The Nine tells the true story of the escape of 9 young women from a concentration camp in WWII. It tells the stories of how they all ended up at the camp, and their daring escape to freedom.

At this moment of worldwide chaos and despair, this is a book that reminds us about what is important, and about finding strength and purpose during the worst of times. Highly recommended.” — Goldie Goldbloom, author of Paperbark Shoe and On Division. Mémoire des Hommes, Base "Titres, homologations et services pour faits de résistance" Jeannine Hélène Suzanne PODLIASKY So, a witch's birth date determines which season a witch is tied to. Do you identifywith your birth season? p> 3. Six­ty years lat­er, Nicole wrote, ​ “Once again, Iam con­vinced of the strength of the ties unit­ing us and of our shared force.” What was their shared force?I particularly liked the chapter at the end about their lives after the war, and the ingrained trauma that the next generation had to deal with — I never thought about anything like that but it makes sense. After spending her youth caring for her grandmother and then establishing herself as a nurse in London, Susannah marries a rich, handsome younger surgeon. It's more than the spinster had ever hoped for, but not long after they return from their honeymoon, he begins to become distant. With no support from her husband and with the domineering housekeeper uninterested in letting her take any role in the running of their home, Susannah distracts herself with the newspapers, especially once the first lurid account of a woman murdered in Whitechapel is published. Then she realizes that her husband has been out late or failed to come home every time a new victim was found, sometimes even coming home bloodied. Is her husband the murderer? And is there anyone to whom Susannah can turn with her suspicions? Hélène looked around. Their column was overextended. There were gaps between the rows and the sections. There were no guards in sight. Since discovering the story two decades ago, Strauss believes attitudes have changed. “Absolutely in France. Medals are now being given to some women and there’s an understanding of trauma, including intergenerational trauma, and the importance of bearing witness.” 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 honoured and celebrated. It’s a most inspiring read... Utterly gripping." — Anne Sebba, author of Les Parisiennes

Strauss is the author of five books, including Ruth and the Greenbook (2010), six anthologies, numerous short essays and fictions, and poetry. Ruth and the Greenbook (2010) has been awarded numerous prizes. Her latest book, The Nine (2021), is about the true story of a group of women who survived the worst of Nazi Germany. But now they were in the middle of Saxony, facing frightened and hostile German villagers, angry fleeing officers of Germany’s Schutzstaffel (SS), the Russian army, and Allied bombers overhead. The Americans were somewhere nearby, they hoped. They had to find the Americans or die trying. She nodded, because he was right. Her pride and discomfort had gotten in the way of her thinking. Many people were in hiding and did not have access to ration cards; they were hungry. This money would help them. She needed to pull herself together. She took a deep breath.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 bestselling author of Cilka's Journey Helene was awarded the French Légion d'Honneur and promoted two times, Officier in 1987, Commandeur in 2005 [1]. The ultimate obstacle for the witches in your story is climate change. Has climate change always been an importantissue to you? 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 bestselling author p> 8. What is the impor­tance of mem­o­ry for our under­stand­ing of his­to­ry? Who decides what gets remem­bered andhow?

Trail of Stones (1989). With illustrations by Anthony Browne. A collection of poems; Knopf, New York, 1989. Poems from this book have been widely anthologized. The book was transformed into a theatrical production by ESOC theater group and performed in Darmstaat Germany in 2013 and in Luxembourg in 2014. Though the dangers the women face are significant, their unorthodox means of travel help contribute to an unexpected feeling of picaresque adventure, as the women lie and scavenge their way toward freedom... The women's bravery and ingenuity as they traverse an almost apocalyptic landscape makes for a thrilling narrative...Gripping." —Shelf AwarenessA] narrative of unfathomable courage... Ms. Strauss does her readers—and her subjects—a worthy service by returning to this appalling history of the courage of women caught up in a time of rapacity and war." — Wall Street Journal