Gwen Strauss

From the moment they met in 1940 in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Milena Jesenska and Margarete Buber-Neumann were inseparable. Czech Milena was Kafka's first translator and epistolary lover, and a journalist opposed to fascism. A non-conformist, bi-sexual feminist, she was way ahead of her time. German Margarete, though born to a middle-class family, became swept up in the fervour of the Bolshevik Revolution, when she met her second partner, Communist Heinz Neumann. Margarete was exiled to the hell of the Soviet gulag. Two years later, traded by Stalin to Hitler, she ended in Ravensbrück, the only concentration camp built for women. Milena and Margarete loved each other at the risk of their lives. But in the postwar survivors' accounts, lesbians were stigmatized, and survivors kept silent. This book explores those silences, and finally celebrates two strong women who never gave up and continue to inspire. As Margaret wrote: "I was thankful for having been sent to Ravensbrück, because it was there I met Milena."

From the moment they met in 1940 in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Milena Jesenska and Margarete Buber-Neumann were inseparable. Czech Milena was Kafka's first translator and epistolary lover, and a journalist opposed to fascism. A non-conformist, bi-sexual feminist, she was way ahead of her time. With the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, her home became a central meeting place for Jewish refugees. German Margarete, born to a middle-class family, married the son of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. But soon swept up in the fervor of the Bolshevik Revolution, she met her second partner, the Communist Heinz Neumann. Called to Moscow for his "political deviations," he fell victim to Stalin's purges while Margarete was exiled to the hell of the Soviet gulag. Two years later, traded by Stalin to Hitler, she ended up outside Berlin in Ravensbrück, the only concentration camp built for women. Milena and Margarete loved each other at the risk of their lives. But in the post-war survivors' accounts, lesbians were stigmatized, and survivors kept silent. This book explores those silences, and finally celebrates two strong women who never gave up and continue to inspire. As Margaret wrote: "I was thankful for having been sent to Ravensbrück, because it was there I met Milena."

A profoundly moving celebration of love under the darkest of circumstances From the moment they met in 1940 in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Milena Jesenska and Margarete Buber-Neumann were inseparable. Czech Milena was Kafka's first translator and epistolary lover, and a journalist opposed to fascism. A non-conformist, bi-sexual feminist, she was way ahead of her time. With the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, her home became a central meeting place for Jewish refugees. German Margarete, born to a middle-class family, married the son of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. But soon swept up in the fervor of the Bolshevik Revolution, she met her second partner, the Communist Heinz Neumann. Called to Moscow for his "political deviations," he fell victim to Stalin's purges while Margarete was exiled to the hell of the Soviet gulag. Two years later, traded by Stalin to Hitler, she ended up outside Berlin in Ravensbrück, the only concentration camp built for women. Milena and Margarete loved each other at the risk of their lives. But in the post-war survivors' accounts, lesbians were stigmatized, and survivors kept silent. This book explores those silences, and finally celebrates two strong women who never gave up and continue to inspire. As Margaret wrote: "I was thankful for having been sent to Ravensbrück, because it was there I met Milena."

A profoundly moving celebration of love under the darkest of circumstances From the moment they met in 1940 in Ravensbr ck concentration camp, Milena Jesenska and Margarete Buber-Neumann were inseparable. Czech Milena was Kafka's first translator and epistolary lover, and a journalist opposed to fascism. A non-conformist, bi-sexual feminist, she was way ahead of her time. With the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, her home became a central meeting place for Jewish refugees. German Margarete, born to a middle-class family, married the son of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. But soon swept up in the fervor of the Bolshevik Revolution, she met her second partner, the Communist Heinz Neumann. Called to Moscow for his "political deviations," he fell victim to Stalin's purges while Margarete was exiled to the hell of the Soviet gulag. Two years later, traded by Stalin to Hitler, she ended up outside Berlin in Ravensbr ck, the only concentration camp built for women. Milena and Margarete loved each other at the risk of their lives. But in the post-war survivors' accounts, lesbians were stigmatized, and survivors kept silent. This book explores those silences, and finally celebrates two strong women who never gave up and continue to inspire. As Margaret wrote: "I was thankful for having been sent to Ravensbr ck, because it was there I met Milena."

Pako natsien kynsistä. Gwen Straussin Yhdeksän kertoo naisjoukon uhkarohkeasta matkasta vapauteen läpi sodan ja kuoleman. Toisen maailmansodan päättyessä kirjailija Gwen Straussin isotäti Helene Podliasky johti yhdeksänhenkisen naisjoukon sodan runteleman natsi-Saksan läpi. He olivat kaikki keskitysleireille joutuneita nuoria vastarintataistelijoita, jotka sodan viimeisinä päivinä pakenivat SS-joukkojen vankeudesta välttääkseen lähes varman kuoleman. Diplomatian, huumorin ja kylmäpäisyytensä ansiosta näiden yhdeksän naisen onnistui taivaltaa satoja kilometrejä sodan keskellä, murtautua taistelulinjojen läpi ja matkustaa Pariisiin. Matkalla Saksan halki he kohtasivat monenlaisia vaaroja ja uhkia, mutta myös suurta ja epäitsekästä auttamisen halua ja ystävällisyyttä. Gwen Strauss on kirjoittanut tämän kirjan lukuisten haastatteluiden ja arkistolähteiden perusteella. Tuloksena on henkeäsalpaavan jännittävä kertomus, josta kuvastuu inhimillisyyden ja ystävyyden sanoma. Gwen Strauss syntyi ja eli lapsuutensa Haitissa. Hän on kirjoittanut aiemmin runoja, novelleja ja esseitä. Nykyään hän asuu Etelä-Ranskassa, missä hän johtaa Dora Maar -taiteilijakeskusta.

The thrilling, cinematic untold story of nine young women, WWII resistance fighters, captured by the Nazis, who launched a breathtakingly bold escape and found their way home.

" A] narrative of unfathomable courage" --Wall Street Journal The Nine follows the true story of the author's great aunt H l ne Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris. The nine women were all under thirty 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 Ravensbr ck. 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 by Gwen Strauss is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times.

Pako natsien kynsistä. Gwen Straussin Yhdeksän kertoo naisjoukon uhkarohkeasta matkasta vapauteen läpi sodan ja kuoleman. Toisen maailmansodan päättyessä kirjailija Gwen Straussin isotäti Helene Podliasky johti yhdeksänhenkisen naisjoukon sodan runteleman natsi-Saksan läpi. He olivat kaikki keskitysleireille joutuneita nuoria vastarintataistelijoita, jotka sodan viimeisinä päivinä pakenivat SS-joukkojen vankeudesta välttääkseen lähes varman kuoleman. Diplomatian, huumorin ja kylmäpäisyytensä ansiosta näiden yhdeksän naisen onnistui taivaltaa satoja kilometrejä sodan keskellä, murtautua taistelulinjojen läpi ja matkustaa Pariisiin. Matkalla Saksan halki he kohtasivat monenlaisia vaaroja ja uhkia, mutta myös suurta ja epäitsekästä auttamisen halua ja ystävällisyyttä. Gwen Strauss on kirjoittanut tämän kirjan lukuisten haastatteluiden ja arkistolähteiden perusteella. Tuloksena on henkeäsalpaavan jännittävä kertomus, josta kuvastuu inhimillisyyden ja ystävyyden sanoma.

As the Second World War raged across Europe, and the Nazi regime tightened its reign of horror and oppression, nine women, some still in their teens, joined the French and Dutch Resistance. Caught out in heroic acts against the brutal occupiers, they were each tortured and sent east into Greater Germany to a concentration camp, where they formed a powerful friendship. In 1945, as the war turned against Hitler, they were forced on a Death March, facing starvation and almost certain death. Determined to survive, they made a bid for freedom, and so began one of the most breathtaking tales of escape and resilience of the Second World War. The author is the great-niece of one of the nine, and she interweaves their gripping flight across war-torn Europe with her own detective work, uncovering the heart-stopping escape and survival of these heroes who fought fearlessly against Nazi Germany and lived to tell the tale.

'A compelling, beautifully written story of resilience, friendship and survival.' Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of AuschwitzThe thrilling story of how nine young women, captured by the Nazis for being part of the Resistance, launched a breathtakingly bold escape and found their way home. As the Second World War raged across Europe, and the Nazi regime tightened its reign of horror and oppression, nine women, some still in their teens, joined the French and Dutch Resistance. Caught out in heroic acts against the brutal occupiers, they were each tortured and sent east into Greater Germany to a concentration camp, where they formed a powerful friendship. In 1945, as the war turned against Hitler, they were forced on a Death March, facing starvation and almost certain death. Determined to survive, they made a bid for freedom, and so began one of the most breathtaking tales of escape and resilience of the Second World War. The author is the great-niece of one of the nine, and she interweaves their gripping flight across war-torn Europe with her own detective work, uncovering the heart-stopping escape and survival of these heroes who fought fearlessly against Nazi Germany and lived to tell the tale.---------'A truly extraordinary tale, beautifully written, one that chills and excites, [A] work of rare passion, power and principle' Philippe Sands, author of East-West Street and The Ratline'Utterly gripping' Anna 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...' Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code and The Alice Network

The picture book inspiration for the Academy Award-winning film The Green Book Ruth was so excited to take a trip in her family's new car In the early 1950s, few African Americans could afford to buy cars, so this would be an adventure. But she soon found out that black travelers weren't treated very well in some towns. Many hotels and gas stations refused service to black people. Daddy was upset about something called Jim Crow laws . . . Finally, a friendly attendant at a gas station showed Ruth's family The Green Book. It listed all of the places that would welcome black travelers. With this guidebook--and the kindness of strangers--Ruth could finally make a safe journey from Chicago to her grandma's house in Alabama. Ruth's story is fiction, but The Green Book and its role in helping a generation of African American travelers avoid some of the indignities of Jim Crow are historical fact.