Those Who Save Us

By: Jenna Blum

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Trudy, a college history professor, is collecting oral histories from World War II survivors (both German and Jewish). Her mother, Anna, refuses to talk to her, but Anna's story is revealed in flashback. She conducted an affair with a Jewish baker who was summarily killed. Afterward, Anna caught the eye of a high-ranking Nazi officer. She was coerced into an abusive affair with him, which she went along with in order to ensure her survival - and that of her baby.©2005 Jenna Blum (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Blum's spare imagery is nightmarish and intimate, imbuing familiar panoramas of Nazi atrocity with stark new power. This is a poised, hair-raising debut." ( Publishers Weekly)
"An absorbing tale of two women's struggles with the burdens and responsibilities of remembrance." ( The Boston Globe)

Another Perspective

I enjoyed this book because it offered yet another perspective which is becoming much more prevalent in these types of stories and, thus, more interesting. I read quite a bit in this genre of WWII, Holocaust, Germany and the viewpoint of a German woman's past life and daughter's current life is unique. It is not easy to read the flash back forward, but I think this author pulled it off without causing too much confusion. However, I really did like the memoir and it is a great book about WWII from the German side in portraying that not all Germans were despicable during the war. One likes to think that is true, and this story was yet another way of letting that be known as a possibility

Brilliant insight into German minds and hearts

Sensitively written. Excellent development of characters... they came alive and touched my heart. I gained a deeper understanding of what the German people experienced in and after the war. Highly recommended.

Very well written. And I loved the reader.

I strongly recomand this book. It gave me a lot of feelings and a lot of thinking to do.

awesome

I enjoyed every minute of this book. the storyline was intriguing. Suzanne Torren never disappoints.

Quite good!

I really enjoyed this book despite the grim subject matter. I read a lot of historical fiction and dual timelines are not typically my favorite because they can get so trite. However, this author wrote a compelling and thought-provoking tale about ordinary Germans and the decisions they make. The book also ended in a way that I found unpredictable and I liked that. Narration was quite good as well.