Wonder Women of WWII

I go through various moods of reading and currently I am deep into a fascination with WWII and specifically the women of WWII. I was fortunate enough to read Sisters of Night and Fog through my family book club and chose to read The Dressmakers of Auschwitz on my own. While these books are not related outright, there are aspects that connect them together and help shed light of the amazing women of WWII. Many times we focus of the incredible men on and behind the frontlines and we forget about the women who also played a large part in the war and the survival of others.

First up, I read The Dressmakers of Auschwitz at the start of May. This book was powerful in so many ways and I could not stop listening (as I read via audiobook). The women in this book and how they survived the horrors of Auschwitz are incredible, but their stories leading to this terrible time is what makes the book so special. Each women has a section of the book dedicated to her story and her life prior to the atrocities of and leading up to WWII. These women were people, people with lives and families and hopes and dreams. This book does an amazing job of putting a face to the story so you (as the reader) see who they were, what they dealt with and who they become. The power of their stories and the remorse they feel as survivors is raw and reel. For anyone wanting to learn more about this time in history and wanting to grow as a person I would highly recommend this book. The heartache of this book is real and it will leave you reeling, but it is also crucial literature and will leave you so much wiser.

The second book I read in April that also dealt with some amazing and powerful women was Sisters of Night and Fog. This book, while historical fiction, had real women in its pages. These women, Virginia and Victoria, have some fictional aspects to them, but are anything by fictional. Both women were strong proponents of the war effort in their own aspect (both as a spy and a resistance member) and both served to the fullest they could. This book goes through the ups and downs of the war, but also the ups and downs of life in general. You see these women tackle incredible odds and strive for not just their survival, but the survival of their families and people. If you are looking for a book about incredible women in history, look no further and pick this book up today! I also highly recommend this amazing audiobook as well, you won’t regret it.

While there are thousands of WWII Historical and Historical Fiction books out there, these have to be two of my favorites ever read and I happened to read them back to back. Another aspect of these books that would make them a good pairing, is that they are indirectly referenced in each book. I highly encourage anyone with a passion to learn about WWII to pick these both up today and read them back to back!