （extermination camps）， Renia's family decided to leave。 Krakow`s Polish Jews arriving at German Auschwitz concentration campRenia made it to a Nazi-run Jewish labor camp， where the workers hoped to be safe from deportation。 Nazi-run Jewish labor campThe camp wasn't safe， however， and Renia left and began wandering around Poland。 Renia was caught by police with dogs， but looked Aryan enough to pass for a Christian， and got away。 At a train station， Renia found a woman's purse with some money and a Polish passport， which was her ticket to travel。 Polish train station during World War IIAfter a harrowing journey - during which Renia lived in constant fear of being exposed as a Jew - she got a job as a housekeeper in the home of a half-German family called the Hollanders。 There Renia pretended to be Catholic， went to church with the family， was careful to speak like a Pole， etc。。。。all the time fearful of being outed as a Jew， and suffering from anxiety and insomnia。Polish Catholics attended church on SundaysRenia received letters from her sister， and learned that her family was living in the woods and suffering。 Though it was very dangerous， Renia made up her mind to join them。 Renia told the Hollanders her aunt was sick， and got permission to visit her。 A smuggler helped Renia travel， with her Jewishness deeply buried。 Renia finally made it to a Jewish enclave in Będzin， but all her relatives - except for one sister - was lost。Będzin GhettoWanting to help the Jewish cause， Renia became a courier for the resistance。 If caught by Germans， couriers were imprisoned in filthy conditions， raped， beaten， starved， and either transported to concentration camps or killed。 But Renia survived to tell her story。Other women have tales similar to Renia's， and some even took part in armed rebellions。 Women fought during the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising， for example， and German soldiers were amazed to see women hand-to-hand fighting， shooting guns， and throwing grenades。 Warsaw Ghetto uprisingThe book is hard to read because the disgusting， vicious， stomach-churning atrocities committed by the Nazis and （many） Poles are described in detail。 Still， the bravery of the featured women is uplifting and inspiring， and it's good to see their stories told。Author Judy BatalionIn an afterward， Judy Batalion writes that she took 12 years to write the book， most of it spent researching diaries， memoirs， testimonies， books， and writings in a variety of languages， including English， Yiddish， German， Hebrew， Polish and Russian。 Battalion also traveled around the world to meet the descendants of the featured women， sifted through photographs and letters， and learned how the ladies lived during the post-war phase of their lives。 Many of the women suffered from survivor's guilt and/or mental illness， and some committed suicide。The book tells an important story of remarkable women， and is well worth reading。Thanks to Netgalley， Judy Battalion， and William Morrow Publishers for a copy of the book。You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer。blogspot。com 。。。more
Gail O'Connor
，
I so tried to get into this story but it just didn't hold my attention。 I'm sure it's a wonderful novel but just not for me。。 Too dry for me to get interested in。the characters I so tried to get into this story but it just didn't hold my attention。 I'm sure it's a wonderful novel but just not for me。。 Too dry for me to get interested in。the characters 。。。more
Anne Blake
，
Recommended by GP Public Librarian
Kali Cannizzaro
，
This book was the perfect follow up to my recent read， The Invisible Woman。 While TIW was historical fiction， The Light of Days is nonfiction。 It delves deeply into the lives of several brave women who resisted the Nazis in Poland。 The acts of resistance took various forms and yielded numerous results。 Few of the women’s survivor stories were ever told and even fewer recorded。 This book does not tread lightly on the topics of horrific torture and violence specific to women during WWII。 The autho This book was the perfect follow up to my recent read， The Invisible Woman。 While TIW was historical fiction， The Light of Days is nonfiction。 It delves deeply into the lives of several brave women who resisted the Nazis in Poland。 The acts of resistance took various forms and yielded numerous results。 Few of the women’s survivor stories were ever told and even fewer recorded。 This book does not tread lightly on the topics of horrific torture and violence specific to women during WWII。 The author did a wonderful job of bringing these women’s heroic and devastating stories to life。 The Light of Days was thoroughly researched and well-written。 The narrator read this story with an appropriately serious tone。 Thank you NetGalley， author， publisher， and narrator for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook。 The opinions in this review are entirely my own。 。。。more
Shelly
，
This is a wonderful audiobook and offers the chance to learn some new things regarding the history of Jewish people being ostracized， ridiculed， looked down upon even before the WWII/Holocaust began。 This book is a detailed history， with some reading from letters， diaries， notes from various （approximately 20） women who were courageous enough to join the resistance no matter the cost。 There is no dialogue between characters。 I highly recommend reading & thinking/talking about this book with othe This is a wonderful audiobook and offers the chance to learn some new things regarding the history of Jewish people being ostracized， ridiculed， looked down upon even before the WWII/Holocaust began。 This book is a detailed history， with some reading from letters， diaries， notes from various （approximately 20） women who were courageous enough to join the resistance no matter the cost。 There is no dialogue between characters。 I highly recommend reading & thinking/talking about this book with others。 People have been lying to manipulate/influence the way others act， think， or treat those who are somehow different from themselves。 The levels that some will go to just to promote hate is， unfortunately， just as rampant today as it ever has been。 Having books such as this can help only if these tough topics are talked about & all people recognize that hate， oppression， violence is never the answer to making positive choices。Thank you to #netgalley for the advance audio in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mary Vogelsong
，
Author Judy Batalion grew up in Canada and was educated in northeastern United States， but it wasn’t until she was living and working in London that she felt a pervasive rejection of her Jewish-ness。 Her ethnicity and religion seemed offensive to those around her。This set Batalion on a research quest to discover strong Jewish female role models。 She stumbled across a book in Yiddish about Jewish women resistance workers in Poland during World War II。 Some of the women actually fought alongside t Author Judy Batalion grew up in Canada and was educated in northeastern United States， but it wasn’t until she was living and working in London that she felt a pervasive rejection of her Jewish-ness。 Her ethnicity and religion seemed offensive to those around her。This set Batalion on a research quest to discover strong Jewish female role models。 She stumbled across a book in Yiddish about Jewish women resistance workers in Poland during World War II。 Some of the women actually fought alongside their male counterparts with guns， knives， and any other weapon they could obtain。 They helped to organize and carry out the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising。 Some of these brave women naturally ascended to strategic and leadership positions in these underground cells， but the majority worked as curriers。 This was possible especially if their looks did not betray their ethnicity。 The women were better suited for this role than men， who were often challenged to prove they weren’t Jewish by revealing a lack of circumcision。Males were frequently given the costly traditional Hebrew education， while girls were publicly schooled with Catholic and Christian girls。 This helped the Jewish girls more easily assimilate into society as a non-Jew， having already experienced the culture and customs of non-Jews。Even so it was dangerous work， and many died when their true identity was discovered。 Some were shot。 Others perished in work camps or extermination camps。 Torture of political prisoners was especially brutal。This can be a hard book to read – emotionally – especially with the backdrop of America’s current upheaval。 It isn’t easy to read about murder， starvation， betrayal， rape， brutality， torture， and the unabashed evil that perpetuated it。 Sometimes hard truths have to be taken in smaller bites。 I consumed this book in three-days-time and it has affected me powerfully。Thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC of The Light of Days for review。 。。。more
HENRITA
，
WELL WRITTEN ， WELL RESEARCHED 。 A MUST READ FOR ALL WHO WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT TREULLY GOES ON DURING A WAR ， NOT JUST THOSE OF THE PAST BUT OF ALL TIMES 。
Susan
，
If you think you have read enough about the Holocaust， think again。 This amazing and deeply disturbing book is a must read！ Although ponderous at times， this non-fiction account of the Polish Jewish resistance brings to light the untold story of the unbelievable courage of the many young women who fought against a regime bent on their extermination。 Kudos to Judy Batalion for a well-researched， exquisitely detailed book which was probably as difficult to write as it was to read， knowing that the If you think you have read enough about the Holocaust， think again。 This amazing and deeply disturbing book is a must read！ Although ponderous at times， this non-fiction account of the Polish Jewish resistance brings to light the untold story of the unbelievable courage of the many young women who fought against a regime bent on their extermination。 Kudos to Judy Batalion for a well-researched， exquisitely detailed book which was probably as difficult to write as it was to read， knowing that the atrocities being described actually happened。 I especially appreciated the follow up into the women’s lives after the war and that it was never really over as they struggled with survivor’s guilt， PTSD， and suicide。 When Steven Spielberg makes a movie， I hope that he includes the full life story of these women to show both the heartbreak and the tremendous inspiration of their survival。Thank you William Morrow for the advanced reader’s edition。 。。。more
Shelby Ivie
，
It took me weeks to read（listen） to this one because of the content。 It was very heavy， and often heartwrenching and very difficult to listen to。 But this is such an important topic that desperately needs light shed on it。Trigger warnings: brutal killing， rape， abuse， violence， starvation， torture。 😥 "The Light of Days" follows the true stories of a group of courageous， ingenious， resourceful， heroic， Polish-passing Jewish women （many just girls， really） and the parts they played in defeating th It took me weeks to read（listen） to this one because of the content。 It was very heavy， and often heartwrenching and very difficult to listen to。 But this is such an important topic that desperately needs light shed on it。Trigger warnings: brutal killing， rape， abuse， violence， starvation， torture。 😥 "The Light of Days" follows the true stories of a group of courageous， ingenious， resourceful， heroic， Polish-passing Jewish women （many just girls， really） and the parts they played in defeating the nazis in WWII （there are enough synopses of the story in other reviews so I'll skip writing my own）。It is so incredibly sad that I am just now hearing their stories。 I consider myself fairly well educated in WWII history， but never have I heard of these women and the parts they played in WWII。 This is such a travesty！ This story （or perhaps a condensed， YA version） should be required reading in high schools across the globe。 This may turn out to be the most important book I'll read this year。 5 stars！！！ Finally， the narration: I have learned throughout my short time on NetGalley that the audiobook arcs are not my cup of tea。😬 I have had many more 'misses' than 'hits' in terms of narration。 This was NOT the case here。 The narration was beautiful！！！ The voice is easy to listen to， steady， natural， strong， confident。 This was the perfect narrator for this book！ Well done， narrator！！！ 👏 This is one of those instances in which I think the narrated version was better。。。 I'm afraid this would've been a bit dry for my taste without the narration。*Note: the book is not dry， I'm just not a non-fiction reader。 I highly recommend this thoughtful， well-researched， well-composed book。 Thank you NetGalley， publisher and Ms。 Batalion for my free copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Diane
，
The Light of Days is an extremely well researched non-fiction book telling the stories of some of the women resistance fighters in Poland during WWII。 It i a difficult read。 The details of the atrocities committed by one human being to another are not spared by author Judy Batalion。 It is also a difficult read because the material is very dense with historical information， much as a history text book would be written。 This may have been complicated by the fact that I was listening to the audio b The Light of Days is an extremely well researched non-fiction book telling the stories of some of the women resistance fighters in Poland during WWII。 It i a difficult read。 The details of the atrocities committed by one human being to another are not spared by author Judy Batalion。 It is also a difficult read because the material is very dense with historical information， much as a history text book would be written。 This may have been complicated by the fact that I was listening to the audio book and not seeing the text I can see the being incredible source material for students and for further development in to a screen play。 Heroic is a word that has lost meaning in today's world。 It is casually applied to lesser actions。 These women were truly heroic。 It is important to know their stories and to honor their lives。 My four star rating is for the importance of the material as well as how well researched it is 。 if I was just going to rate on ease of read， it would be 3。 My thanks to NetGalley and publisher William Morrow for the advanced Audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Kati
，
I won this on goodreads First reads sweepstakes。This book took me absolutely forever to read because it was so intense and heart-wrenching that I could only read 5 to 10 pages at a time。 I knew that there were Jewish women who resisted the Nazis in WW2 and even were successful in causing damage to the nazi efforts， but this book was very informative as to how influential and effective these strong， resilient women were， and how very much impact they had on the efforts made to fight the genocide I won this on goodreads First reads sweepstakes。This book took me absolutely forever to read because it was so intense and heart-wrenching that I could only read 5 to 10 pages at a time。 I knew that there were Jewish women who resisted the Nazis in WW2 and even were successful in causing damage to the nazi efforts， but this book was very informative as to how influential and effective these strong， resilient women were， and how very much impact they had on the efforts made to fight the genocide of WW2。 It was heart-rending to read about the traumas they suffered at the hands of both Nazi and partisan Polish fighters。 I appreciate the efforts the author took to dig through the various， difficult-to-find accounts and compile them into a coherent narrative to enlighten the rest of the world about women whose names have been largely lost in the studies done on WW2 resistance efforts。 。。。more
KC
，
This story begins in 1939 Poland。 World War II is underway。 While German soldiers begin to overtake the country by torture， extermination， and relocation， teenager Renia Kukielkher enlists the help of girls and other youth from the Polish ghettos to form a resistance against the Nazi occupation。 These truly harrowing and often graphic tales from the survivors themselves， is downright horrific and yet inspirational。 For those who read Band of Brothers and A Woman of No Importance。
Amy Nicole
，
This is a realistic， detailed history of the horrors Jewish people endured and the resistance measures they attempted。 There were stories after stories of death， torture， medical experiments， rape， graphic descriptions of the states of found corpses etc。 Everything was vaguely linked together by following several women in the resistance movement。 This is also one of the few books I’ve ever read about Jewish survivors that follows them after the war。 Survivors struggled with PTSD and adapting and This is a realistic， detailed history of the horrors Jewish people endured and the resistance measures they attempted。 There were stories after stories of death， torture， medical experiments， rape， graphic descriptions of the states of found corpses etc。 Everything was vaguely linked together by following several women in the resistance movement。 This is also one of the few books I’ve ever read about Jewish survivors that follows them after the war。 Survivors struggled with PTSD and adapting and the next generation had issues with guilt and living up to the expectations of the survivors。 It’s something that gets eclipsed in the focus on the victory and it was enlightening to hear about the “next steps”。 This is an incredibly important story to remember and tell。 It’s important not to gloss over these horrors and forget what evil people are capable of。 It also really puts our current struggles into perspective。 。。。more
Thelma
，
The more that I read of WW2 the more I can't understand the level of madness and craziness of these people？？？？？The Light of Days is the true story of the Jewish women in Poland who were a HUGE key in WW2 but as always being a woman our stories always get forgotten or they really don't matter to the world。。 this is exactly the case of all these magnificent women who fought so hard to help and did many courageous things to help but they were never recognized or even known about。 Friendship， loyalt The more that I read of WW2 the more I can't understand the level of madness and craziness of these people？？？？？The Light of Days is the true story of the Jewish women in Poland who were a HUGE key in WW2 but as always being a woman our stories always get forgotten or they really don't matter to the world。。 this is exactly the case of all these magnificent women who fought so hard to help and did many courageous things to help but they were never recognized or even known about。 Friendship， loyalty， and faith even strength is what permeates the whole book。they lived so many terrible things， some of them were only teenagers and had to grow in a matter of hours， they saw many cruel things， evil things that will stay forever with them， hunting them like a horror movie on repeat。。 The Jewish Women In Poland， their stories were shadowed by many political agendas， they were hidden or erase， Judy really did an amazing job not only bringing the stories to life but recognizing the true value of these magnificent women， women that should be recognized in museums and history books but with time man has erased or even not talked about。 I cried so much with every story， I really didn't know many of the things in The Light of the Days， I heard so many atrocities but the ones in these stories are just too much， I still in shock with the evilness， how they really didn't have a piece of heart in them， what they did to the babies， that was too much way too much， I literally spend the whole book crying and screaming and swearing to every Nazi， I still can't believe some of them still alive how could they live with themselves？ I'm so glad Karma is so real I bet these guys will have to reincarnate like 1000000 times and not even with that many lifetimes they will pay for what they did。This is a great book， if you're looking to get inspired by true courageous women， women who will give everything to survive and help their families and loves ones even friends to survive this is a great book。I was going to write a very different review as I was so angry reading the madness of those people but I'm glad I waited as I wanted to focus all my love on these women rather than expressing my anger and hate toward the evilness。 to the author Judy Batalion， thank you for writing this book， for letting us know the stories of these wonderful women who deserve so much more， thank you for giving them a voice。 。。。more
Jen
，