The Nazis were running roughshod over much of Europe when it lay siege to France in the spring of 1940. The shock of the defeat gave way to disgust as great military leaders, such as Marshal Philippe Pétain, chose to collaborate with the enemy. The repugnance felt by patriots like Germaine Tillion led to an active resistance movement developing in France. Tillion, a one-time anthropologist, allied with former librarian Yvonne Oddon in spreading the word of the opposition throughout their home country. Any initial successes were offset by the betrayal of an insider, which led to the arrests of numerous members. Among them was Tillion, who was sent to Ravensbrück in 1943.

Ravensbrück Concentration Camp was located approximately 55 miles from Berlin, and its population was exclusively women, particularly those who were political agitators. Anise Girard would find herself transported there because of her membership in a group dubbed “The Gloria Network.” One of the first women Anise befriended was Tillion, who utilized her incarceration at the camp to study its origins and makeup. Tillion, Girard and the majority of the Ravensbrück inmates were considered “Night and Fog” prisoners, their whereabouts unknown to many of their associates and loved ones.

"This stellar book examines the power of taking a stand against totalitarian regimes, the impact that a small group of brave women had decades later, and how the bonds of sisterhood remained strong."

The inmates were worked to exhaustion by their sadistic overseers. If any of them began to tire under the strain, they were mercilessly beaten by the male and female guards. If any appeared to be too sick to work and no longer useful, they would be shipped off to the extermination camps. Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler profited from the slave labor and expected results. However, the resolve of more than a few prisoners was strong enough to withstand the beatings and minimal nourishment.

Geneviève de Gaulle was 23 years old when she arrived at Ravensbrück in February 1944. She was the niece of Brigadier General Charles de Gaulle and was a staunch advocate for her uncle to lead the resistance, if not all of France. Her arrest was due to a mole within her group. During her time in Ravensbrück, de Gaulle was the most prominent prisoner, but that did not affect her affability with others, nor did it diminish her rebellious spirit when she was harshly interrogated.

The war began to turn against the Nazis, but the brutality continued right up until they were forced to flee. The women dealt with the grim reality of their confinement with gallows humor, a laugh flying in the face of their tormentors. Brave women like Tillion, Girard, de Gaulle and others collected gossip and shared it among the population --- any reason for hope providing an extra boost to get through this nightmare.

THE SISTERHOOD OF RAVENSBRÜCK is a profound and moving story of solidarity and survival under the most unimaginable conditions. The women profiled by Lynne Olson were rebels in thought and action during the cataclysmic war that witnessed millions killed and countries destroyed. Each came from different areas of France and varied backgrounds, yet they were united in their defiance. Olson does a commendable job of relaying the circumstances that brought each woman to the camp. She also impressively details how many of them fared long after the war was over, with the nightmares still fresh in their minds.

This stellar book examines the power of taking a stand against totalitarian regimes, the impact that a small group of brave women had decades later, and how the bonds of sisterhood remained strong.