The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington

January 25, 2025

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington

An astounding story of a designer dressmaking salon run out of Auschwitz concentration camp, mostly staffed by Jewish women, patronized by the wives of high-ranking Nazis and SS officers. The Nazis were well aware of the importance of clothing to elevate or degrade people, and even in the middle of a war and clothing shortages, they and their families wanted to be well-dressed. (The Nazi culture was so bizarre, wanting to obliterate anyone who didn't fit their mold and keeping meticulous records about how they did it, yet using the talents of those same people when it suited them.) 

Sewing literally saved the dressmakers' lives, while at the same time allowing them to participate in sabotage in the camp. Many parts about the horrors of camp life and the way the inmates were treated were hard to read, but the stories of these smart, courageous women need to be told. The author had the privilege of interviewing the last surviving seamstress while researching this book. Stellar in-depth research. Recommended for readers interested in women's history and the Holocaust.

Berta Kohut and her sister Katka, two of the seamstresses of Auschwitz who survived the war

The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin

July 22, 2023

The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin

Zofia and her best friend Janina live in Warsaw. While they are preparing for war, neither girl believes that war will come to their city. Zofia's happy place has always been books, and she loves her job at the Warsaw public library. But then the Nazis occupy the city, and their lives change in ways neither could have imagined. As a Jew, Janina and her family are forced to move to the Warsaw ghetto. When the Nazis begin to first confiscate and then destroy books, Zofia and her friends are determined to hide as many books as possible, even if it costs them their freedom or their lives. At the same time, they work to make sure that the citizens of Warsaw and the ghetto have access to books.

A tribute to literature, the power of books, and the ingenuity of the people of Warsaw and the Warsaw ghetto. People under the age of 40 frequently don't understand the power of books, having grown up with the Internet, cellphones, and cable TV.

Another book that makes me proud to be a librarian. If you enjoyed The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek, this title will appeal to you. People who love books will always find a way.

Librarians rock. Never forget it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

 August 30, 2020

Since they were children, Alina Dziak knew she was going to marry Tomascz Slaski because they were perfect for each other.  In 1938, when he turns 18, Tomascz leaves their small town to travel to Krakow to attend the university so that he can become a doctor like his father.  He and Alina become engaged before he leaves, and Tomascz vows he will always return to Alina.  But World War II is looming and the Nazis interrupt their plans when they invade Poland.  Seventy years later, Alina suffers a stroke and what may be her final wish is for her granddaughter Alice to go to Poland to find out what happened to Alina's family.

This is another one of those historical novels that has a historical narrative that alternates with a modern narrative.  It's more like a historical fiction/women's fiction hybrid, since the modern story is pure women's fiction.  This seems to be Kelly Rimmer's style, based on the other books she has written.  It took me a while to get into this one, mostly because I didn't like Alice, the main character in the modern storyline.  She was a bully and a know-it-all, even though she was remarkably stupid at times.  Her husband was almost perfect, like a guy out of a fantasy romance novel.  However, Alina and Tomascz's story redeemed the novel, and although I still disliked Alice, I stayed with the book because I wanted to find out about their story.

Readers who enjoyed The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly, or All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr should enjoy this one, although I thought those were all better books.  Women who like women's fiction will read it for the modern narrative.