How does one even being to review a book like The Nine by Gwen Strauss?
Going into this, I knew this would be a tough read. History has a way of showing us exactly how brutal and heartless human beings can be. At the same time, it can also show us how brave, resilient, and empathetic we can be.
The Nine tells the heroic stories of Hélène, Zaza, Nicole, Lon, Guigui, Zinka, Josée, Jacky, and Mena and how they survived the concentration camps and a final death march towards the end of World War II.
All of these women were resistance fighters in the war that were captured at some point and sent to the concentration camps.We get to learn some of their back stories and how their paths crossed while in the camps. The story the. Takes us on their journey of escaping a final death march and trying to get back to their he countries.
This book really delves into the comradery that the nine women and the other prisoners had built. They banded together to protect each other and keep each other going, all while facing the most horrible conditions and treatment that you can imagine.
The prisoners tried to keep their spirits high even though they were being starved, tortured, demeaned, and worked to the point of disease or death. The small things they did, like reciting recipes and stories for each other or making each other gifts, shows how resilient the human spirit can be.
The effects of their imprisonment left a life long impression on them and their families for generations to follow. Even when they were technically free, men still tried to take advantage of them and society shunned them. They had to try and integrate back into a society that wanted them to keep their mouths shut about the past and simply move on.
Gwen also touches on how women would be used as sex slaves and raped, at will, by soldiers while imprisoned. She also describes what happened to children that were born in the concentration camps. This was one of the hardest things I have ever read and wanted to provide a heads up to other readers.
This is an important book for people to read. It is hard to get through and face the reality of what happened in the past, but we cannot and must not forget these events. History has long forgotten the role of women in wars and their importance in winning these battles. These women deserve to be remembered for the heros they were.
My only negatives about the book were based on the writing choices. Parts of the book felt a little disjointed and information was included in random spots. The style also tended to switch between historical fiction and a history textbook, which can lead you to question what liberties were taken with the personal stories of the women.
Going into this, I knew this would be a tough read. History has a way of showing us exactly how brutal and heartless human beings can be. At the same time, it can also show us how brave, resilient, and empathetic we can be.
The Nine tells the heroic stories of Hélène, Zaza, Nicole, Lon, Guigui, Zinka, Josée, Jacky, and Mena and how they survived the concentration camps and a final death march towards the end of World War II.
All of these women were resistance fighters in the war that were captured at some point and sent to the concentration camps.We get to learn some of their back stories and how their paths crossed while in the camps. The story the. Takes us on their journey of escaping a final death march and trying to get back to their he countries.
This book really delves into the comradery that the nine women and the other prisoners had built. They banded together to protect each other and keep each other going, all while facing the most horrible conditions and treatment that you can imagine.
The prisoners tried to keep their spirits high even though they were being starved, tortured, demeaned, and worked to the point of disease or death. The small things they did, like reciting recipes and stories for each other or making each other gifts, shows how resilient the human spirit can be.
The effects of their imprisonment left a life long impression on them and their families for generations to follow. Even when they were technically free, men still tried to take advantage of them and society shunned them. They had to try and integrate back into a society that wanted them to keep their mouths shut about the past and simply move on.
Gwen also touches on how women would be used as sex slaves and raped, at will, by soldiers while imprisoned. She also describes what happened to children that were born in the concentration camps. This was one of the hardest things I have ever read and wanted to provide a heads up to other readers.
This is an important book for people to read. It is hard to get through and face the reality of what happened in the past, but we cannot and must not forget these events. History has long forgotten the role of women in wars and their importance in winning these battles. These women deserve to be remembered for the heros they were.
My only negatives about the book were based on the writing choices. Parts of the book felt a little disjointed and information was included in random spots. The style also tended to switch between historical fiction and a history textbook, which can lead you to question what liberties were taken with the personal stories of the women.