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jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
World War II stories can be tough. But they are important. We must remember horrible moments in the history of our world to learn from them. I find it important to lift up and bring to light people who fought against evil during this time. The Light of Days tells the true story of Jewish women in Poland who worked in the resistance against the Nazis. These women often "passed" as Christians so that they could make their way through society at the time to deliver messages and materials.
This book is well researched and spotlights a handful of women who did their part in the war against the Nazis. Several of these women survived and published their own memoirs which were helpful to the author of this book. Tragically, not all of the women survived the war, but their efforts as part of the resistance are very much highlighted by this book.
I recommend this one for history buffs or those interested in true stories of women doing great things.
Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook!
This book is well researched and spotlights a handful of women who did their part in the war against the Nazis. Several of these women survived and published their own memoirs which were helpful to the author of this book. Tragically, not all of the women survived the war, but their efforts as part of the resistance are very much highlighted by this book.
I recommend this one for history buffs or those interested in true stories of women doing great things.
Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook!
okevamae's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC of the audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Light of Days chronicles the lives (and often, the tragic and courageous deaths) of the brave young Jewish women who tirelessly worked in secret to resist and fight back against the Nazis in World War II. I was fascinated to dive into this book because this is not a perspective I had ever read about before. The lives of women in history, in general, are not written about enough, and I’m always happy to see a new history book that sheds light on the lives and exploits of remarkable women.
This book closely follows the stories of a particular handful of Jewish women, and takes quotes and anecdotes directly from their own memoirs written after World War II. (Some of them, anyway – sadly, not all of the women whose lives we follow in the book lived to see the end of the war.) I listened to the audiobook, and while the topic is an interesting one, I had a little bit of a hard time concentrating on the book if anything else was going on. I don’t usually have that problem with audiobooks. Unfortunately the narrator is slightly too monotone to keep my attention well – or it may have also been because the writing was somewhat dry. Granted, it’s not a happy or fun topic, but it definitely reads more like a textbook than a work of narrative nonfiction.
It was difficult to keep track of which character was which. This might be due to the writing, but it is also just generally hard to keep track of which character is which in audio format sometimes, especially in nonfiction. The book provides a “cast of characters” at the beginning of the book, to help readers keep the characters straight, but that’s of limited use in an audiobook where you can’t flip back and forth to refer to it.
Overall, this is an impressively well-researched book on an interesting, important, and little-explored topic, but the writing is less engaging than I’d prefer, and the audiobook experience is somewhat lacking. Some nonfiction works well in audio, some doesn’t. For some reason, this is one of the ones that doesn’t. Personally, I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it and enjoyed it more if I’d read it instead of listening to it. Skip the audio, and read this one in ebook or in print.
The Light of Days chronicles the lives (and often, the tragic and courageous deaths) of the brave young Jewish women who tirelessly worked in secret to resist and fight back against the Nazis in World War II. I was fascinated to dive into this book because this is not a perspective I had ever read about before. The lives of women in history, in general, are not written about enough, and I’m always happy to see a new history book that sheds light on the lives and exploits of remarkable women.
This book closely follows the stories of a particular handful of Jewish women, and takes quotes and anecdotes directly from their own memoirs written after World War II. (Some of them, anyway – sadly, not all of the women whose lives we follow in the book lived to see the end of the war.) I listened to the audiobook, and while the topic is an interesting one, I had a little bit of a hard time concentrating on the book if anything else was going on. I don’t usually have that problem with audiobooks. Unfortunately the narrator is slightly too monotone to keep my attention well – or it may have also been because the writing was somewhat dry. Granted, it’s not a happy or fun topic, but it definitely reads more like a textbook than a work of narrative nonfiction.
It was difficult to keep track of which character was which. This might be due to the writing, but it is also just generally hard to keep track of which character is which in audio format sometimes, especially in nonfiction. The book provides a “cast of characters” at the beginning of the book, to help readers keep the characters straight, but that’s of limited use in an audiobook where you can’t flip back and forth to refer to it.
Overall, this is an impressively well-researched book on an interesting, important, and little-explored topic, but the writing is less engaging than I’d prefer, and the audiobook experience is somewhat lacking. Some nonfiction works well in audio, some doesn’t. For some reason, this is one of the ones that doesn’t. Personally, I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it and enjoyed it more if I’d read it instead of listening to it. Skip the audio, and read this one in ebook or in print.
markopdx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
udflyer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
I learned A LOT from this book. Amazing that these stories made it out of the war. People always wonder why Jews didn't fight back... Well, these women did!! ✊
arilynn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
shawnabaker's review against another edition
5.0
This is a story that everyone should read. I’ve read so many books/stories non-fiction ones about the holocaust. But, this is the first true story I’ve read. We can never forget what happened. What they were put through. I don’t think in all the stories I’ve read, I’ve ever heard about the women who fought in the resistance. Their stories just aren’t shared. Why? This was hard! It was deep! It was heartbreaking! But also, it was triumphant! I loved it and I’m so glad I found this book!
smashmelia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Genocide, Violence, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, War, Death, Mass/school shootings, and Physical abuse
mary00's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars
This may well be the most difficult book I have ever read because of the harrowing content. I have read many World War II books, but this book contained a side of the Holocaust/ war I knew little about - the Jewish women in the ghettos who resisted and fought back. These women deserve to be known and should be household names. Their courage and fortitude in the face of unspeakable horror is astounding. I am grateful the author brought their stories to light.
I do agree with the reviews that mention that the writing could be a bit more cohesive. However, I am giving the author a pass because she had such a deluge of content to work with and it all deserved to be shared. Yes, as a reader it could be difficult to keep people and details straight in places, but I am glad to have received all of the information. I would not have wanted any of the stories to be cut. The power of the stories overcame any organization issues, for me.
This is a book I will not be forgetting. It is difficult for me to understand how so many people could have turned a blind eye to such horror.
This may well be the most difficult book I have ever read because of the harrowing content. I have read many World War II books, but this book contained a side of the Holocaust/ war I knew little about - the Jewish women in the ghettos who resisted and fought back. These women deserve to be known and should be household names. Their courage and fortitude in the face of unspeakable horror is astounding. I am grateful the author brought their stories to light.
I do agree with the reviews that mention that the writing could be a bit more cohesive. However, I am giving the author a pass because she had such a deluge of content to work with and it all deserved to be shared. Yes, as a reader it could be difficult to keep people and details straight in places, but I am glad to have received all of the information. I would not have wanted any of the stories to be cut. The power of the stories overcame any organization issues, for me.
This is a book I will not be forgetting. It is difficult for me to understand how so many people could have turned a blind eye to such horror.