MY THOUGHTS
This book is a very compelling read. Set in Germany at the start of the second world war. There is a lot of history here that I'm glad I read about. It's not pretty or sugar coated but it is important. This is the story of some young women and what they did during this awful time. Some were not so good. Some were in my opinion heroes. In many ways this book reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale. Not that they are the same in any way but that men used women for their lusts and to make babies. What they would call "perfect babies." There is no such thing except in our minds as mothers. Of course our babies are perfect. But that is a different kind of perfect. Hitler wanted to create the perfect world. With only the best of the best. Even though he had dark hair and had a deformity himself. He wanted and tried to create a world that would never exist. So be careful what you wish for. Be careful who you trust. Even now things can go bad in a heartbeat. Don't you think these people. The Jewish people thought they were safe. That nothing like this could ever happen to them. It did and again it could happen to anyone if we don't keep remembering and stop things before it does.
This book is about three young ladies. Two young pregnant and one who was a nurse. Their story will touch your heart. It will make you cry. Make you stop and think about life. It should make you appreciate that you have such freedoms. The right to live your life in a free nation. Not be a, well basically a call girl for Nazi soldiers. Not a baby making machine for the perfect world. Freedom to love who you want no matter their race, religion, color, religious beliefs. True freedom. These three women were not given that. Two took it. Two decided to make a life. To have a life. To help the Jewish people in their plight. One was a bit selfish in my opinion. She only seemed to care about herself and what she wanted. She was a bit cold and uncaring. She was all in for the Nazi party and doing whatever it took to make her happy. Even at the expense of others.
This book is very well written and researched. If you read the "author's note" you will learn a lot more. How she came to write this book. Where she got her information from. Who she talked to. Who these people really were. It's very interesting so please read that part too. This book made my skin crawl in many parts. Made me weep in many also. What they did to children was unbelievable. To imperfect children. What they did to these women was horrible. Even if the girls agreed to sleep with these Nazis you know it was not truly a choice for most. Do this or lose your whole family. To think of all the children who were orphaned. Their families murdered so they could take these children and let them be adopted. The children from Poland. The families that were sent to the camps and ended up dying. It's horrible to think about but don't forget that it really did happen. It is a fact.
Thank you #NetGalley, #JenniferCoburn, #SourceBooksLandmark for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.
5 stars and a high recommendation.
SYNOPSIS
"Every historical fiction novel should strive to be this compelling, well-researched and just flat-out good." – Associated Press
For fans of The Nightingale and The Handmaid's Tale, Cradles of the Reich uncovers a topic rarely explored in fiction: the Lebensborn project, a Nazi breeding program to create a so-called master race. Through thorough research and with deep empathy, this chilling historical novel goes inside one of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes that existed in several countries during World War II, where thousands of "racially fit" babies were bred and taken from their mothers to be raised as part of the new Germany.
At the Heim Hochland maternity home in Bavaria, three women's lives coverage as they find themselves there under very different circumstances. Gundi is a pregnant university student from Berlin. An Aryan beauty, she's secretly a member of a resistance group. Hilde, only eighteen, is a true believer in the cause and is thrilled to carry a Nazi official's child. And Irma, a 44-year-old nurse, is desperate to build a new life for herself after personal devastation. Despite their opposing beliefs, all three have everything to lose as they begin to realize they are trapped within Hitler's terrifying scheme to build a Nazi-Aryan nation.
A cautionary tale for modern times told in stunning detail, Cradles of the Reich uncovers a little-known Nazi atrocity but also carries an uplifting reminder of the power of women to set aside differences and work together in solidarity in the face of oppression.
"Skillfully researched and told with great care and insight, here is a World War II story whose lessons should not?must not?be forgotten." ? Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things
No comments:
Post a Comment