Two Different Periods of History, Two Very Different Stories
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The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive, Written & Narrated by Lucy Adlington

Published September 2nd 2021 by HarperAudio, September 14th 2021 by Harper

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the true story of a group of women who survived Auschwitz because of their sewing and tailoring skills. Even though this is non-fiction, it reads like historical fiction. During WWII, where Jewish persons were being exterminated, twenty-five young inmates at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp—mainly Jewish women and girls—were selected to design, cut, and sew beautiful fashions for elite Nazi women in a dedicated salon established by Hedwig Höss, wife of Rudolf the SS Officer in charge of the death camp. If a new worker was needed, family or friends of those already working in he Upper Tailoring Studio, were given a job and a chance to live longer. This is an extensively and exhaustively well researched piece of work including interviews with the last surviving seamstress. The story begins with the Nazi Party’s rise to power, the implementation of their policies for plunder and exploitation and continuing on with deportations, work details and the murders of so many Jewish and other prisoners. I did not know anything about this group of women and found it very interesting to learn about their trials and their chance to survive the Holocaust. Lucy Adlington wrote and narrated this book. She does a good job reading this book with expression and emotion. I definitely recommend this one to those who want to learn more about some of the survivors of the Nazi’s Final Solution. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

The Prison Guard's Daughter: My Journey Through the Ashes of Attica

The Prison Guard’s Daughter: My Journey Through the Ashes of Attica by Deanne Quinn Miller & Gary Craig, Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

Published September 07, 2021 by Tantor Audio, Diversion Books

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had heard of the riots at Attica, but really knew nothing else about them. This non-fiction book is not about the riots (although there are details about it within the book) but about the prison guards who were injured and the families of the ones who were killed. Deanne Quinn Miller is the daughter of the only guard killed my the inmates. She grew up knowing what happened to her father, but no one talked about it. It wasn’t until several inmates received settlements from the state of New York, including the two men who were convicted of killing her father, that she became a crusader to compensate the guards or their families. In her eyes, and many others, the way the riot was quelled was the reason so many died and the treatment of the employees after the riot was deplorable. When she joined the Forgotten Victims of Attica, she began to find answers to what really happened and she became a fighter for those victims, compensation for what they suffered and an apology. She got to know some of the prisoners, some who tried to save her father and others who tried to help others. From the blurb: “As Miller lays bare the truth about her father’s death, the world inside Attica, and the state’s reckless raid and coverup, she conveys a narrative of compassionate humanity and a call for prison reform.” I learned a lot from this book about the riots as well as government coverups and that perseverance pays off when fighting for justice. The one problem I has was that it was a bit dry, and some parts were slow moving. Rosemary Benson narrated this book. As it is all told from Deanne’s point of view, it felt like she was sharing the story. If you are interested in prisons, prison reform, Government Coverups, or the Attica Riots, then I recommend this one. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.