As I discovered when I resorted to reviews to double check the spelling of a name, there are already lots of extensive, well-written reviews out there. As a result, I'm going to stick to my own reaction and keep it relatively short. I found myself reading in bits and pieces, I must admit, as some sections were rather, hmm, not hard reading but unsettling reading given the context. Unsettling but well worth the read and I do recommend it highly. While the author's focus is certainly on the women she selected to highlight, the reality behind the story is laid bare through their stories. Man's inhumanity to man may seem like a rather sexist cliche to use but it is universal as we're all part of humanity and not just men but women were impacted by events many only know from history books, including me.
Livingstone has obviously researched her subject in depth and it was interesting to read why she selected these women to showcase. I liked that she took the time and effort to introduce us to these amazing women, ranging from lawyers to actual victims, as human beings, not simply characters conjured up to make a point. You'll learn quite a bit about each of them as you read (even in the reviews, I should note). The one that I was most drawn to, however, was Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier (the name I had to double check the spelling of), who was both a member of the French Resistance but also survived Auschwitz. Then, astoundingly to me, she chose to stay behind to help care for other survivors while waiting to be sent home to France. I simply could not imagine how she could summon up both the physical and emotional strength to do that.
Bottom line, all the stories are amazing, however, so do give these women their due and take in their words. Not only will you learn about the people involved but the author even manages to take us into Nuremberg itself, giving you the sense of being there, willingly or not, using the words of not just the women involved via letters and memoirs but even family memories when available. Acknowledgements and notes as well as picture credits, sources, a bibliography, and index are included. In other words, while certainly drawing on the collected research of others, the author makes it personal, allowing us to look at this historical moment in time from a different angle, a human one. Thank you #StMartin'sPress for this early look at a book approaching an event from an angle I doubt many have considered. It's quite powerful.
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