I had heard of Ravensbruck before I read this book. I’ve read a lot of history, including a fair amount covering World War II, and I spent many years in Europe. Even so, I’d heard and read far more about the other camps, and the opportunity to discover more about Ravensbruck interested me. Sisterhood of Ravensbruck more than fills the bill in that regard. Thoroughly researched and packed full of rich detail, this book is not only informative, it stirs the emotions in ways that are uncommon for books on historical events.

Tens of thousands of women were imprisoned at Ravensbruck during its years of operation, and while author Lynne Olson provides a wealth of background information, the book largely focuses on a group of Frenchwomen active in the Resistance who were captured by the Nazis and sent to the camp. The Sisterhood of Ravensbruck describes what these women endured, but it also tells the stories of some of the women they encountered at the camp, the hardship and brutality they all suffered, and the relationships they forged.

These women – French, Polish, Russian, and even American – survived the unspeakable, but there is little mention of them, or of Ravensbruck, in textbooks. Yet again history would shuffle them aside and marginalize their contribution, if not for books like The Sisterhood of Ravensbruck. The lengths that these women went to, to shield and encourage one another, defies explanation in a brief paragraph, but Olson does an incredible job of sharing their stories in a way that illustrates the courage, tenacity, and dignity of these women. And The Sisters of Ravensbruck is unusual in that it did not end with the war’s end and the liberation of the camp; Olson follows these women through the aftermath as they fight to regain their lives, and to gain recognition from governments who first refuse to acknowledge their contributions and then simply wish to forget their sacrifices. All while continuing to care for one another, even when it required that they find ways to defy and shame government bureaucracies to do so.

The Sisterhood of Ravensbruck provided me with a wealth of information on a subject I knew little about, which I expected. But it also moved me, which I did not, and I’m not sure that I’m grateful for that, but I am better for it.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am leaving a voluntary review.