This story about Bertie, Sophie, Karl and Gert set in pre and post WWII Germany is enlightening and very timely. They are the Lilac People, gay and transvestite, accepted prior to Hitler, able to live openly and happily although registered so as to avoid potential arrest.. After Hitlers rise they are persecuted, killed and those who survive are trying to hide.
What I learned is that they were not treated well by the Americans after the camps were liberated. Bertie lives with guilt that he didn't save his friends. Karl, their hidden gay guest had been in camps and used on a regular basis by officers and soldiers. The story is sad, tragic and disconcerting but important. Now as much as ever as we all learn to live with the "trans" world and hopefully learn more tolerance. This is a well written book, characters are well developed and relatable, it's possible to feel their pain and anxiety and even a bit of hope. The author did a great job of bringing this topic to life.

Milo Todd's The Lilac People profoundly moved me by illuminating a little-known part of history. Set in WWII-era Germany, the novel meticulously weaves together research and human storytelling to explore the erased history of trans and queer people during the Holocaust, following Bertie, a trans man navigating Nazi and postwar Germany. The characters, especially Bertie, Sofie, and Karl, resonate deeply with empathy and complexity, their struggles and resilience enhanced by the audiobook narration. Todd’s immersive writing and the inclusion of music, like the queer anthem “The Lilac Song,” add layers of poignancy, celebrating community and identity amid darkness. The author’s notes distinguishing historical fact from fiction deepened my understanding of this overlooked LGBTQIA+ history. The Lilac People is an important work of historical fiction, reminding us of the power of love, chosen family, and resilience, making it a highly recommended listen for those seeking powerful stories that recover lost histories.

The Lilac People by Milo Todd was such a fantastic read. I haven’t cried this hard over a book in a long, long time. It sheds light on a crucial piece of history that’s too often overlooked. I hadn’t realized Berlin had once been the largest and most vibrant cultural and intellectual hub for the LGBTQ+ community, enjoying a period of relative freedom before Hitler’s rise. I was completely emotionally invested in this story. The audiobook was incredible, and I’ll definitely be buying a physical copy to reread and share with friends on the launch day.

The most beautiful gut punch I’ve gotten in a long, long while is no doubt “The Lilac People”. I’m not usually one to enjoy historical fiction, but this story had a fierce grip on my heart and mind throughout.

The story takes you through two detrimental and fateful periods of time in Bertie’s life. We meet him in Berlin in the early 1930s, as well as in Ulm in 1945, in the time immediately after the Allies had gained control over Germany. The gleeful and hopeful times in the 1930s in the queer community centering around the Institute of Sexual Science, makes for a stark and sharp contrast to the fearful and tense atmosphere marking Bertie and his partner Sofie’s lives in 1945 in Ulm. Just when the rest of Germany begins celebrating freedom, a new fear for the pair arises. The Americans now in power begin arresting the queer Holocaust prisoners while they are releasing the rest of the prisoners to this promised freedom. When Bertie and Sofie then one day finds the collapsed Karl - an escaped concentration camp prisoner and a fellow trans man like Bertie himself - an already uncertain time becomes a lot less safe and unsure for all of them.

My only wish was that the book had been longer, so there had been a little more time to properly meet and develop a deeper understanding of and bond to characters like Gert and Sofie. That being said I did feel my own heart shatter alongside Bertie’s due to the obviously horrific reality he, his friends and loved ones had to live through. But if I’d gotten to know the other characters a little better, I think the hurt and sorrow Bertie experiences wouldn’t just have caused me to be sad and feel for him, but instead it would have created that kind of “book magic” where, when Bertie’s heart breaks, it feels just as if it had been my own. But maybe I’m just an outlier who likes my heart broken and shattered - and then stamped upon.

I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Max Meyers. In the beginning, I was unsure of whether their narration felt a little too “theatrical” for my taste, but as the story went on, I stopped thinking about it, so it could just be due to me not being very well-versed in the historical fiction genre and the “old-timey” language used within it. In the beginning, when listening, I thought the narration was a bit on the slower side, but either it got faster throughout the book or, as I got sucked into the story, the nag just escaped me completely. By the end of the book, I had really come to enjoy how Max Meyers told the story and brought the characters to life, especially in regards to Bertie. Their narration, including their tone and inflections, helped in creating these distinct characters that made it so easy to just fall into the story.

The Lilac People is both gripping, beautifully written, while it also tells a very, very important story. It teaches (or reminds) us about a piece of history we absolutely mustn’t forget, especially considering how the world looks today!

I am so happy this audiobook with Max Meyers was my first read of The Lilac People, as I fear I would have struggled to properly get hooked by the book, since I’m not very used to reading historical fiction, if I had to just read it instead. It definitely won’t be my last read of the book, because this beautiful and tragic story will be on my mind for a very, very long time to come.

The Lilac people is an extremely important and unfortunately eerie book for the present day. They spilt storytelling between before and after the war as well as the highlighting of the institute and the treatment of queer people after the war were hauntingly portrayed.

Milo Todd offers a gripping story of resistance and hope in a time where libertarian from enemies (i.e. the Nazis) leads to oppression from liberators (i.e. the Allies) while engaging with beautifully written transgender characters.
Bertie’s view of life is one that I have found to be very powerful as a transgender individual. He is shown in part wanting to lay down his life if it means that his friends and lover are safe. His experience both before, during, and shortly after the war give the reader the space to engage with transgender history as well as WWII history.
As an LGBTQIA+ individual, I was unaware of the treatment of transgender individuals by the Allies after the war. Reading this novel was heavily emotional for me and truly broke my heart at times. To fully fathom and understand how Bertie’s life prior to war could change as it did before war to how it did after war was one of the hardest shifts to read because it truly showed the decline of human perspective and human concern from the Nazis to the Allies.
What is so interesting about this novel is that it is written from a perspective of survival and power. Who holds the hands of power? Who controls what happens to Bertie and his friends? This novel helps to tackle these questions.
In truth, I found Bertie and his friends to hold the power to control the narrative: “the history is us and we will pass it on..” The drive to escape the Allies and make it into America was crucial — and this plotline kept me listening non-stop. I began the book late Saturday night and finished on Sunday. I could not stop reading.
From the very moment I began this book, I could not put it down. I found Todd’s writing to embrace a side of history that showed a side of trans history that we need to talk about — how transgender individuals have had to fight for their right to survive with both the liberators (Allies) and oppressors (Nazis) of WWII. Reclaiming and speaking up about transgender history is crucial to be informed and to be aware — and Todd does this with historical grace and praise.
A special thank you to author Milo Todd, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

4.25⭐️


I had the audiobook read by Max Meyers who does a good job with the narration.

Historical LGBTQIAP+ fiction set in 1932 Berlin. Trans man Bertie manages to hide out with his girlfriend Sofia at a farm taking on the identity of an old couple.

It certainly enlightened me to the plight of Trans people in Germany during the war, as much as I knew that they were a persecuted group I haven’t read any books from this perspective. I found the Institute of sexual science fascinating as I had no idea of the existence of such clinics at this time.

I found the three main characters likeable and engaging,I was rooting for them throughout the book.
What happened at the end of the war was eye opening too.

The storytelling was on the slower side, it’s a very character driven story.
I felt that the ending was a bit of a damp squib, and a little disappointing, but overall I enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to @dreamscape_media for this advanced copy of The Lilac People to review!

A moving and deeply humane story about a trans man who must relinquish the freedoms of prewar Berlin to survive first the Nazis then the Allies while protecting the ones he loves.

^From the publisher!

Wow wow wow wow. Words are honestly failing me but I am going to try. I preordered my signed copy of this book by @todd_milo ages ago. As soon as I saw the premise I knew I needed it. But then!!! Two of my favorite people are connected to the audio??? Max Meyers and Pete Cross??? Are you joking? This book was meant for me to read.

I dove into this one head first and read it within 1.5 days. It is an incredible story of heart, resilience, love, fear, and life. Bertie is such an incredible character. I wanted to protect him from all of the pain he experienced. His love of Gert, Sofie, and Carl had me reeling. Carl!! Oh my gosh. What an amazing story. Sofie. Such a strong, incredibly brave woman.

Queer found family will never NOT make me cry. And y’all. This book had me crying. I am so impressed by the story and truly believe every person who calls themselves a trans ally needs to read this book. The parallels from Berlin in the 30s and 40s to the US today cannot be understated. There is a section about 60% through the audio that had me gasping with how eerie it is.

I just cannot wait for people to experience this book. I’m already planning to read it again and reflect on my annotations with @heyitsmaxmeyers 🥹

Truly an incredible, moving, brave story of hope and resistance with trans characters that I’ve never seen in historical fiction.

3 stars

This book is so important and informative about a topic that I knew very little about, but it really did not work for me. I would give this book 4 stars for how much I think it's needed, but my actual reading experience was like 2 stars at best.

In 1932, Bertie lives a mostly safe life as a trans man in Berlin working at the Institute of Sexual Sciences, but unrest is growing and Germany is steadily becoming a very bad place to be non-standard. In 1945, after the Allies gain control over Germany, Bertie and his partner Sofie find another trans man released from a work camp in the backyard of the house they've spent the war hiding in. As American soldiers reimprison queer people, Bertie, Sofia, and Carl must escape a new evil. I love sad books, I love queer historical books, and I'm ashamed to say that before reading this I didn't know Americans had recaptured the queer people who escaped from the Nazis, nor did I know about the extent of the social progressive movement in Germany prior to WWII. In terms of education, this book is so crucial, and yet I really can't recommend it. Part of it was the narrator, who I recognized immediately because I really dislike his narration. It's grating at positive moments and offensively melodramatic at darker ones. It's also just immensely difficult to absorb any feelings of hope or community from the end of this book given the current political climate. As a trans man, this really just felt existentially depressing.

Nothing wrong with the writing, but I just wish my reading experience was better. The reasons this book are important are also the ones that make it nearly unreadable.

Thank you to Milo Todd and Dreamscape Media for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!