A review by jeffphilly
The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss
5.0
A story of great resilience and courage
Thank you to the author for telling this story. These 9 women displayed an unbelievable amount of courage resilience in their journey. On top of that they simply never ever gave up hope, not in ravensbruck, and not when they were on the run. It would have been far easier to simply give up any hope for the future at any point. They had all that courage that they certainly displayed after their arrest but also prior to their arrest. As women in the 1940s they were certainly not expected to take such prominent roles in the French resistance movement. But they did take those risks at significant risk to themselves and their families. Not everyone was so brave in the face of the Gestapo. On the other hand some cooperated with the Gestapo rather than remain loyal to their native France. Many would have simply given up even after escaping from the Nazis as they still had an awfully long way to reach the allied lines. Keep in mind that their entire escape they were on foot, often without proper clothing and often without proper footwear if they had any at all. I never would have thought that an escape such as this would have been possible. Escaping from the custody of the Nazis was an accomplishment in itself. But escaping to the allied lines in the manner described was an entirely different matter. These 9 women are the definitions of fortitude persistence and perseverance. That about says it for these women. As for the author I thought that she did a great job of describing in great detail each woman and their families and with the descriptions of the various cultures encountered both in and out of the camp.
Thank you to the author for telling this story. These 9 women displayed an unbelievable amount of courage resilience in their journey. On top of that they simply never ever gave up hope, not in ravensbruck, and not when they were on the run. It would have been far easier to simply give up any hope for the future at any point. They had all that courage that they certainly displayed after their arrest but also prior to their arrest. As women in the 1940s they were certainly not expected to take such prominent roles in the French resistance movement. But they did take those risks at significant risk to themselves and their families. Not everyone was so brave in the face of the Gestapo. On the other hand some cooperated with the Gestapo rather than remain loyal to their native France. Many would have simply given up even after escaping from the Nazis as they still had an awfully long way to reach the allied lines. Keep in mind that their entire escape they were on foot, often without proper clothing and often without proper footwear if they had any at all. I never would have thought that an escape such as this would have been possible. Escaping from the custody of the Nazis was an accomplishment in itself. But escaping to the allied lines in the manner described was an entirely different matter. These 9 women are the definitions of fortitude persistence and perseverance. That about says it for these women. As for the author I thought that she did a great job of describing in great detail each woman and their families and with the descriptions of the various cultures encountered both in and out of the camp.