Review by Booklist Review
Poet and essayist Strauss (Trail of Stones) tells the story of nine Resistance fighters who were deported to Ravensbrück 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 Hélène Podliasky, and spent years tracking down more information about the group of women who followed Hélène 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.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Poet and children's author Strauss (The Hiding Days) delivers a brisk yet uneven group biography of nine women who resisted the Nazis in WWII. They include Hélène Podliasky, the author's great aunt; Nicole Clarence, a Jewish radio operator; and Yvonne "Mena" Le Guillou, a French liaison with the Dutch resistance. Caught at various points in 1944, the women met (most for the first time) at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Sent to work at a munitions factory outside Leipzig, they sabotaged weapons as they plotted their escape. The chance came in April 1945, when their work camp was evacuated and its 5,000 prisoners were forced to march east. After hiding in a ditch, the women altered their clothing to appear more like refugees and trekked west, eventually encountering U.S. troops outside the village of Colditz. Strauss delves into the complications survivors faced in "returning to life," and infuses the narrative with harrowing details about Ravensbrück and intriguing asides on her research process, but the nature of how and why close relationships developed between these nine women remains somewhat unclear. Still, fans of women's and WWII history will be drawn to this deeply researched chronicle. Illust. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
The nine female resistance fighters whose story is told here met in prison, in transit, or at Ravensbrück 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.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
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, Hélène 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. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
