The Nine

December 1, 2020

The nine female resistance fighters whose story is told here met in prison, in transit, or at Ravensbr�ck and joined to protect one another and survive the camps. Before their capture they had smuggled arms, sheltered Jewish children and parachuting Allies, and shepherded refugees along the escape routes to Spain, and they managed their own escape from a death march at war's end. Among them: the author's great aunt Helene Podliasky. With a 60,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2021
A group biography of nine women from the French Resistance who were caught, tortured, and starved--but survived. Despite the courage of its participants, the French Resistance movement could not withstand the power of the Nazis and their Gestapo, whose surveillance and infiltration made joining the Resistance almost a death sentence until France's liberation. Nonetheless, H�l�ne Podliasky, Strauss' great aunt, led a group of eight other women in their 20s against the invaders. No reader will doubt the Nazis' utter loathsomeness after the author describes the unspeakable brutality, torture, and inhumane conditions the women endured after their capture. During the war's final months, the Nazis attempted to destroy evidence of their crimes. As oncoming armies approached, they burned documents, killed prisoners, and "forced the remaining prisoners on death marches, at first often to other death camps further into the interior of Germany, and then by the end with no clear destination." More died than escaped, but at one point, nine women jumped into a roadside ditch to hide until the soldiers passed. Strauss alternates tales of their early lives, Resistance activities, and arrest with their horrific experiences in concentration camps and factories, escape, and walk across Germany to American lines. A long epilogue reveals that most lived into the current century. For decades they received little recognition and rarely discussed their suffering. Some found peace and contentment, but others were clearly damaged irretrievably. The author interviewed her aunt in 2002 as well as many of her subjects' descendants, and diligent research turned up articles, letters, photographs, and even unpublished memoirs. As such, there is no shortage of documentation, but Strauss seems to belong to the history-is-boring school, so she assembles the information into a novelistic narrative with invented scenes, dialogue, and insights into her subjects' thoughts and emotions. She gets her facts right, so most readers will make allowances. A breathless story of almost superhuman heroism and suffering with a (mostly) happy ending.

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April 1, 2021
Poet and essayist Strauss (Trail of Stones) tells the story of nine Resistance fighters who were deported to Ravensbr�ck late in WWII, then sent to a Leipzig labor camp. Forced into a death march to an unknown destination, these nine women escaped together and fled to the war's front lines in pursuit of their freedom. Strauss learned of this story from one of the women, her great-aunt H�l�ne Podliasky, and spent years tracking down more information about the group of women who followed H�l�ne to freedom. The result is an intimate narrative tale of resilience, survival, and friendship. Time and again these women found themselves at terrible risk, but through their devotion to each other, the assistance of strangers (some motivated by kindness or guilt, others hoping for amnesty from the triumphant Allied forces), and just enough luck, they were able to survive the brutal deprivations of Nazi Germany. The Nine is a chilling reminder of the horrors of the concentration camps, but also a moving testament to the power of friendship.

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April 9, 2021

With this work of nonfiction, poet and author Strauss tells the story of a group of nine French Resistance prisoners, all women, who escaped the Nazis during a death march from a sub-camp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. The women come from different classes, backgrounds, and nationalities, yet their differences help them overcome the challenges they face in captivity and throughout their escape. Strauss recounts the women's varied experiences: famished, freezing, and facing the daunting tasks of walking through Nazi Germany, crossing active battle lines, and finding friendly Allied troops. The women desperately want to return to France, family, and freedom, and they must use charm, wit, and their few resources to reach safety. Strauss, a great-niece of one of the nine women, weaves together her great-aunt's story with stories of the other eight remarkable young women through research, interviews, and historical first-person accounts. She reflects on the impact of these women's sacrifices on subsequent generations, and on the lack of political recognition given to womenresistance fighters in World War II. Photographs of the women both before and after the war help to add context. VERDICT A fast-paced account that is strongly recommended for lovers of action-oriented narrative nonfiction, and for women's history collections.--Beth Dalton, Littleton, CO

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.