The Nine

The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany

By: Gwen Strauss

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a 10-day journey across the front lines of World War II from Germany back to Paris.

This program includes a bonus conversation with the author, as well as an archival recording of Martine Podliasky singing the Champs de Marais at her mother, Hélène Podliasky's, funeral.

The nine women were all under 30 when they joined the resistance. They smuggled arms through Europe, harbored parachuting agents, coordinated communications between regional sectors, trekked escape routes to Spain, and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments. They were arrested by French police, interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo. They were subjected to a series of French prisons and deported to Germany. 

The group formed along the way, meeting at different points, in prison, in transit, and at Ravensbrück. By the time they were enslaved at the labor camp in Leipzig, they were a close-knit group of friends. During the final days of the war, forced onto a death march, the nine chose their moment and made a daring escape.

Drawing on incredible research, this powerful, heart-stopping narrative is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times.  

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

"A compelling, beautifully written story of resilience, friendship and survival. The story of Women’s resistance during World War II needs to be told and The Nine accomplishes this in spades." (Heather Morris, New York Times best-selling author of Cilka's Journey)

"This haunting account provides yet more evidence not only of the power of female friendship but that the often unrecorded courage and resilience of ordinary women must be honored and celebrated. It’s a most inspiring read.... Utterly gripping." (Anne Sebba, author of Les Parisiennes)

"The Nine is poignant, powerful, and shattering, distilling the horror of the Holocaust through the lens of nine unforgettable women.... Gwen Strauss melds a poet's pen and a decade of research into a tale of friendship, courage, and indomitable will." (Kate Quinn, New York Times best-selling author)

©2021 Gwen Strauss (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

A very moving story

The Nine is an outstanding story of nine young women who were working in the French resistance movement during WW2. They had been caught and imprisoned and were being force marched to Germany after being nearly starved to death. They escaped enroute and made their way back to the American lines by courage, guile and wit. It is a truly inspiring story of the solidarity of these nine women, and well worth listening to.

Important Story

I was a History major and did not know about the women who served in the resistance during the war. This is an important story; one we should never forget.

A true story of bravery and sisterhood

I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated the blend of historical events told from the lens of those who experienced it. The author captures the personalities of each of the Nine in a way that connects readers to their experiences. I also appreciated how the author shared the journey of finding information and writing about each of the women.
I enjoyed the narrator as well, who brings a realistic voice to each of the characters and has a pleasing flow to the storytelling overall.

Insightful to hear history

To hear the story and fate of these women and their children was education and inspiring. Nothing we face today is as hard as they faced.

Soooo good!

This is a "parked in the garage and can't stop listening book"!

Thank you Gwen Strauss for sharing this true story of nine young women and their survival and escape. Their bavey as resistance fighters, their strength as prisoners and their courage when they escape is awe inspiring.
Juliet Stevenson does a wonderful narration and I especially enjoyed the "bonus" interview with the author at the conclusion of the book.

Recommend

The author did an amazing job bring to life these nine ladies. She discusses the physical, emotional, personal and social cost that they paid. I personally loved that we get to learn about their lives after the war. Such an important aspect that gets over looked.

A lovely tribute

Well done! This book read like historical fiction but it was not fiction at all. Very well written!

Never again!

This history needs to be widely known. Currently there are all the signs of incipient fascism in the U.S. and elsewhere. Very well-written, very thorough, very fine narrator.

Inspiring

Wonderful story telling and research! I don't usually like nonfiction but this is great. Must listen to the interview with the author at the end.

I’m sending this one back

Although I honor these amazing super women, the book was slow, very graphic, depressing and text book-like. The narrator was very monotone. I didn’t even get through 5 chapters. It was like a documentary.