The Light of Days, Judy Batalion
The Light of Days, Judy Batalion
4 Rating(s)
List: $29.99 | Sale: $21.00
Club: $14.99

The Light of Days
The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos

Bestseller

Author: Judy Batalion

Narrator: Mozhan Marno

Unabridged: 14 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 04/06/2021


Synopsis

One of the most important stories of World War II, already optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture: a spectacular, searing history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters—a group of unknown heroes whose exploits have never been chronicled in full, until now.

Witnesses to the brutal murder of their families and neighbors and the violent destruction of their communities, a cadre of Jewish women in Poland—some still in their teens—helped transform the Jewish youth groups into resistance cells to fight the Nazis. With courage, guile, and nerves of steel, these “ghetto girls” paid off Gestapo guards, hid revolvers in loaves of bread and jars of marmalade, and helped build systems of underground bunkers. They flirted with German soldiers, bribed them with wine, whiskey, and home cooking, used their Aryan looks to seduce them, and shot and killed them. They bombed German train lines and blew up a town’s water supply. They also nursed the sick and taught children.Yet the exploits of these courageous resistance fighters have remained virtually unknown.As propulsive and thrilling as Hidden Figures, In the Garden of Beasts, Band of Brothers, and A Train in Winter, The Light of Days at last tells the true story of these incredible women whose courageous yet little-known feats have been eclipsed by time. Judy Batalion—the granddaughter of Polish Holocaust survivors—takes us back to 1939 and introduces us to Renia Kukielka, a weapons smuggler and messenger who risked death traveling across occupied Poland on foot and by train. Joining Renia are other women who served as couriers, armed fighters, intelligence agents, and saboteurs, all who put their lives in mortal danger to carry out their missions. Batalion follows these women through the savage destruction of the ghettos, arrest and internment in Gestapo prisons and concentration camps, and for a lucky few—like Renia, who orchestrated her own audacious escape from a brutal Nazi jail—into the late 20th century and beyond.Powerful and inspiring, The Light of Days is an unforgettable true tale of war, the fight for freedom, exceptional bravery, female friendship, and survival in the face of staggering odds.  

About Judy Batalion

Judy Batalion is the New York Times bestselling author of the highly-acclaimed THE LIGHT OF DAYS: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos, published by William Morrow in April 2021. THE LIGHT OF DAYS has been published in a young readers’ edition, will be translated into nineteen languages, and has been optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture for which Judy is co-writing the screenplay. Judy is also the author of White Walls: A Memoir About Motherhood, Daughterhood and the Mess in Between, optioned by Warner Brothers, and her essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Forward, Vogue, and many other publications. Judy has a BA in the History of Science from Harvard, and a PhD in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute, University of London, and has worked as a museum curator and university lecturer. Born in Montreal, where she grew up speaking English, French, Hebrew, and Yiddish, she lives in New York with her husband and three children.  https://www.judybatalion.com/


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lisa of Troy on February 22, 2024

The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos by Jude Batalion is my latest World War II read. This non-fiction book is told in chronological order shifting perspectives between the various female fighters, spotlighting one fighter in particular, Renia. During......more

Goodreads review by Angela M on May 07, 2021

4.5 stars rounded up. We have to keep reading these books so we don’t forget . I say that every time I read a work of historical fiction about the Holocaust or a memoir of someone who survived it. Having read this non fiction account of courageous, strong Jewish women of the resistance in Poland, it......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on November 02, 2024

For the most part, war histories have been written by men, and brave women have been given short shrift. Judy Batalion helps correct this by telling the stories of Jewish women in Poland who resisted the Nazis during World War II. These women served as couriers, caretakers, and fighters, especially......more

Goodreads review by Jen on November 18, 2020

The Light of Days is the first book I have encountered that tells the stories of heroic young Jewish women in Poland who fought the oppression and subsequent Holocaust of their people with fervor and an undeniable braveness that I cannot imagine. It is immediately evident how well researched this bo......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on April 21, 2021

Quick thoughts: A Steven Spielberg movie? One of the most important stories of WWII? The strength of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters? Why have we not heard their stories before? This book gave me chills and inspired me in the best of ways. It's a story of female friendship and brave......more