Play Audiobook Sample
Play Audiobook Sample
The true story of the Edelweiss Pirates, working-class teenagers who fought the Nazis by whatever means they could. Fritz, Gertrud, and Jean were classic outsiders: their clothes were different, their music was rebellious, and they weren’t afraid to fight. But they were also Germans living under Hitler, and any nonconformity could get them arrested or worse. As children in 1933, they saw their world change. Their earliest memories were of the Nazi rise to power and of their parents fighting Brownshirts in the streets, being sent to prison, or just disappearing. As Hitler’s grip tightened, these three found themselves trapped in a nation whose government contradicted everything they believed in. And by the time they were teenagers, the Nazis expected them to be part of the war machine. Fritz, Gertrud, and Jean and hundreds like them said no. They grew bolder, painting anti-Nazi graffiti, distributing anti-war leaflets, and helping those persecuted by the Nazis. Their actions were always dangerous. The Gestapo pursued and arrested hundreds of Edelweiss Pirates. In World War II’s desperate final year, some Pirates joined in sabotage and armed resistance, risking the Third Reich’s ultimate punishment. This is their story.
Download and start listening now!
“Narrator Natasha Soudek tells the true story of the Edelweiss Pirates…Soudek excels at adding an authentic-sounding accent to German words throughout the text. Listeners will be curious to learn more about the important and dangerous work taken up by these young heroes.”
— AudiioFile
“This matter-of-fact narrative shows how youth can stand against an overwhelming tide of fascism…An eye-opening account of tenacity that brings the efforts of young anti-Nazi activists vividly to life.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
K. R. Gaddy is a freelance writer and historian. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Bitch magazine, Narratively, Proximity, Atlas Obscura, and OZY, among other publications. She is the recipient of a Robert W. Deutsch Foundation Ruby’s Artist Award for her research.
Natasha Soudek was raised in the South, speaks native German, lived in Berlin and Vienna, and finally settled in the Lower East Side of New York City. After honing her stage presence by studying acting and playing hundreds of live music shows (singing and playing bass), she moved to LA to record with Channel/DreamWorks and act on TV. Her voice is as distinct and memorable as the range of characters she’s played on-screen.