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The extraordinary true story of a small group of Frenchwomen, all Resistance members, who banded together in a notorious concentration camp to defy the Nazis—from the New York Times bestselling author of Madame Fourcade’s Secret War.
Decades after the end of World War II, the name Ravensbrück still evokes horror for those with knowledge of this infamous all-women’s concentration camp, better known since it became the setting of Martha Hall Kelly’s bestselling novel, Lilac Girls. Particularly shocking were the medical experiments performed on some of the inmates.
Ravensbrück was atypical in other ways as well, not just as the only all-female German concentration camp but also because eighty percent of its inmates were political prisoners, among them a tight-knit group of women who had been active in the French Resistance.
Already well-practiced in sabotaging the Nazis in occupied France, these women joined forces to defy their German captors and keep one another alive. The sisterhood’s members, amid unimaginable terror and brutality, subverted Germany’s war effort by refusing to do assigned work. They risked death for any infraction, but that did not stop them from defying their SS tormentors at every turn—even staging a satirical musical revue about the horrors of the camp.
After the war, when many in France wanted to focus only on the future, the women from Ravensbrück refused to allow their achievements, needs, and sacrifices to be erased. They banded together once more, first to support one another in healing their bodies and minds and then to continue their crusade for freedom and justice—an effort that would have repercussions for their country and the world into the twenty-first century.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of photos and illustrations from the book.
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“Narrator Lisa Flanagan delivers a performance so overwhelming that it will bring tears to the eyes of listeners…Flanagan adeptly shifts gears when explaining their continued efforts after the war to document Nazi atrocities…No matter the topic, Flanagan’s exceptional range of inflection and emotions comes through…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“Moving, heart-wrenching, and powerful…A true standout.”
— Booklist (starred review)“Thanks to Olson’s luminously detailed account—and haunting illustrations secretly made by one inmate—their contribution will never be forgotten again. Against the worst that humans can do, they brought their best. Read this book, and you will find strength and solace and inspiration.”
— Liza Mundy, author of Code GirlsBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Lynne Olson worked for more than ten years as a journalist, including stints as Moscow correspondent for the Associated Press and White House correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. Four of her five books—all works of history—have dealt in some way with London during World War II. Among her titles are Last Hope Europe, A Question of Honor, Troublesome Young Men, Freedom’s Daughters, and the national bestseller Citizens of London. She has won the Christopher Award and has been shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History.
Lisa Flanagan is a classically trained soprano, comedian, voice-over artist, and Earphones Award–winning narrator.