Nine
[A] narrative of unfathomable courage... Ms. Strauss does her readers--and her subjects--a worthy service by returning to this appalling history of the courage of women caught up in a time of rapacity and war. --Wall Street Journal
Utterly gripping. --Anne Sebba, author of Les Parisiennes 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 bestselling author of Cilka's Journey 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 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 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 from Gwen Strauss is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times.BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
The Nine is a powerful and haunting account of courage, friendship, and survival during one of history’s darkest chapters. Gwen Strauss brings to life the extraordinary true story of her great aunt, Hélène Podliasky, and eight other young women who formed an unbreakable bond as resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Europe.
All under thirty when they joined the fight, these women carried out daring missions: smuggling weapons, protecting Jewish children, and maintaining clandestine communication lines. Their bravery eventually led to capture, brutal interrogations, and imprisonment in multiple camps—including Ravensbrück and a forced labor camp in Leipzig. The book does not shy away from the horrors they endured—rape, starvation, torture, and the executions they were forced to witness. Yet, amid this brutality, Strauss reveals not just their suffering but their resilience, loyalty, and determination to resist.
The heart of the narrative lies in the women’s bond. Formed through shared struggle and solidified in the camps, their friendship gave them the strength to attempt a daring escape during a death march in the final days of WWII. Strauss writes with both historical precision and emotional depth, reminding readers that their defiance was not only an act of survival but also a reclaiming of humanity in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
The Nine is not an easy read, but it is an essential one. It honors the voices of women whose heroism might otherwise have been lost to history. For readers interested in WWII history, women’s resistance, or stories of unyielding courage, this book is unforgettable
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