Milena Jesenska and Margarete Buber-Neumann met in 1940 in Ravensbrück concentration camp. The women became inseparable as they navigated the cruel atmosphere that tried to separate them from all they held dear. The "passionate friends" helped each other survive. This book shares the stories of their backgrounds, families and relationship.
I appreciated the book's flow and writing style. It's organized in a logical way and easy to read.
The book is packed with historical facts, too. I learned a lot about culture at the time and discovered new details about the Holocaust.
Perhaps the women were lesbians. They chose to label themselves as "passionate friends." Regardless, the author affirms "Scholars have recognized that for too long history was written about kings, conquerors, and colonizers. The narrative left out the story of the majority——everyday people, the enslaved, the colonized, and of course, the marginalized . To rectify this imbalance, in telling this story, I engage in an act of recovery and imagination."

This is a WWII story of two women in a concentration camp, hiding their love for each other. It was taboo at the time. It is a good story telling how they handled their feelings.

I was absolutely riveted by this book. I've read a lot of WWII history books, but I've realized I haven't read many that detail the horrors people experienced while trying to survive in concentration camps. What's more, the story of the love that developed between these two women was incredible.