Unit 731: The Japanese Auschwitz by James and Lance Morcan

Blurb from Amazon:

"In the aftermath of World War Two, and indeed all wars before and since, few names evoke as much horror as Unit 731, a Japanese deathcamp located in Northeast China.

Unit 731: The Japanese Auschwitz exposes one of the darkest and least acknowledged chapters of the 20th century—a secret biological warfare program whose atrocities rival those of Nazi Germany’s most infamous death camps.

In this meticulously researched volume, Book 9 in The Underground Knowledge Series, the veil is lifted on the origins, operations, and enduring legacy of Unit 731, the covert Japanese military complex where science, ambition, and cruelty fused into industrialized murder.

From the rise of General Shirō Ishii – an ambitious microbiologist whose obsession with pathogens shaped Japan’s biological warfare strategy – to the establishment of vast experimental facilities in Manchuria, this book traces how a modern empire rationalized the systematic torture and killing of thousands. Inside the walls of the Pingfang Complex, prisoners were frozen, infected, dissected alive, and used as expendable test subjects in the pursuit of military supremacy.

Drawing chilling parallels with Auschwitz, the narrative reveals how ordinary professionals – doctors, scientists, clerks – became cogs in a machine of dehumanization, where killing was routine and paperwork masked genocide.

The collapse of Unit 731, the frantic cover‑up that followed, and the postwar silence – fueled in part by geopolitical deals that shielded perpetrators – underscore a moral failure that still reverberates today.

Comparisons between Unit 731 and Auschwitz remind us that brutality on such a grand scale is not confined to one nation or one ideology. It materializes when science and medicine are divorced from ethics, when human beings are considered expendable, and when political expediency overrides morality and justice. Unit 731 and Auschwitz are stark reminders of just how low humanity can sink.

Both a historical exposé and a warning for the future, Unit 731: The Japanese Auschwitz confronts the reader with the uncomfortable truth of what happens when ethics are abandoned and human beings become data points in the machinery of war.

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A shocking eye-opener

I've read several books by James and Lance Morcan previously – they've got quite a collection on their blog – but I haven't actually dipped into this particular series before. Even though I've read a fair bit about World War II, I have to admit I'd never even heard of Unit 731 until I picked this up.

I've spent a lot of time reading about Japan's involvement in the war because my husband's granddad was taken as a prisoner of war during the fall of Singapore. He was very, very lucky to survive and eventually make it back home, so this is a subject that feels quite close to my heart. It makes me wonder why I've never come across this specific unit before. What is it that the powers that be don't want us to know? You have to wonder if they're just embarrassed and ashamed that proper justice for the victims was never really done.

It's a very quick read, so it couldn't go into massive amounts of detail, but it served as a really good introduction for me. It's definitely sparked an interest and I've finished it wanting to learn much more about what happened. If you're looking for a starting point on a dark part of history that doesn't always get the attention it should, this is well worth a look.

Huge thanks to the authors for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this shocking book.

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From Malice to Ashes: Forest of No Mercy by Gary W. Toyn [Audiobook]

🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Matt Armstrong🎙🎙🎙

Description from Goodreads:

"Before Auschwitz, before the gas chambers, there was Ponary—a forest outside Vilnius where 75,000 Jews were executed during World War II. In the beginning, the killers weren’t the Nazis. They were neighbors. From Malice to is a haunting historical novel that reveals one of the Holocaust’s earliest and most overlooked atrocities—the Ponary Massacre in Lithuania—where local militias carried out mass murder while SS officers stood by and took notes.

Olek Kosmen, a young Jewish man, becomes an unwilling eyewitness and chronicler. Hiding in the woods, he secretly records the horrors in a journal—until he’s captured and forced into the “Burning Brigade,” a prisoner unit ordered to exhume and destroy the bodies to hide the crime. Meanwhile, his fiancée escapes to neutral Sweden, and her family is exiled to the frozen gulags of Siberia. Their survival depends on impossible choices—and an escape tunnel dug with bare hands beneath a mass grave. Meticulously researched and deeply moving, this story is not just a look back at history—it’s a warning. In an age when antisemitism is once again on the rise, From Malice to Ashes reminds us what happens when hatred goes unchallenged and silence becomes complicity."

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I've just finished listening to From Malice to Ashes by Gary W. Toyn and I have to say it is a properly heavy but necessary bit of historical fiction. 

I'm always on the lookout for stories that shed light on the bits of the Second World War we don't talk about enough and this one focuses on the Ponary massacre in Lithuania.   I've read a fair few books set during this war but I have to admit I've never come across or read anything about what happened in this particular area or what the people there had to endure. It's a brutal look at what happened before the concentration camps even became the norm where neighbours turned on neighbours and the level of betrayal is just gutting.

The story follows several families torn apart by both the Nazis and the Soviets and Toyn does a brilliant job of weaving together their struggle for survival. It's clearly been meticulously researched and I was really impressed that the author includes references and extracts at the end to show exactly where the historical evidence was found. This added a whole other layer of authenticity to the narrative. While it doesn't shy away from the horrors there's a real thread of moral courage and hope running through it that stops it from being completely bleak.

It is a truly haunting account and it's one of those books that stays with you long after the final chapter. There were definitely times when it was difficult to listen to because of the subject matter but the writing is so engaging that I felt compelled to stay in my car for longer than was necessary just to keep in the story.

Now for the audiobook itself. Matt Armstrong is clearly a talented narrator and for the most part I thought he was really good. He has a great pace and managed the tension of the more claustrophobic scenes perfectly. However I did find myself wishing they'd gone with a dual narration setup. Having a male narrator do the female parts felt a bit forced and distracting as it came across as a bit parody style at times. It was a shame because it took me out of the moment during some of the most emotional scenes. It definitely would've worked much better with both male and female narrators to give those characters the depth they deserved.

It's a powerful look at a forgotten chapter of history and despite my niggles with the narration style the story itself is far too important to miss. I'm glad I gave it a listen even if I had to take a few breaks to process the weight of it all.

My thanks must go to the author, American Legacy Media and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this important book.

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The Traitors Circle by Jonathan Friedland

Description from Goodreads:

"The Traitors Circle tells the true, but scarcely known, story of a group of secret rebels against Hitler. Drawn from Berlin high society, they include army officers, government officials, two countesses, an ambassador's widow and a former model - meeting in the shadows, whether hiding and rescuing Jews or plotting for a Germany freed from Nazi rule. One day in September 1943 they gather for a tea party - unaware that one among them is about to betray them all to the Gestapo. But who is the betrayer of a circle themselves branded 'traitors' by the cruellest regime in history?

In another page-turning work of nonfiction that reads like a thriller, Jonathan Freedland, acclaimed author of The Escape Artist, sheds light on one of the most dramatic episodes of the second world war, telling a story of courage, resistance and ultimate betrayal that has deep moral resonance for our own time, and asks what kind of person it takes to risk everything and stand up to tyranny."

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This is a heart-wrenching and compelling biography about a little-known Anti-Nazi group made up of ordinary citizens. The book details how their quiet discussions about a better Germany were enough to sign their death warrant and the fallout is devastating.

This is a non-fiction book but unlike many in this genre, it reads like a thriller and is one that I can recommend especially if, like me, you have little knowledge of German civilian resistance to the horrific regime during a very dark period in history and is a reminder not to tar everyone with the same brush.

Many thanks to the author, John Murray Press and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts on this important book.

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The Ruins in Which We Bleed by Steve N Lee

Available on 12-June-2025

Description from the author:

"A story of courage and a fight for survival like none you have ever read. Guaranteed!

Inspired by a previously untold true story.

Following the Nazi invasion of Poland, 13-year-old Helena is imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto, a squalid hellhole rife with disease and starvation. Yet, although the Nazis have destroyed her home, her life, and her future, they haven't destroyed the only thing that truly matters — her family. Helena might be just a child, but she's a fighter, and she'll do whatever it takes to help her loved ones.

Making sacrifices no child should ever have to make, seeing horrors no child should ever have to see, Helena bravely battles on as her world crumbles amid random killings, slave labor, and deportations. And through it all, her compassion helps to protect her family. But then the Nazis unleash new horrors.

With the ghetto a raging sea of flames, explosions, and gunfire, Helena runs for her life only to hurtle straight into an unimaginable hell from which there seems no escape. And the Nazis are closing in. Can her love for her family give her the strength to survive?

Inspired by a heartbreaking true story of unbelievable courage, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit, The Ruins in Which We Bleed reveals that, even in the darkest of times, one person can make a difference through the greatest power of all — love.

If you didn't know this was inspired by a true story, you would never believe it possible. Read The Ruins in Which We Bleed now."

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Just WOW ... what a story that is inspired by real events and people but with elements that have been fictionalised which, in this case, is because the information doesn't exist anymore.

I have read a couple of Steve's books before, To Dream of Shadows and A Song of Silence, and was blown away by them both and this was no different.

It invoked so many emotions for me that not many books have done from fear, dread, horror but also love, loyalty bravery and hope. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure.  Helena is a remarkable teenager and one I'm sure her family would have been proud of.  Her tenacity, bravery and spirit were beyond her years.

Brilliant story, excellently written, this is one story that should be made into a film as, in my humble opinion, Helena's story rivals that of Anne Frank's and if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

Many thanks must go to the author, Steve N Lee, for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this remarkable book.

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One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter

Description from the Publisher:

"Ferrara, Italy. 1940. Lili Passigli is studying at the University of Ferrara when Mussolini’s Racial Laws deem her of ‘inferior’ Jewish descent, blindsiding her completely. As Hitler’s strength grows across Europe, Lili’s world begins to shrink around her, with the papers awash in Fascist propaganda and the city walls desecrated with anti-semitic slurs. When Germany invades northern Italy, Lili and her best friend Esti find themselves on their own in Nazi-occupied territory.

With the help of the Resistance, Lili and Esti flee with Esti’s two-year-old son Theo, in tow, facing a harrowing journey south toward the Allies and freedom. On this trek through war-torn Italy, they will face untold challenges and devastating decisions."

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I do read quite a few books, both fiction and non-fiction, that are set during World War II but I have read very few that are set in Italy so have little knowledge of what it was like during that time in that country and whilst I know this is a work of fiction, I have no doubt that a lot of what is written about closely matched what it was like during that horrendous time.

I am not going to go into the ins and outs of the book but will say that it grabbed me from the start and didn't let go until the very end; I read it in a few days such was my need to find out what happened to Esti, Lili, Theo and others.  I was so invested in their story that time just flew.

This book is compelling, riveting, heart-breaking and full of tension but also hopeful and full of courage, resilience and the importance of friendship and trust and one that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Thanks to the author, Allison & Busby and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this excellent book.

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The Stolen Sisters (The World War Two Orphanage #2) by Ann Bennett [Audiobook]

🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Daphne Kouma 🎙🎙🎙 

Description from Goodreads:

"Poland, 1944 When twelve-year-old Martha and her little sister Johanna are snatched while out shopping for food and pushed into an army truck with a swastika on the door, they are heartbroken. Terrified they will never see their mother again, the little girls cling to each other as the truck full of stolen children rumbles through the countryside.

But worse is yet to come. When they arrive at their strange new home, tears streaming down their cheeks, Martha is sent into a separate room. As she is measured, her blonde hair and blue eyes exclaimed over, she doesn’t realise she has seen her sister for the last time. Later, as she sobs alone in the chilly dormitory, her only crumb of comfort is the memory of a kind German nurse who took a photo of the two sisters, and promised Martha she will do what she can to find Johanna.

Berlin, 2005 In her cosy sitting room, seventy-year-old Martha freezes. The woman on her television talking about lost children is someone she could never forget. Margarete Weiss is the nurse who took the photo of her and Johanna, the photo with the secret message on the back…

Martha has never been able to find her younger sister and has buried herself in work so as not to be haunted by the ghosts of her past. But, seeing Margarete’s blue eyes again, a shoot of hope takes root in her heart. Margarete may not have been able to prevent the sisters being separated during the war. But might she be able to help Martha find out what happened to Johanna now?"

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I haven't read the first in this series but I definitely think this works as a standalone very successfully.

I have an interest in reading books from this period and whilst this isn't a true story, I have no doubt that a lot of what is covered is pretty accurate and from the very beginning, I was hooked.

This is an emotional story of two little Polish sisters taken from the street whilst on a shopping trip for their mum who is ill in bed and tested to ascertain if they are Aryan enough to be 'reprogrammed' and potentially adopted by a German family after the process of Germanisation.

The characters were really well developed and well written, the descriptions of their situations, the people they encountered and the places they went were exceptional and all brought to life by the excellent narration from Daphne Kouma.

I went through all manner of emotions whilst listening to this story; anger, hope, fear, sadness and I actually think I stopped breathing at one point with my hands over my mouth in horror such was the depth to which this story and the characters of Martha and Johanna got to me.

If you like reading to or listening to books from this period of history whether they be fiction or non-fiction, I would definitely recommend this and many thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this emotional book.

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The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour [Audiobook]

 🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Jilly Bond 🎙🎙🎙

Description from Goodreads:

"This is the astounding true story of one of the last female special operations agents in France to get out alive after its liberation in WWII.

Born in 1921, Pippa Latour became a covert special operations agent who parachuted into a field in Nazi-occupied Normandy. Trained by the British, Pippa was lauded for her fluency with languages and her coding ability - attributes she put to remarkable use when she posed as a teenage soap-seller, often selling her wares to the German soldiers and sending back information via code to England.

Incredibly brave - Pippa knew she could be instantly shot if her cover was blown - she concealed her codes on a piece of silk that she threaded through a shoelace and wore as a hair tie. She bicycled around the region, often sleeping rough and foraging for food.

During her time in Normandy, Pippa sent 135 secret messages conveying crucial information on German troop positions in the lead-up to D-Day. Pippa continued her mission until the liberation of Paris in August 1944.

For decades, Pippa told no one - not even her family - of her incredible feats during WWII.

Now, for the first time, her story can be told in full."

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What an extraordinary story of a quite remarkable woman.

From start to finish this book had me absolutely hooked.  Even before Pippa signed up as part of Churchill's Secret Army, known as the Special Operations Executive (SOE), she had been through the mill having been orphaned when she was only four years old.  

Pippa's work behind enemy lines in France along with members of the resistance and the local communities was dangerous and capture with certain death being the likely outcome, had me holding my breath at times.

The narration was just excellent and really brought everything to life.  Just an amazing story of an awe-inspiring woman that I would recommend highly and many thanks to the author, Octopus Audio, Monoray and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this amazing story.

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The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann

 

Description from the Publisher:

"One mother’s impossible choice. One daughter’s epic search.

Occupied Norway, 1944. While the war rages on, Anni is surviving as best she can, contributing to the resistance whenever possible and standing firm without her sailor husband Lars, who she hasn’t heard from in three years. Her daughter Ingrid is the bright spot in her life and Anni is determined to keep her safe and happy. However, when a German official is billeted at their house, the situation for them both becomes far more dangerous, and Anni faces an impossible choice.

London, 1952. In the years since she moved to live with her father, young Ingrid has been trying to make sense of the disappearance of her mother just as peace in Norway was declared. She desperately holds on to the fact that Anni promised she would always come back for her and, undaunted, Ingrid sets out to discover what happened to her mother all those years ago."

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This book is a heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, and survival set against the backdrop of Nazi-occupied Norway. 

I was totally gripped as the story unfolded, gradually revealing Anni's fate. The suspense was palpable and I was desperate to learn what had happened to her. The characters were incredibly well-developed and I found myself totally invested and immersed in their lives.  I would have loved to have known more about the missing years of Anni; maybe this could be another book?!?

As someone unfamiliar with the German occupation of Norway, I found the historical context to be both fascinating and heartbreaking. The novel brought to life the hardships endured by the Norwegian people and the sacrifices made by those who resisted the occupation. It made me appreciate the characters' struggles even more and gave me a deeper understanding of their motivations.

An excellent book that whilst it is a work of fiction, I have no doubt that it is a pretty accurate reflection of life during these horrendous times and I must thank the authors, Allison & Busby and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this captivating story.

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The Ballerina of Auschwitz by Edith Eger

Description from Goodreads:

"In 1944, sixteen-year-old ballerina Edith was sent to Auschwitz and endured unimaginable experiences. When the camp was finally liberated, she was pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive.

Celebrated therapist and Holocaust survivor Edith Eger captivated millions with her incredible tale of survival and strength in her best-selling book The Choice.

Now, in The Ballerina of Auschwitz, Edith revisits her wartime experiences in a deeply personal retelling, through the eyes and emotions of her teenage self. Through this reworking of her poignant narrative, Edith brings readers of all ages into the heart of her experiences, offering a compelling message of hope and resilience that will ensure her story is never forgotten."

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I was lucky enough to have read Edith's original memoir, The Choice, which was extraordinary; this is no different and whilst, I think, it has been written for young adults in mind, I feel it can and should be read by all ages.

This sets out Edith's teenage life before, during and after the war ... her hopes and dreams that were dashed by the horrors inflicted but the power of the mind which, regardless of what is done to you, remains your own and something which you retain control over when you may have lost control of everything else.  

I can't even begin to fathom how someone, who has experienced what Edith and countless others went through and witnessed, can come out the other side even close to being able to function back into society and then have the bravery and strength to re-live it by talking and writing about it in the hope that the atrocities committed are never repeated or forgotten?  In my view, that takes a special type of person.

Memoirs like these are harrowing and disturbing to read BUT they are also stories of hope, strength, love; they are essential and a lot of lessons can and must be learned from them and I thank Edith, Ebury Publishing, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this important and must-read book for all ages.

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Connect with Dr Edith Egar:

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Auschwitz A Mother's Story by Rosa de Winter-Levy (Audiobook)

🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Mandy Weston 🎙🎙🎙
 

Description from Goodreads:

"Suddenly there is a blow to my face, I am hurled to one side. 'My child, I have to go with her!' I scream. But Dr Mengel is standing before me, whip raised. 'Maul halten, shut up!' His eyes gleam. Filled with fear I cower down.

In 1943, as the Nazi power swept across central Europe, Rosa, her husband Emanuel and their daughter, Judy, were forced into hiding. But after a year and a half of living a terrifying, day-by-day existence, they were betrayed. As they arrived in Auschwitz, Rosa was torn from her husband and her only daughter. Could she dare to hope she would see either of them again?

Somehow, Rosa fought the horror and humiliation of the camp, on occasion coming dangerously close to death. In nursing the people trapped beside her, she helped others survive, but tragically she also watched them die - including a mother she had met before, with a similar story and a daughter the very same age. Her name was Edith Frank.

Written immediately in the months after the war, Auschwitz - A Mother's Story tells Rosa de Winter-Levy's unique and heart-breaking personal story - from the atrocities of the camp to her journey out of hell. Powerful and affecting, it is the testimony of a mother, and the pain she will endure for the chance to hold her child again.

It's night. The door opens and along with 500 other women I am taken to the so-called Krätzeblock, the scabies block. Mice and rats run over us, the women scream and cry, it's almost unbearable. There's no chance of sleep, we're all consumed by the same tomorrow our final hour will have come."

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I found this audiobook powerful and heart-wrenching listening to Mandy Weston's excellent narration.

Each book I have read about the Holocaust and World War II has provided another piece of history I was not fully aware of and Auschwitz A Mother's Story is no different. 

It is, as you can imagine, a very difficult book to read/listen to but it is also very powerful and inspirational and is a story that should be shared as all survivors accounts should be.

Many thanks to the author, Octopus Publishing, Moneray and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this audiobook and for continuing to ensure that these stories continue to be published so they are not forgotten.

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Learn a bit more about Rosa de Winter-Levy

via the annefrank.org website

The Codebreaker Girl by Gosia Nealon

 

Description from Goodreads:

"1930s, Poland. We hold our breath as the gears turn, waiting to see if years of work have paid off. The operator looks at me with tears in his eyes. He nods his head. We’ve done it. The code has been broken. But with war brewing, will it be enough to save us?

After graduating as the first and only woman on her university course, orphan Beata is set on joining the Polish Cipher Bureau. She’s determined to save her country from invasion by cracking the Enigma code. But, as the Germans close in, Beata and her team need help…

Meeting with British intelligence, Beata passionately describes her work: and catches the bright, sparkling eyes of one of the agents, Harry. His excitement about her efforts with Enigma and how vital it is for all their futures makes her more determined than ever to do what’s right.

But those stolen moments might be their last. Any hope of preventing war is dashed as gunfire rings across the rooftops and boots sound on the cobblestones. The Nazis have made it to the city. Beata and Harry must flee.

With their duties tearing them in different directions, their only hope is to reunite at the home of British codebreakers, Bletchley Park. But carrying the final key to the Enigma code, and with the Nazis close on her tail, can Beata keep the secrets she holds safe and turn the tide of the war? And will she ever see Harry again?"

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I am becoming a fan of historical fiction and particularly from this era.  Here we have a fantastic story which is inspired by the true story of the Polish mathematicians who worked on the Enigma code.  I had no idea about how much these brave and brilliant Polish were instrumental in the cracking of this code so this was a revelation to me and whilst this is a work of fiction, there are lots of events that actually happened.

This is a really well written book that flows perfectly and with a good pace.  The characters are so well developed with interesting back stories.  I would love to have learned more about what Harry was doing in France; maybe this could be another book???  

I really enjoyed the story - it was full of suspense, heartbreak, bravery - and the way Gosia sucks you into the lives of the characters and their situation is an art and I was hooked from start to finish.

Highly recommended to lovers of historical fiction and many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this riveting book.

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Connect with the author:

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Read my review of The Polish Wife also by Gosia Nealon

A Song of Silence by Steve N Lee

Blurb:

"War thrust them together. Love will tear them apart.

Inspired by a true story...

When the Nazis invade his sleepy Polish town, Mirek swears to keep everyone in his orphanage safe at all costs. Yet, despite his struggles and sacrifices, the war drags him and his children deeper and deeper into its violent nightmare.

With 89 children looking to him for hope, Mirek must do whatever it takes to protect them — no matter how criminal, distasteful, or perilous it may be.

And just when he thinks things can’t get any worse, the arrival of a sadistic SS captain brings unspeakable atrocities to his town — and surprisingly, a glimmer of hope for Mirek to save all those he cares about if only he has the courage to grasp it…

Inspired by a true story of love, bravery, and compassion, A Song of Silence explores history’s darkest hour and how, even in the face of overwhelming evil, one man can become a dazzling beacon of light.

Discover what it means to be human. Discover A Song of Silence."

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Oh my goodness!  What a book and what a story!  Amazing, heartbreaking, gripping and whilst it's not a 'true' story, it has been inspired by real characters and events.

I have read one of Steve's previous books "To Dream of Shadows" and was absolutely blown away and this is no different.  I was hooked from the start right up until the end.  This is a powerful story that invoked all manner of feelings within me whilst reading; fear, happiness, frustration, anger, horror amongst others; and I was glued to my screen desperate to find out what happens but not wanting it to end because I didn't want to know!!

I was totally immersed and would highly recommend it to others who like to become engrossed in a story whilst having your emotions pulled from pillar to post and I must thank the author for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this heartbreaking but excellent book and I look forward to reading A Breath in the Darkness, Steve's next book.

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Connect with the author:

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Read my review of To Dream of Shadows also by Steve N Lee

The Counterfeit Countess by Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa [Audiobook]

🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Julie Teal 🎙🎙🎙

Description from Goodreads:

"The astonishing story of Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg—a Jewish mathematician who saved thousands of lives in Nazi-occupied Poland by masquerading as a Polish aristocrat—drawing on Mehlberg’s own unpublished memoir.

World War II and the Holocaust have given rise to many stories of resistance and rescue, but The Counterfeit Countess is unique. It tells the remarkable, unknown story of “Countess Janina Suchodolska,” a Jewish woman who rescued more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by Poland’s Nazi occupiers.

Mehlberg operated in Lublin, Poland, headquarters of Aktion Reinhard, the SS operation that murdered 1.7 million Jews in occupied Poland. Using the identity papers of a Polish aristocrat, she worked as a welfare official while also serving in the Polish resistance. With guile, cajolery, and steely persistence, the “Countess” persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from the Majdanek concentration camp. She won permission to deliver food and medicine—even decorated Christmas trees—for thousands more of the camp’s prisoners. At the same time, she personally smuggled supplies and messages to resistance fighters imprisoned at Majdanek, where 63,000 Jews were murdered in gas chambers and shooting pits. Incredibly, she eluded detection, and ultimately survived the war and emigrated to the US.

Drawing on the manuscript of Mehlberg’s own unpublished memoir, supplemented with prodigious research, Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa, professional historians and Holocaust experts, have uncovered the full story of this remarkable woman. They interweave Mehlberg’s sometimes harrowing personal testimony with broader historical narrative. Like The Light of Days, Schindler’s List, and Irena’s Children, The Counterfeit Countess is an unforgettable account of inspiring courage in the face of unspeakable cruelty."

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This is another powerful and important story about how one 'normal' woman ended up doing extraordinary things in a time when death was just around the corner and a story that needs to be told and shared with as many people as possible.

Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg, a Jewish mathematician, used a carefully crafted fake identity and an enormous amount of bravery to help save thousands of prisoners in the Majdanek concentration camp all whilst the threat of her identity becoming known hung in the air meaning a likely death sentence.

Written using Dr Mehlberg's memoir, an amazing amount of research and an excellent narrator, The Counterfeit Countess is a story that reads like a film and, in my opinion, needs to made into one so that her story becomes as well known as others such as Schindler's List.

Thank you to the authors, Bonnier UK Audio, John Blake and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this remarkable woman.

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Captured at Singapore: A Diary of a Far East Prisoner of War by Jill Robertson and Jan Slimming

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"What would it be like to leave your loved ones behind knowing you may never see them again? Then depart on a ship in the dead of night heading for an unknown destination and find yourself in the heat of a battle which concludes in enemy conditions so terrible that your survival in captivity is still under threat?

Cultivated from a small, faded, address book secretly written by a young soldier in the Royal Army Service Corps, Captured at Singapore, is a POW story of adventure, courage resilience and luck.

In 1940, Londoner Stanley Moore became Driver T/170638 and trained for desert warfare along with many others in the British Army’s 18th Division. Their mission, they thought, was to fight against Hitler and fascism in the Middle East. But in a change of plan and destination, he and his fellow servicemen became sacrificial lambs on a continent much further from home.

After tough rudimentary combat training in England, Stan’s division set off on a secret overseas mission. After months at sea, and several unexpected ports of call, their convoy was redirected to the other side of the world as the Imperial Japanese Army rampaged across Manchuria, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. Singapore was under sole British jurisdiction and a large naval base had been built after the First World War to defend the island at the foot of the Malay Peninsula. The British Government believed Japan would never attack their prize territory and so left Singapore to fight for itself with limited troops and outdated equipment. But after an attack on Pearl Harbor, the under-trained and undersupplied 18th Division was redirected to fight the Japanese.

Using extensive research and personal documents, the authors’ account - via their father’s small, faded, diary and his 1990 tape recording - tells of Stan’s journey and arrival in Keppel Harbour under shellfire; the horrific 17 day battle to defend the island, the Japanese Admonition and the harrowing forced labour conditions after capitulation.

Only a small percentage of the 85,000 British troops returned after the war. Captivity and years of trauma ultimately stole years of the young soldiers’ lives, which they were later ordered to forget by the British Government. The aim of this work is to provide information for future generations to understand how ordinary men died under horrific conditions of war, and how the lucky survived."

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You can only ever give 5 stars for stories like these ... those that open your eyes to the reality of war and the harrowing nature of what life was like for those unfortunate to have been taken prisoner but lucky enough to have survived.  

This is a really well written and powerful account of one man's experiences during World War II and is a eye-opening and, at times, shocking read.

Their stories cannot and should never be forgotten.

Thank you to the authors, Pen & Sword and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this emotional story.

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The Secret Midwife by Soraya M. Lane

Description from Goodreads:

"London, 1995: When on the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz a news broadcast runs an appeal for information on the identity of a midwife who saved hundreds of lives, Emilia knows it is time to finally tell her story.

Occupied Poland, 1942: Despite the constant presence of German soldiers in her village, Emilia is allowed certain freedoms as a midwife―the most precious is innocently cycling past Nazi checkpoints to the homes of expectant mothers on her rounds. But Emilia has a secret: for years she’s also been visiting the hidden Jewish mothers and working for the resistance…until she is betrayed.

Suddenly a prisoner of Auschwitz, Emilia is surrounded by horror and despair. When she is put to work as a midwife in the camp, she realises that she has a chance to bring a small glimmer of hope to the pregnant women of Auschwitz. Alongside a brave imprisoned doctor, Aleksy, and an innocent outcast, Lena, she comes up with a dangerous plan. A plan that if discovered could mean a fate far worse than death, but if they act undetected, they could save countless lives…"

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I find books about the Holocaust difficult to review and rate because anything that highlights and keeps the memory alive of all those who perished under that despicable regime is deserving of 5 stars from me and The Secret Midwife is no different.

Although a work of fiction, the author bases her characters on real people who went through the horrors of World War II some of whom miraculously survived when millions of others did not.

The Secret Midwife focuses on the stories of Emelia and Aleksy.  Emelia is a midwife who risks her life supporting ALL women regardless of race or religion to give birth safely.  Aleksy is a doctor who tries to save his town during occupation.  Unfortunately, both were discovered and transported to the hell-hole that was Auschwitz however, they continued to try and care and help their fellow prisoners despite having no resources or equipment and the ongoing risk of immediate selection and execution.

As you can imagine, this is an emotional, harrowing and heart-breaking story but it's also one of bravery and how, despite the ongoing threats, some people did everything they could to help ease the suffering of those around them and whilst Emelia, Aleksy and some of the other characters aren't real people, they and their story will stay with me for some time.

Highly recommended to those of you who enjoy reading historical fiction; this is a must read and I have to thank Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Secret Midwife.

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The Storyteller of Auschwitz by Siobhan Curham

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"Auschwitz, 1942. ‘When this is all over, you will be able to tell the world what they did to us.’ The Nazis have already ended so many stories way too soon, but can a person truly die if their story lives on? I have to survive. The world needs to know what’s happening here…

Stumbling through the terrifying wrought iron gates of Auschwitz, Jewish author Etty Weil longs for her apartment overlooking the Seine, where she used to laugh with friends, her shelves full of records and her beloved typewriter by the wide window. Now she looks on in horror as a young girl, Danielle , is ruthlessly torn apart from her sobbing mother. Etty has always longed for the warm embrace of and trapped inside the maze of barbed wire, she takes fourteen-year-old Danielle under her wing and soon comes to cherish her like a sister.

Every evening, Etty tells Danielle stories, building a beautiful world of imagination and hope for Danielle to escape into. Soon, Etty realises that the other women in their cramped hut are listening too. She encourages them to share their lives, to talk about their darling children running around clutching their favourite toys, the love affairs they once had and the beloved family they’ve already lost. Etty must survive this terrible if only to keep her promise to these brave women that their stories will not be forgotten.

But the more hope Etty gives Danielle, the more chances the young girl begins to take with her life, rebelling against the brutal SS guards and forcing Etty to protect her. And one day, Danielle goes too far…"

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Oh my word, I am an emotional wreck after reading this book!

Let's be honest, books about the Holocaust are always difficult to read and although this is a work of fiction, the story is inspired by a mix of real authors from that time and real events that actually happened which are taken from the witness statements from the people who were there and survived that horrendous period.  It has been said before many times but we can never let something like this happen again ... we just can't! 

I fell in love with all the main characters in this book but admit to Solly and Danielle being my favourites apart from Etty of course and became totally immersed in their stories and I am not ashamed to say that I cried on more than one occasion and had to actually put the book down and stop reading as I couldn't read the words for the tears in my eyes but there were also parts that made me smile.

The Storyteller of Auschwitz is a powerful story of hope and friendship, bravery and survival and how powerful stories can be.

Many, many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this fantastic book that is a must-read.

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Check out another of Siobhan's books I have reviewed: