A review by lemoney
Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn

4.0

Cradles of the Reich was an interesting read about the Lebensborn program… temporary homes for German woman to create “racially pure” children. There are so many crazy ideas that the Nazis had and this was one of them. I’d heard a bit about the program a few times in reading about WWII, but this is the most in-depth story I’ve read regarding it. The story is told from the point of view of 3 women. The first, Gunde, is a young pregnant woman chosen to come to one of the homes to stay healthy and deliver her baby. She hides a secret that could be devastating for her if discovered. The second, Hilde, is a teenager who falls for a older, married Nazi officer and is excited when she becomes pregnant with his baby. He pulls some strings to get her into the home. She’s thrilled to be “doing her duty” to her country and Hitler by bringing a “racially pure” child into the world. The last, Irma, is a nurse who comes to work in the home after feeling betrayed by her boyfriend. The way the German government convinced citizens to hate Jews, people who had mental or physical problems, and anyone else who did not live up to their standards was insane. It’s amazing how people could be brainwashed like that. In addition, though, people who refused to stand by and allow fellow humans to suffer did some heroic things to help as many as possible.
The book was one that I enjoyed reading for the most part. Unfortunately, the ending seemed to wrap up too quickly and left some loose threads as to what happened to several people. I could see a sequel and hope the author decides to write one. This book caught my attention as another part of this time period I’d briefly heard of but not read much about. I’m glad I decided to give this one a go written by a new-to-me author.