The Lilac People by Milo Todd is a magnificent historical fiction novel set after the liberation of the camps of WWll. However, the story of persecution continued for those who were transgender and other queer people. They were forced to serve out their wartime sentences for homosexual activity and this is where the story of The Lilac People is told.


This story is based on actual events. I was unfamiliar with these events as well as the Institute of Sexual Science led by Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld and Weimar Republic - the Weimar Republic, queer Berliners were able to live rather openly. Institute of Sexual Science was the first sexology research center in the world. It provided sex education and health clinics, advice on contraception, and research on gender and sexuality, both anthropological and psychological. It got legally accepted “transvestite” identity cards for its patients, intended to prevent them from being arrested for openly dressing and living as the opposite sex. The grounds also included room for offices given over to feminist activists, as well as a printing house for sex reform journals meant to dispel myths about sexuality. If the Nazi’s did not destroy the institute and burn the books etc, oh what could have been and how this community could have grown openly and freely.

I am sure I am not the only one who sees similarities to current events in the 21st century.
Max Meyers did a fabulous job narrating the audiobook with distinctive character voices, accents, and dialects.

Thank you to NetGalley and Counterpoint Press for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I've read many books about the Holocaust that they can sometimes blend together. The Lilac People will not be one of them.

History books tell us that the LBGTQ+ community was one of the populations targeted during the Holocaust. They are often glossed over, as much of LGBTQ+ history is. This includes what happened to them after the Allies freed other minorities from concentration camps: the cruel reality that not everyone was free. While American soldiers were viewed as the heroes of World War II, they were not much better than Hitler when it came to their treatment of the queer community. Milo Todd's story was honest and didn't pull any punches when it came to the U.S.'s role in erasing the community no matter where they lived.

Todd did an incredible job of developing these lovable characters in Bertie, Sofie, Karl, and Gert. There was so much risk in living as your true self during this time, but they never wavered. Going back into the closet was not an option, no matter how much it risked their safety. The emphasis on queer history and their legacies was woven into every page. The ending was so bittersweet, a perfect balance between joy and heartache.

If you are interested in queer history or just looking for a different perspective on WWII than most other books on the topic, read this book.

This book was a heart pulling look into the world of the LGBTQ+ community during World War 2.

The novel has so many well developed characters and their stories are devastating stories of survival and resiliency.

The story has a dual timeline in Berties life, beginning in Berlin in the early 1930's and then in the time immediately after the Allies had gained control over Germany. It's hard to not give away a lot of the plot but Bertie finds his queer community, only to have them attached and ostracized by Nazi Germany.

I found reading this now, at the beginning of 2025 to be especially impactful as we consider how government treats those around them that they don't consider like them. It's a hard read, please be gentle with yourself.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audio of The Lilac People by Milo Todd.

This audio was moving, heartbreaking, and ultimately scary how close our current world seems to be. It was eye-opening to read about pre-WWII Germany and the work that was being done to help the LGBTQ community and how fast that all went downhill because of Hitler and his followers. A great WWII story and history that was unlike any I've ever read.

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
🗣️5⭐️ ALERT🗣️
The Lilac People was beautiful and powerful and heartbreaking and poignant and hopeful and a million other things I’m struggling to put into words. This was a book that grabs you by the heart and makes you feel everything right alongside the main characters.

This book was remarkable. It was an emotional read, but it sucked me in from the moment I started listening. The narration was fantastic and once I started listening, I didn’t want to stop. This was told in dual timeline: before Hitler rose to power and after the war ended. So much queer history is tucked away, not told alongside the rest of what was happening. I really appreciate this book focusing on pieces of WWII history that so often AREN’T spoken about. Especially now, as the US targets the most vulnerable among us, I found this book to be especially compelling. This will be a book I think of often for a very long time.

A resounding 5⭐️

This one kept me filled with an odd mixture of stress and hope throughout. If you're like me, you may have grown weary of tales about the great wars. This one brings in a much needed queer angle that focuses squarely on trans characters and love in the face of global terror. I'm not sure how historically accurate this is, but I was fascinated to learn about the radical (if troubling) Institute of Sexual Science and steadfast queer community in Germany at that time in history. Ironically, it's not the Nazis but the Allies that cause our lead Bertie, a trans man, and partner Sofie to catch a boat to America with their adopted adult trans child.

The narration was well done but a bit melodramatic at times.

Yeaaaaaah, so I’m not okay…. This one really took me out emotionally. It was just an absolutely beautiful book from start to finish - well-written with great characters. When I was reading I felt completely immersed and frequently had to hold my breath. I listened to the audiobook version and I think the narrator enhanced the experience, as it was a great performance!

I almost didn’t read this book because I’ve read so many WWII books that the genre feels a little oversaturated BUT I’m so glad I did. This was a completely different perspective that I’d never read anything close to. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

4.75🌟

In 1930s Berlin, trans man Bertie finds joy and purpose in the city’s queer community and his work at Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute. When the Nazis come to power, Bertie and his girlfriend Sofie are forced to flee and spend over a decade hiding in the countryside. As the war ends, they take in a young trans Holocaust survivor, but soon face new threats as Allied forces continue persecuting queer people. Inspired by real events, The Lilac People is a powerful story of resilience, identity, and the strength of chosen family.

I'm very impressed that this is a debut novel. It's clear that a lot of research went into it. Embarrassingly, I had no idea that queer people were forced to return to camps even after the war ended. American public school history education is just beyond inadequate. The characters were compelling and the story was heartbreaking. My only complaint is that I wish there had been a little more backstory about trans people during that time period.

The audiobook for The Lilac People is narrated by Max Meyers. At first, I thought I'd be put off by how dramatized the narration felt, but as I got further into the story the tone felt right. The narrator really puts a lot of emotion into the reading.

Recommended for readers who love WWII fiction with LGBT+ representation.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

i truly don’t have the words to do this book justice. this novel is one of grief, hope, and anger. it came to me at just the right time. i am forever grateful to have read it.

the lilac people follows a transgender man and his lover in dual timelines. one timeline is about their life in germany right before and leading up to the start of ww2, particularly highlighting the rise of the first concentration camp, dachau, where political rivals and transgender people were sent. the other timeline details their life in hiding in the aftermath of the war, when birtie is still hunted by the allies due to his identity.

first off, i want to praise the amount of educational material in this book. the lilac people taught me things i was never taught in school, and it was so eye opening. it was also angering to me that history overlooks any people groups they are uncomfortable with, even if they suffered at the hands of evil. the events that play out in this novel should be more widely discussed and remembered.

i was simultaneously touched and enraged by this novel. it is absolutely heartbreaking, especially as we start to see these events repeating in america today. as i was listening, i would start crying out of nowhere because of how my heart aches for the people of the past, but also for how it breaks for the political climate of the present. parts of this novel feel like they could be written about today, and that is truly terrifying.

i simply don’t have the words to explain what this book meant to me, and how i feel it came out at the perfect time for people to start to pay attention, but i want to communicate that i am in awe of this novel, and i urge you to go pick it up yourself. it will teach you things that the education system never did, while also opening your eyes to the catastrophe of the present day.

This book was devastatingly beautiful, so much about that time in history I didn’t know, I knew a little about how trans people were persecuted during that time, but didn’t know how freely they lived before, what a terrible change, I didn’t know either about the involvement of the Americans in that part of the war either, sad, but not really surprising.
I loved the characters and I am still crying for all but specially Gert.
The narration was excellent too!
I got an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars 🌟

I did not know the complete history of this community during the reign of Hitler. I am aware that throughtout history US is not always on the right side, and knowing they still upheld targeting this community was so hearbreaking. The style of this book, reminded me of Anne franks diary, which told the story of the other targeted group. The fear, the hope, the love of family came through just as it did reading her diary. My heart just broke for all they went through. I think these stories are so important to write, read and share. I will say it gave me some anxiety knowing what we are currently experiencing .

Rating: ★★★★☆

Milo Todd’s The Lilac People is an emotional, haunting, and gorgeously told story that lingers long after the final chapter. From the very first quote to the opening paragraph, I could tell this book would be something special—and it absolutely delivered.

Narrated with a soothing voice that contrasts the intensity of the subject matter, the audiobook felt more like watching a vividly painted film than listening to a story. The descriptions are cinematic and rich, capturing both the atmosphere and emotional weight of the time period. The historical setting is rendered with care and clarity, offering a glimpse into a past that is both devastating and necessary to remember. It’s clear that Todd did the research—this is a story that informs as much as it moves.

That said, I found myself wishing for more context—both about the characters’ backstories and the historical backdrop. A touch more foundation could have elevated the emotional impact even further. Additionally, I was disappointed by the use of the term “transvesting,” which felt clinical and outdated, especially in a book so steeped in humanity and identity.

Still, The Lilac People is a deeply affecting novel that deserves to be read and remembered. It’s tender, painful, and beautifully told—and it brought me to tears.

This book was an emotional journey, following the story of a German Trans person named Bertie before, during, and after WWII. The way this was written provided a unique narrative and perspective about how things shifted quickly, and unexpectedly, for the Trans and Queer community in Germany with the Nazi occupation. This is a story of resilience and found family, and absolutely blew me away. The writing style is incredibly descriptive, emotional, and moving. This story will stay with me for years to come.

Horrifically depressing but deeply relevant. I’m not usually a historical fiction person but I appreciate the undertold stories being highlighted here.

This was a well written and captivating novel with a great narrator in the audio format. While the topic is a difficult (and rather timely) one, it is overall an optimistic book and a bit bittersweet.


Although this is definitely fiction, I learned a lot of history from this book. While I did know that Nazi persecution extended to the LGBTQ+ community and that they destroyed a lot of pioneering research on sexuality and gender studies when they destroyed the Institute for Sexual Science, I hadn't known how much of a thriving queer culture Berlin had before that point or that gender-affirming surgeries were already being done.

I was also surprised to learn about the treatment of lgbtq+ people, primarily gay men, after the allied forces liberated the camps. The story that is so often told in the US is about how we came in as saviors and everyone lived happily ever after, but in reality lgbtq+ people were often reimprisoned by American forces after the camps were closed.

Tender, powerful, dramatic and shocking, Todd has written about a forgotten part of LGBTQ history. Surprising for me, was that there was an The Institute of Sexual Science led by Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. The institute provided surgery, passports and assistance for what was defined as "the third sex." Of course, as a part of its time, it also did tours for the public and viewing of individuals (ick) and Hirschfield himself is very problematic.

I did know about the treatment of the LSBTQ community by the Nazis but I did not know the response from Allied forces when they liberated the camps and came across LGBTQ prisoners.

The narrator was terrific and used different character voices and dialects, making it easy to follow the story.

This book is not for everyone, but for those that want to learn more about LGBTQ history and for those that understand that we need to protect everyone's rights, this book will be informative, disturbing and sometimes hopeful...just like life.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an audio copy.

This book gives voice to the forgotten victims of the Holocaust, the men and women of the LGBTQ+ community who were forced into hiding or forced to wear pink or black triangles. The suffering did not end with the war, however, as Allied forces rounded up LGBTQ+ victims and tried to arrest or threaten them.

The story of Bertie, Gert, and Sophie flashes back before the war and after the war when they meet Carl, another trans man who was held in a concentration camp. The characters are resilient, multifaceted, and courageous. This story will stay with me for a long time. I enjoyed the narrator as well, and hope that this book receives the awards and recognition it deserves.

The Lilac People by Milo Todd is a historical fiction novel set in the 1930’s and 1940’s of World War II. “All terms used in this novel reflect the story’s era, Terms such as ———— are outdated and should be avoided when referring to transgender people of today. We’ve received word that the liberation of the camp is not the celebration we’ve hoped. All ————(gays), ———— (transsexuals) and lilac people who survived the camps have been sent to jail. If you avoided detection during the war, you are not safe.” This is an important and timely story of Bertie, born with the soul of a man in a woman’s body, and his girlfriend Sofie, who stands by her man. The necessity of survival and learning how to ————(pass as male) is Karl’s story who ran away from camp to avoid imprisonment and ends up in their backyard. “I believe that everyone is acting in this world. We’re all afraid to be ourselves.” I learned about the brutality of the Nazis, the propaganda, and the further reparations from U.S. Allied Forces. Max Meyers narrated the audiobook with distinct character voices, dialects, and accents. Notice the similarities between the Trump administration and the Nazi regime on the treatment of transgender people. ALC was provided by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Bertie is a trans man living in Berlin in a time when things for queer folks seem to be getting better and better. He works at the Institute for Sexual Science where Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld is paving the way with medical care and public education to make it easier to live as one's true self. But when the Nazis rise to power, the trans community is first on the list for punishment and eradication. Bertie and his girlfriend Sofie escape to the countryside but many of their friends are not so lucky. When the war finally comes to an end, the queer community faces further danger from the Allied forces. When young trans man Karl shows up at their farm, the danger only grows and the three must plan an escape to safety.

This is a WWII story from the perspective of the trans community, which has rarely been explored in fiction. Milo Todd brings to life both the joy of a pre-war Berlin, where trans people are beginning to experience some freedom in society, to the horrors of the Nazi regime, to the continued discrimination from Allied forces. The story was compelling with richly drawn characters.

I was not aware that the Allied forces kept in place the laws against trans people that called for a five year sentence in a work camp. Nor did I know about the Institute for Sexual Science and the work they were accomplishing before the war. This is a fascinating novel that invokes deep feelings in the reader. I enjoyed listening on audio.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audio ARC.

I was blown away by this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The narrator did a fantastic job and depicted the character's voices and tones brilliantly. They really added more to the story and made it all the more emotional. I will definitely be looking out for more audiobooks by this narrator.

The plot was beautifully written and handled very well, at times you forget that what you're listening to is actually based on real people and real events and then this realisation makes it all the more powerful and a huge punch to the gut with many of the heartbreaking scenes. This was tense, full of love, hope and fear and honestly phenomenal.

I have been recommending this to anyone who will listen, this is such an important book for everyone.