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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4/5 đ
....................
"I donât want to be in a world when helping one another survive is remarkable."
....................
Cradles of the Reich tells the little known story of the Lebensborn society, a place that Nazis used as a sort of breeding ground for their "master race." It follows 3 fictional women, who ended up at the house in very different circumstances. One is proud to be carrying a Nazi leader's child, another is a 44 year old nurse who believes she's doing good but later finds out the truth about the house and changes sides, and lastly a college age pregnant girl who is secretly part of the resistance but forced to join the society due to her pure "German beauty."
This book is such a great history lesson. Something everyone should learn about so it doesn't happen again. It's so crazy to me that this place and what happened there is real. I feel horrible for the babies born there and the mom's forced (or manipulated to) to give up their babies. It's just unheard of.
However I wasn't enthralled by the stories. I was intrigued, but I felt they lacked depth to really feel how the girls felt. Like the reader didn't quite get enough information on each woman's thoughts and past. But the little known history did make the story great, thus the 4 â.
....................
"I donât want to be in a world when helping one another survive is remarkable."
....................
Cradles of the Reich tells the little known story of the Lebensborn society, a place that Nazis used as a sort of breeding ground for their "master race." It follows 3 fictional women, who ended up at the house in very different circumstances. One is proud to be carrying a Nazi leader's child, another is a 44 year old nurse who believes she's doing good but later finds out the truth about the house and changes sides, and lastly a college age pregnant girl who is secretly part of the resistance but forced to join the society due to her pure "German beauty."
This book is such a great history lesson. Something everyone should learn about so it doesn't happen again. It's so crazy to me that this place and what happened there is real. I feel horrible for the babies born there and the mom's forced (or manipulated to) to give up their babies. It's just unheard of.
However I wasn't enthralled by the stories. I was intrigued, but I felt they lacked depth to really feel how the girls felt. Like the reader didn't quite get enough information on each woman's thoughts and past. But the little known history did make the story great, thus the 4 â.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Historical fiction is one of those genres that I have a love/hate relationship with. I love learning something new when I read them, but I am torn with that love because of the story.
Cradles of the Reich had my heart twisted. I never knew this type of "maternity" home existed, but am not surprised about it. I fell in love with Gundi and Irma as they go along trying to find their way in the situation they are placed. Hilde is a complex character and while she is a villain of sorts I felt bad for her.
I enjoyed this one overall and would recommend for historical fiction fans. I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Cradles of the Reich had my heart twisted. I never knew this type of "maternity" home existed, but am not surprised about it. I fell in love with Gundi and Irma as they go along trying to find their way in the situation they are placed. Hilde is a complex character and while she is a villain of sorts I felt bad for her.
I enjoyed this one overall and would recommend for historical fiction fans. I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
This book had elements of historical fiction mixed with The Handmaid,s Tale with a dash of the Tennessee Valley Children,s home scandal. I was not prepared for what was going to happen to the babies, and had no idea those babies (who are easily alive today!) were a real part of Germany. Read this to expand your knowledge of what happened to some âGood German citizensâ
I am grateful to have received an advance copy of "Cradles of the Reich" in order to participate in a BookBrowse discussion starting this week. Jennifer Coburn has done a wonderful job of researching a part of German/Jewish and WWII history. I was not previously aware of most of what I learned from this book, and found myself going down bunny trail after bunny trail looking up the history behind the story. I would encourage everyone to read this and to read the author's notes at the end as well.
The primary story follows three women in Germany prior to and during WWII who came from three very different points of view. The parents, friends and lovers of these three women all play an important part in peeling away layers of history as well. While the main three characters are fictional, the organizations that they were a part of are not. And many of the people portrayed within the Nazi machine were real as well. This is great historical fiction - it creates a window through which to look into the minds of people that went through this traumatic period of time.
The primary Nazi focus was Heim Hochland, a Lebensborn home for unwed mothers and also essentially a brothal. Lebensborn was a Nazi program with the stated goal of increasing the number of children born who met the Nazi standards of "racially pure," according to Nazi eugenics. Forced procreation, kidnapping and execution of babies were all carried out with the purpose of creating a pure race.
As they say, "those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it." (various sources) "Cradles of the Reich" reveals a history that we need to be aware of. You can't make this stuff up, and this is definitely not history that we wish to repeat.
The primary story follows three women in Germany prior to and during WWII who came from three very different points of view. The parents, friends and lovers of these three women all play an important part in peeling away layers of history as well. While the main three characters are fictional, the organizations that they were a part of are not. And many of the people portrayed within the Nazi machine were real as well. This is great historical fiction - it creates a window through which to look into the minds of people that went through this traumatic period of time.
The primary Nazi focus was Heim Hochland, a Lebensborn home for unwed mothers and also essentially a brothal. Lebensborn was a Nazi program with the stated goal of increasing the number of children born who met the Nazi standards of "racially pure," according to Nazi eugenics. Forced procreation, kidnapping and execution of babies were all carried out with the purpose of creating a pure race.
As they say, "those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it." (various sources) "Cradles of the Reich" reveals a history that we need to be aware of. You can't make this stuff up, and this is definitely not history that we wish to repeat.
This book was BEAUTIFUL and haunting. This book will forever stay in my mind and I had nightmares because it was a real life horror
I do wish that the other characters had an ending to tie the book together
I do wish that the other characters had an ending to tie the book together
The authorâs writing in this book was so wonderful and made you feel and experience all kinds of emotions as you read. This book was so beautiful and raw and heartbreaking all at the same time.
I love how much research went into this book to tell us about an untold, dark part of history with the Lebensborn Society maternity homes that very much existed during WWII that I personally knew nothing about. These homes were in place to produce âracially fitâ babies that were taken from their mothers and raised as part of new Germany.
We see three womenâs differing views and experiences during this part of history and the things they went through and had to overcome. I would be curious to see a future snapshot or epilogue after the book ends, but I really enjoyed this book and it was completely fascinating and left me with a feeling of hope in the darkness!
I love how much research went into this book to tell us about an untold, dark part of history with the Lebensborn Society maternity homes that very much existed during WWII that I personally knew nothing about. These homes were in place to produce âracially fitâ babies that were taken from their mothers and raised as part of new Germany.
We see three womenâs differing views and experiences during this part of history and the things they went through and had to overcome. I would be curious to see a future snapshot or epilogue after the book ends, but I really enjoyed this book and it was completely fascinating and left me with a feeling of hope in the darkness!
[Would have been 4 but the ending made it a 3]
ââIn the four years the Lebensborn Society has been in existence, do you know how many girls have met one hundred percent of our criteria for genetic and aesthetic perfection?â Dr Ebner paused, âOne. One girlâ you, Gundi.ââ
This is a disturbing read.
Not because of the writing but because of the subject matter: Lebensborn Society circa WWII where the Germans sought to create perfect humans using a breeding process. Itâs disturbing because of the indoctrination we know happened in Nazi Germany.
This book focuses on a unique facet of the war which differentiates it from so many other WWII novels and made it interesting to read, but unfortunately the ending left much to be desired.
Cradles of the Reich follows three characters who find themselves at Heim Hochland, one of the Germansâ centers to breed âracially pureâ babies for Hitler. Coburn indicates in her authorâs note that she wanted to explore characters with three different attitudes a German citizen may have had.
- Gundi: the perfect German âspecimenâ but is secretly part of the Resistance against the Nazis and wants no part of their program
ââGundi, If you want to do something, it canât be because you want to help the Jews. It has to be because you understand, heart and soul, that we are all inextricable bound. We donât need a savior. We need allies.ââ
- Irma: the motherly nurse who hears the bad things that are happening but thinks it canât be as bad as everyone says
ââThatâs the problem, Gundi, I donât want to be in a world where helping one another survive is remarkable.ââ
- Hilde: young and enamored with an SS officer, excited to do her part to bear children for the Reich
âShe was a woman of substance who understood that the most important thing about a man was the kind of life he could provide for her.â
The chapters change perspectives between the three women as they find themselves at the house intended to âcare forâ pregnant women who are bringing racially pure children into the world.
Gundi tried to run away and escape the program but was back and basically forced to remain there. Irma is just trying to do good in the world by helping bring life into it. Hilde is desperate to bear children in this program and will do whatever it takes to be successful and wanted.
Eugenics and Abortion
Itâs pretty unreal to think about these kinds of centers existing. That the Nazis thought they could identify the perfect race and create a world like thatâ especially considering Hitler wasnât even AryanâŚ
And yet, I canât help but think about abortion in the United States.
We scoff and are disgusted by the practices contained in this book to create perfect humans, and yet culture approves and celebrates abortion which is essentially doing the same thing. Babies are killed if they are not perfectâ they may have one âdefectâ or anotherâ or they are inconvenient, unwanted. We are lying to ourselves if we believe abortion in America is any different than the eugenics vision of Hitler.
All life is inherently valuable. It is simply a personâs human-ness that makes them worthy of life: not their skin color, their number of limbs, their number of chromosomes, the abilities of their minds, or the functioning of their senses.
Hopefully this book can remind us of the value of human life and stop us from trying to create âperfectâ families by keeping certain babies out of them.
The Ending
Why was the ending disappointing?
Because it was abrupt. And it was incomplete.
One of the characters makes an escape attempt but itâs at like 80% of the way through. And then the book is just over. We donât even know what becomes of one of the characters. And even the woman who tries to escape we donât get any information about her family or the father of the child or even what her future holds.
Considering the author creates a story where these three very different characters come together in the same house, youâd think we would get a fuller picture of how their attitudes change or influence one another.
I just needed so much more information at the end.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book if you enjoy all WWII books and love learning about more aspects of what happened during the war and how people endured different types of hardship. If you are interested in learning about the Lebensborn Society, youâll probably enjoy this book.
If you like to have satisfying and complete endings, I wouldnât recommend this one. I think youâll be disappointed like I was.
It had so much potential and the ending really took away from it.
I also would not recommend this book if pregnancy or miscarriage is a sensitive subject for you. They are both major parts of the book and may be too much for some women.
[Content Advisory: 1 f-word, 0 s-words; one minor character is gay; considering the premise of the book there is frequent talk of sex and pregnancy; trigger warning for miscarriage]
**Received an ARC via NetGalley**
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ââIn the four years the Lebensborn Society has been in existence, do you know how many girls have met one hundred percent of our criteria for genetic and aesthetic perfection?â Dr Ebner paused, âOne. One girlâ you, Gundi.ââ
This is a disturbing read.
Not because of the writing but because of the subject matter: Lebensborn Society circa WWII where the Germans sought to create perfect humans using a breeding process. Itâs disturbing because of the indoctrination we know happened in Nazi Germany.
This book focuses on a unique facet of the war which differentiates it from so many other WWII novels and made it interesting to read, but unfortunately the ending left much to be desired.
Cradles of the Reich follows three characters who find themselves at Heim Hochland, one of the Germansâ centers to breed âracially pureâ babies for Hitler. Coburn indicates in her authorâs note that she wanted to explore characters with three different attitudes a German citizen may have had.
- Gundi: the perfect German âspecimenâ but is secretly part of the Resistance against the Nazis and wants no part of their program
ââGundi, If you want to do something, it canât be because you want to help the Jews. It has to be because you understand, heart and soul, that we are all inextricable bound. We donât need a savior. We need allies.ââ
- Irma: the motherly nurse who hears the bad things that are happening but thinks it canât be as bad as everyone says
ââThatâs the problem, Gundi, I donât want to be in a world where helping one another survive is remarkable.ââ
- Hilde: young and enamored with an SS officer, excited to do her part to bear children for the Reich
âShe was a woman of substance who understood that the most important thing about a man was the kind of life he could provide for her.â
The chapters change perspectives between the three women as they find themselves at the house intended to âcare forâ pregnant women who are bringing racially pure children into the world.
Gundi tried to run away and escape the program but was back and basically forced to remain there. Irma is just trying to do good in the world by helping bring life into it. Hilde is desperate to bear children in this program and will do whatever it takes to be successful and wanted.
Eugenics and Abortion
Itâs pretty unreal to think about these kinds of centers existing. That the Nazis thought they could identify the perfect race and create a world like thatâ especially considering Hitler wasnât even AryanâŚ
And yet, I canât help but think about abortion in the United States.
We scoff and are disgusted by the practices contained in this book to create perfect humans, and yet culture approves and celebrates abortion which is essentially doing the same thing. Babies are killed if they are not perfectâ they may have one âdefectâ or anotherâ or they are inconvenient, unwanted. We are lying to ourselves if we believe abortion in America is any different than the eugenics vision of Hitler.
All life is inherently valuable. It is simply a personâs human-ness that makes them worthy of life: not their skin color, their number of limbs, their number of chromosomes, the abilities of their minds, or the functioning of their senses.
Hopefully this book can remind us of the value of human life and stop us from trying to create âperfectâ families by keeping certain babies out of them.
The Ending
Why was the ending disappointing?
Because it was abrupt. And it was incomplete.
One of the characters makes an escape attempt but itâs at like 80% of the way through. And then the book is just over. We donât even know what becomes of one of the characters. And even the woman who tries to escape we donât get any information about her family or the father of the child or even what her future holds.
Considering the author creates a story where these three very different characters come together in the same house, youâd think we would get a fuller picture of how their attitudes change or influence one another.
I just needed so much more information at the end.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book if you enjoy all WWII books and love learning about more aspects of what happened during the war and how people endured different types of hardship. If you are interested in learning about the Lebensborn Society, youâll probably enjoy this book.
If you like to have satisfying and complete endings, I wouldnât recommend this one. I think youâll be disappointed like I was.
It had so much potential and the ending really took away from it.
I also would not recommend this book if pregnancy or miscarriage is a sensitive subject for you. They are both major parts of the book and may be too much for some women.
[Content Advisory: 1 f-word, 0 s-words; one minor character is gay; considering the premise of the book there is frequent talk of sex and pregnancy; trigger warning for miscarriage]
**Received an ARC via NetGalley**
Book Review Blog | Facebook | Pinterest
WOW!!! This is one of those books that will stick with you for awhile and you will catch yourself pondering about at odd moments... I just feel like my mind was opened.. you think you understand the atrociousness of the Nazi regime and then a story like this comes along and you are just gobsmacked!
Would I recommend this book? YES Would I warn the reader they may be offended by some of the subject matter discussed and need to have an open mind? YES But these things DID happen and we need to remember lest we repeat mistakes of the past!
Overall 4.5 Stars !
Would I recommend this book? YES Would I warn the reader they may be offended by some of the subject matter discussed and need to have an open mind? YES But these things DID happen and we need to remember lest we repeat mistakes of the past!
Overall 4.5 Stars !