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Ravensbrück: Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women

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On a sunny morning in May 1939, a phalanx of 800 women from various backgrounds were marched through the woods to Ravensbrück, a concentration camp designed specifically for women by Heinrich Himmler. The author, Sarah Helm, delves into the heart of the camp, bringing to light the untold horrors that unfolded there, detailing the evolution of the unthinkable horror that quickly engulfed the prisoners. Through meticulous research and interviews with survivors, Helm paints a riveting picture of the lives of the women who lived and died in Ravensbrück, showcasing their unimaginable suffering and resilience in the face of appalling conditions.

The book is a thoroughly researched and detailed account of the Ravensbrück concentration camp, shedding light on the experiences of women from different nationalities and backgrounds who were subjected to inhumane treatment and atrocities. Helm's writing style is compassionate and convicting, chronicling the truth of the camp's history before time ran out, and urging readers to understand and never forget the stories of the survivors and victims of Ravensbrück.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style combines thorough research with emotional storytelling, though it may be seen as dense and challenging to read.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative dives deep into the personal experiences of women at Ravensbrück, showcasing the camp's dual role of forced labor and psychological torment, while also emphasizing its historical context.

Setting:

The Ravensbrück concentration camp serves as the stark and brutal setting, underpinning the psychological and physical torture experienced by its inmates.

Pacing:

The pacing is methodical and detailed, which may challenge readers but ultimately serves the depth of the narrative.
‘The year is 1957. The doorbell of my flat is ringing,’ writes Grete Buber-Neumann, a former Ravensbrück prisoner. ‘I open the door. An old woman is standing before me, breathing heavily and missing t...

Notes:

Ravensbrück was the only concentration camp specifically for women.
It was initially set up for political prisoners, Jehovah's Witnesses, and people who didn't conform to the Aryan ideal.
Many women there were subjected to forced labor, often in inhumane conditions.
A target of the camp included women who were intellectually disabled, Romani gypsies, and Jews.
Sarah Helm wrote the book to rescue the historical truth of a forgotten atrocity.
The camp was also a site for medical experiments on women, who were often treated like 'rabbits' for testing purposes.
Survivors came from various backgrounds including doctors, opera singers, and political activists.
Ravensbrück started with 867 prisoners in 1939 and ended with several hundred thousand by war's end.
Women in the camp formed close-knit communities and friendships to survive the horror of their circumstances.
The camp used psychological torture, giving hope only to take it away repeatedly, breaking the spirits of many women.
Many women were liberated by the Russians but faced further traumas afterward, including violence from the liberators.
Helm's book includes many first-person accounts that personalize the stories of those who were imprisoned.
Ravensbrück was built near a beautiful lake, once a vacation spot, contrasting sharply with its grim purpose.
The camp faced little post-war recognition compared to other camps, risking the stories of its female victims being forgotten.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include graphic depictions of violence, torture, psychological trauma, and human rights abuses.

From The Publisher:

Months before the outbreak of World War II, Heinrich Himmler-prime architect of the Holocaust-designed a special concentration camp for women, located fifty miles north of Berlin. Only a small number of the prisoners were Jewish. Ravensbrück was primarily a place for the Nazis to hold other inferior beings: Jehovah's Witnesses, Resistance fighters, lesbians, prostitutes, and aristocrats-even the sister of New York's Mayor LaGuardia. Over six years the prisoners endured forced labor, torture, starvation, and random execution. In the final months of the war, Ravensbrück became an extermination camp. Estimates of the final death toll have ranged from 30,000 to 90,000.

For decades the story of Ravensbrück was hidden behind the Iron Curtain. Now, using testimony unearthed since the end of the Cold War and interviews with survivors who have never talked before, Sarah Helm takes us into the heart of the camp. The result is a landmark achievement that weaves together many accounts, following figures on both sides of the prisoner/guard divide. Chilling, compelling, and deeply necessary, Ravensbrück is essential reading for anyone concerned with Nazi history.

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About the Author:

Sarah Helm is the author of A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII and the play Loyalty, about the 2003 Iraq War. She was a staff journalist on the Sunday Times (London) and a foreign correspondent on the Independent, and now writes for several publications. She lives in London with her husband and two daughters.

 
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