"[A] narrative of unfathomable courage... Ms. Strauss does her
readers―and her subjects―a worthy service by returning to this appalling
history of the courage of women caught up in a time of rapacity and
war." ―Wall Street Journal
"Utterly gripping." ―Anne Sebba, author of Les Parisiennes
"A compelling, beautifully written story of resilience, friendship and survival. The story of Women’s resistance during World War II needs to be told and The Nine accomplishes this in spades." ―Heather Morris, New York Times bestselling author of Cilka's Journey
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.
