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  • The Nine

  • The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany
  • Written by: Gwen Strauss
  • Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
  • Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (11 ratings)

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The Nine

Written by: Gwen Strauss
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
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Publisher's Summary

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 10-day journey across the front lines of World War II from Germany back to Paris.

This program includes a bonus conversation with the author, as well as an archival recording of Martine Podliasky singing the Champs de Marais at her mother, Hélène Podliasky's, funeral.

The nine women were all under 30 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 is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

"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 best-selling author of Cilka's Journey)

"This haunting account provides yet more evidence not only of the power of female friendship but that the often unrecorded courage and resilience of ordinary women must be honored and celebrated. It’s a most inspiring read.... Utterly gripping." (Anne Sebba, author of Les Parisiennes)

"The Nine is poignant, powerful, and shattering, distilling the horror of the Holocaust through the lens of nine unforgettable women.... Gwen Strauss melds a poet's pen and a decade of research into a tale of friendship, courage, and indomitable will." (Kate Quinn, New York Times best-selling author)

©2021 Gwen Strauss (P)2021 Macmillan Audio
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great book if you like this dark genre

A fabulous book about WWII concentration camp survivors, this book is about 9 female political prisoners who worked in the French Resistance. They wore red triangles on their prison uniforms, were sent to camps worked in and sabotaged munitions factories, witnessed and experienced a multitude of traumas, and escaped from a death march.
This book was different from others on this genre in that I learned about the sexism the survivors experienced once liberated: how only the men were honored, how some families were angry at the shame the women's traumas brought to them, how many women were assumed to have been prostitutes for the SS, instead of victims of sexual violence (they could be selected for brothel work or gas chambers). Plus, the liberating armies (Russian and American) were rampant in the raping of women of all nationalities, but it was mostly the Black American soldiers who were punished, if at all. The book also talked about the transmission or intergenerational trauma they passed on to their children.
Great book if you like this dark genre.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An Important History Carefully Researched

I was gripped by the story of The Nine, from start to finish. It is an imprtant story that leaves so much to ponder even after the book is finished. powerful!

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I could not stop listening.

I will purchase this book. So important to share these stories of bravery and suffering. This world still has so much to learn, we unfortunately could so easily go back to this place based on current world events.

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Remarkable story

This is truly a must read! Little known history on female Résistance fighters. Detailed Research, beautiful story of 9 incredibly loyal/brave friends and their journey, and excellent narration especially with use of the French pronunciations. And finally the author, so much insight!

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