This is not ‘just another World War Two book.’

⭐ It’s a mini history lesson on a devious and traumatic top-secret Nazi policy.

⭐ It shows us that we have the ability within us to change the course of another’s life by forging connections that have the potential to carry another through dark moments.

⭐ It encourages us to dig deep and find the catalyst to enable us to act with heroism when we least feel like a hero.

⭐ It answers why civilized, ordinary people became seduced by a fanatic.

⭐ It warns us that a Hitler-style leader can be elected and subtly sow seeds of hatred for another race, group or religion.

Coburn transported me back in time and explored the experiences of those women who gave birth for Hitler and revealed why and how young German women became such willing participants. I knew that the Third Reich members were obsessive about race and racial purity and that it lead to two horrific policies; the Holocaust and Lebensborn. While I’ve educated myself more about the monstrous Holocaust, I’ve not made much of an effort to learn more about the mirror-opposite program and the lengths the Nazis went to increase the numbers of racially desirable. I knew that there was a breeding program, but was not prepared for what author Jennifer Coburn had extensively researched and presented!

In highlighting this barbaric program, Coburn crafted three women representative of each facet of the German population. Gundi Schiller’s response to Germany at war was to join the resistance. On the other end of the spectrum is Hilde Kramer, a highschool student who saw the prestige and eagerly supported Hitler’s movement. Somewhere in the middle was Nurse Irma Binz who decided to put her head down and go about her own business. When Coburn has them meet at Heim Hochland, the maternity home near Munich, readers get an opportunity to see how each woman reacts to her ‘duty.’ The beauty of this for me is a learning experience, especially crafted by an author who has spent dauntless hours delving into the written accounts of others who represented the same section of the German population as her characters. By exploring these girls’ personal relationships, with each other and with the Nazi officers, I gain insight into areas of history I’d never have had the opportunity to know about nor understand.

Coburn effectively placed me in a front-row seat as the policies of the state-supported program called Lebensborn unfolded, helped me see the relevance and importance of studying this event in history, and gave me a deeper and more lasting understanding of what really happened.

You need to pick up this eye-opening account and see for yourself why this isn’t just another historical fiction book.

I can’t wait to see what the author has planned for her next historical fiction novel featuring Nazi propaganda.

I was gifted this advance copy by Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this beautiful book. The author’s 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 the author went into in 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 “racially fit” babies that were taken from their mothers and raised as part of new Germany.

We see three women’s 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 would definitely recommend this book to historical fiction fans.

I don't read historical fiction to often but this book caught my eye. My father was a survivor of the Holocaust and I certainly heard about many of the atrocities carried out by the Nazi's. Evidently it wasn't enough to try to wipe out the entire Jewish race but they also had a program, which consisted of a large maternity wards in the country, with the focus on breeding pure Aryan children who would be adopted by select German families. The novel is based on three women with very different perspectives in the maternity home. Clearly Jennifer Coburn has researched this quite thoroughly. It is a very interesting and informative read.

I really enjoyed this book. There are many WWII historical novels, but I have never read one that touched on the Lebensborn Society. While I didn’t actually know that this occurred, it is not all that surprising based on Hitler’s desire to dominate and create his view of the perfect human breed. The characters were well developed and Gundi was by far my favorite. The horrors of this period in history could really be felt though the focus was very different than other other books about this war.

This book centers around the Lebensborn Society during WWII. It sent the best, pregnant German woman to a home to receive the best care in producing a racially superior baby for the Reich. It follows 3 woman who end up in the home for different reasons and the path their lives take.

I was engaged for most of this book until about 60% through when it became long winded. I started skimming paragraphs on unnecessary descriptions. I also would have liked more character development to connect with the story more.

The ending arrives abruptly and there's a lot of unanswered questions. You find out what happens with some of the characters but not all of them. Considering how much is surrounded by these side characters I wanted to know if they made it or not.

This novel revolves around the lives of three women who are a part of the Lebensborn Society. the Nazi breeding program started early in the years of the Reich. Gundi finds herself pregnant and due to her beauty and background, she is considered a perfect model mother. What the doctors don't know is that she is a member of a resistance group and her baby is not the perfect Aryan they are hoping for. Irma was a nurse in World War I and has been asked by her old friend to come and work at the Heim Hochland Lebensborn home. Hilde started having an affair with a high-ranking official and is happily living at Heim Hochland, eager to show her commitment to the Reich. This was one of the darkest parts of the Reich and there is not a lot of information about this program. Jennifer Coburn did an amazing job telling the stories of three women who had different reasons for being there and different levels of belief in the Reich and all that it stood for.

Before reading Jennifer Coburn's new book Cradles of the Reich, I already was familiar with Nazi Germany's Lebensborn Society, breeding factories for the regime's horrific attempts to repopulate itself after trying to annihilate everyone who was not a "pure" German. Coburn realistically paints that era, the horrors that anyone who did not fit the Aryan standards, and the consequences of such instruments as this breeding program through this novel by focusing on three woman. Hilde, is a young woman who embraces and seeks to participate in the program. Irma, a middle-aged nurse, joins the staff after mistaking her fiancé's action to protect a Jewish woman as a romantic betrayal. And Gundi, who has been deemed to meet all the criteria of a perfect German, is a student who is pregnant with her Jewish lover's child. None of the choices these woman face are easy, but the connections they make and the relationships of trust that they must develop, demonstrate their courage and determine their ultimate fates. Coburn does an excellent job of developing these characters, although at times some of the other characters, such as Sister Dorothea, seem to appear without warning out of the background imbued with surprising, almost miraculous, powers. Overall, Cradles of the Reich is a book that educates as well as entertains.

Thank you Net Galley and Sourcebooks for an ARC of Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn. What an interesting perspective on WW2 historical fiction. I have read many WW2 books, but rarely do they have a character perspective as a German citizen. This book tells the story of three women that begins just before the war broke out. One was a nurse, Irma, who served in WW1 and thought all was fine with the way things were going, until they weren't. Another woman, Hilde, is a devout follower of the Reich who did whatever she could to rise up in the ranks. The third character, Gundi, is a German and has a baby with a Jewish resistance fighter, but recognizes the hatred for the Jews is not right, . The story tells of the Lebensborn program that was started to promote and encourage the procreation of the ideal German offspring. This is a lesser known event during WW2 but a story that needs to be told of finding the women to produce the ideal German, giving the women all the comforts regardless of what what going on, and providing the male subjects to help in the procreation. I struggled with the Hilde character and her devotion to Hitler and the Reich, but kudos to the author for staying true to the character she created. The author's notes were powerful that explained where the author found the story to tell. If you like WW2 HF with a different perspective, I would recommend this book.

Is anyone safe in Germany…especially the perfect female examples of the German race.

Gundi is one of the perfect, gorgeous German women chosen by the Reich to bear perfect children to create the master race. She does have a secret, though. Actually she has two secrets.

We meet Hilde who is a staunch follower of the Reich and one of the women who is willing to help fill Germany with perfect children.

And we meet Irma a former nurse and 44 years old. She will be the one encouraging the unwed mothers to stay healthy so they deliver these perfect children.

We meet these women during this dark time in history and at Lebensborn Society maternity homes where women arrive already pregnant or who will become pregnant by an approved German officer.

Ms. Coburn did amazing, thorough research on a topic I never knew about.

Historical fiction fans will enjoy CRADLES OF THE REICH.

There are many sensitive and heartbreaking topics addressed, and this idea of using German women in this way is something I couldn’t believe. 4/5

This book was given to me by the author via NetGalley for an honest review.

Coburn does a spectacular job of highlighting different women that were deeply affected by Hilter’s horrifying schemes to breed racially pure infants. Each of the three women we follow have very different roles, all three of which are needed to get the full picture of what was occurring.

I highly recommend reading the authors note at the end, it was very enlightening.

Would you volunteer your womb for the Reich?

This novel dives deeply into a rarely explored, dark and ugly side of Nazi Germany. Young girls were housed in Lebensborn society homes throughout the country with the sole purpose of procreating and producing more "Aryan" children to fill the new Germany. Readers explore this strange world through the lenses of three women - Gundi, a young woman working in the resistance with her Jewish boyfriend, Hilde, a teenager trying to find her place in Hitler's world, and Irma, a nurse still reeling from the effects the Great War had on her personal and professional life. They all come together at a Lebensborn home called Heim Hochland.

I think the author describes it best in her Author's Note: "I love reading historical fiction because it allows me to learn about history through the more intimate lens of personal relationships." I always say I would have been a much better history student if HF was used in my history classes! The author's hope was also for this novel to: "provide fodder for discussions about the social environments that allow women's bodies to be politicized and commoditized." Powerful writing, gripping characters, and an exploration of a side of WWII most don't know about make this an engaging, if disturbing, read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC. Publishing date: October 11, 2022.

I would definitely rate this 3.5 stars, because it was a very interesting read, and quite compelling throughout the entire narrative. I also appreciated how it was not another WWII story like you see all the time if you are a fan of the genre. However, the ending is very sudden, and kind of snuck up on me in a way that was not entirely satisfying. I expected a bit more "falling action." Additionally, I didn't even realize that we were completely done, and would in fact not be returning to Hilde and Irma's narratives, until I realized the entire book had reached its conclusion! Those arcs did not feel entirely "finished" to me, at least not in a way I recognized as such. But overall, it was a very good read.

From multiple feminine points of view, readers experience a fictional version of the real Lebensborn project in 1939 Germany. The characters learn about the program to increase the population of Aryan children by arranging conception, maternity care, and adoption. Gundi, a resistance fighter pregnant with her Jewish boyfriend’s child meets Nurse Irma and Nazi-enthusiast Hilde. The ladies are visited by characters representing historically-real soldiers, such as Himmler, Goebbels, and Scholtz-Klink.

I think we all know that the historical fiction genre is positively saturated with stories set against a WWII backdrop, but this one stands out for its exploration of the Lebensborn program, a Nazi breeding initiative.

Cradles of the Reich is set in various cities in Germany at the start of the war, and it follows the experiences of three very different German women. Gundi, Hilde, and Irma all have radically opposing beliefs and opinions at the beginning of the story, but they all are changed by their experiences at Heim Hochland. At the estate, pregnant German girls are encouraged to give up their "highly adoptable" and "racially fit" Aryan babies to high-ranking military officers and their wives. Other young girls at Heim Hochland are groomed to become impregnated by visiting SS officials, all in an effort to provide babies "for the führer" and for the future of New Germany. One of the girls finds herself in danger, and she must figure out a way to get herself and her baby out of the Lebensborn home before something terrible happens to her beloved daughter.

I found this story horrifying, of course, but also enlightening. I have to say, I have a lot of respect for Jennifer Coburn, a Jewish woman, successfully writing from the perspective of an enthusiastic young Nazi girl. I believe the intent here was to bring some insight into how such blatantly horrific propaganda appealed to young minds, and why it was so widely successful. Hilde's experiences are a bit sad and a bit pathetic, and I do hope that she has had a change of heart by the close of this story.

Overall, I learned much about this particular aspect of the Nazi initiatives, and I found the story engaging. I enjoyed reading WWII fiction from the perspective of three German women, and I will seek out more stories like this in the future. Thank you to Jennifer Coburn, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Cradles of the Reich is a fascinating historical fiction book from the World War II era. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and find particular interest in stories from World War II as they portray the very worst of mankind opposite the very best. Stories of ordinary people moved to take extraordinary risks and feats to try and help those hunted by the Nazi regime never fails to move me. This novel focuses on a program I was unaware of—the Lebensborn Society, another construct of Hitler’s striving to breed the perfect Aryan race. Three woman are brought to the Heim Hochland, a palatial home in Rural Germany for Aryan pregnant, unmarried women in different situations with different motivations. One young woman is a German involved in the resistance fight to save Jews and is pregnant by her secret Jewish husband. She was forced into the Lebensborn program due to her perfect Aryan characteristics and is concerned that her baby may favor its Jewish father when born. Another young woman has purposely gotten pregnant by an SS leader in hopes of securing herself a life as a pampered mistress. The third woman winds up there as a nurse there unaware upon her entry there of the intent of the whole Lebensborn program. She had hit a crisis point in her life and needed to find a new life and winds up there taking care of the young pregnant women housed and cared for there. You get a glimpse at the lengths the Nazis were going to take over the world and remake it in its own image of perfectionBy adopting out the children born at Heim Hochland to SS leaders, bringing orphans left from the war deemed acceptable to be adopted by Germans to expand their blonde, blue-eyed Aryan race. The book ends with a breath-taking escape to freedom that keeps you turning the pages.

The author of the book reached out to me about reviewing the book so even though my copy came via NetGalley, these thoughts are my own.

Cradles of the Reich is a middle of the road book for me and here is why:

What I thought author, Jennifer Coburn, did really well was bring to light a lesser know Nazi program called The Lebensborn Program. In short, this program identified "racially valuable" German women and paired them with "racially valued" German men to produce a "superior race" that was free from defects. What can I say? The Nazis really were crazy. Being the subject of the book, makes this book a valuable addition to the WWII Historical Fiction world. I had some basic background knowledge of the book and because Cradles of the Reich went into more details I struggled to put it down.

Coburn tells the story of three German girls/women and their experiences within the Lebensborn Program. The author does a stellar job at making the reader feel outraged at the pro-Nazi speak and the clear insanity of it all, but in an effort to tell the story from three main characters some character development is lost along the way and the ending comes very abruptly.

In terms of Hildie, I didn't get any closure for her as a character.

Irma, whom I found insufferable at the beginning has a change of heart by the end but I couldn't quite figure out where that happens---I would have liked to see her character fleshed out a bit more and read a more impactful reason for her shift in headspace. Her change was dramatic but I couldn't figure out why she changed.

And I'm going to need another novel about Gundi.

Overall I think it's a great addition to shelf so 3.5/5 rounded up to 4.

When I first started reading Cradles of the Reich, I was very intrigued to read a historical fiction about World War II written from the perspective of three women of German decent. Jennifer did a great job developing these three characters; she gives readers a different perspective of what these women were faced with by their own government and society. I truly learned a lot, I never knew places like Helm Hochland even existed. If you are a fan of historical fiction, I definitely recommend giving this one a read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the gifted read.

💙Wow! There’s a reason historical fiction is my favorite, and this book is no exception! Absolutely incredible!

Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn is one of the most fascinating novels I have ever read. While some parts of this book were hard to read (it is about Nazi Germany after all), I was pulled so deeply into the history. I’ve read a lot of WWII books, and yet I knew nothing about the Nazi Breeding Program. Mind blown!

Plus you guys know how much I love novels with nurse characters, and I found myself putting myself in Irma’s shoes. What would I have done in her position? What if I had been a nurse in Germany during the war? This book made me think about points of view I had never considered, with characters I couldn’t help but love, and impeccable writing. Definitely in my top five reads of the year so far!

Bonus, if you want to learn some of the history behind the book, visit @jennifercoburnbooks on Instagram where she shares many interesting facts from the book and the history behind them. You’ll instantly want to read the book!

Told from the viewpoints of three different women, I was once again shocked by another bloodcurdling atrocity that I had previously been unaware that happened. The Nazis & Hitler was creating the “master race” in maternity homes or breeding grounds for the perfection of the Aryan race.

Thought-provoking and superbly researched, be prepared for the entire rainbow of emotions to come out while reading this brutal, heartbreaking & emotional journey of these women.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Bookmarked for the gifted copy.

This is an entertaining, well-written, informative, WWII historical fiction novel which is based on actual events. It describes the Nazi breeding program known as the Lebensborn Society from the perspectives of three very different German women. The contrasting points of view, vividly described settings, fast pace, and well developed characters engage the reader from the beginning until the end of this outstanding novel. Ms. Coburn's notes and personal insight are interesting and enlightening, and are truly appreciated.
NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark kindly provided me with an ARC of this novel, and this is my honest opinion.