LILAC GIRLS

I did a book report on The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler by William L. Shirer when I was in junior high school.  The report was returned to me by my English teacher, Mrs. Lombard with a slash through the title and the words, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich  inserted as the "correct" title.  Yes, William L. Shirer  did write the more popular The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, but he also wrote "The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler in 1961.  Being extremely shy, I was loath to correct my teacher and to this day, I am still annoyed for not standing up for myself.  I still question whether she thought I really didn't read the book; I accidentally wrote the wrong title; she didn't care to check with the local library because obviously I, as the student had to be wrong.  History was one of my better subjects and I was fascinated with WWII, reading many books and watching all the many movies from that era.  

It seemed unfathomable that a country would become so enthralled with a madman like Adolf Hitler  that they would completely lose their moral compass; turn on their neighbors; watch as their friends and neighbors were forced out of their homes and led away by the Nazis; close their ears to the whispers of the injustices and cruelty that were leveled on their  fellow countrymen just seemed incomprehensible to me.  I have read many books detailing the atrocities that occurred during the war by the Nazis, but the story of the Ravensbruck "Rabbits" was not one I was familiar.  The book, Lilac Girls is a  historical novel that tells the story of three women, two are portraits of two real-life women; Caroline Ferriday and Herta Oberheuser.  The third, Kasia is a compilation of  two actual Ravensbruck  concentration survivors. 

Caroline Ferriday

Caroline was a New York socialite; a former Broadway actress; a staunch supporter of the French Resistance; philanthropist and "Godmother" to the Polish women who had been used in medical experiments by the Nazis at the Ravensbruck concentration camp.  This is a woman who used her position in society to help the displaced and needy during the war as well as to give some justice to the Polish women known as "lapins" or "rabbits."  She was able to bring the "rabbits" to  America for much needed medical treatment after the war.  Little had been known about these women who had been used in gruesome medical experiments by the Nazis.  Caroline worked to obtain financial compensation for the women from the West German government.  

###

Herta Oberheuser

Herta Oberheuser was the only Nazi woman doctor who performed the atrocious and gruesome operations on the "Rabbits" at Ravensbruck, a concentration camp for women near Berlin.  The author tries to humanize her, but is very difficult to understand how anyone, let alone a woman who chooses the vocation of doctor could be so inhumane.  After the war, Herta is the only woman tried at Nuremberg.  She was given a 20 year term, but only served five years.   

###

Kasia Kuzmerick is the third woman who is profiled in the book and is based on two of the actual "Rabbits."  Kasia became involved with the Polish underground resistance as a teenager when Hitler's army invaded Poland in September 1939.  After a courier assignment goes awry, she and  most of her family are sent to Ravensbruck.  The feeling of guilt knowing she was the one who brought this on her family is a tremendous burden and causes great mental anguish.

The lives of the three women intersect when Kasia meets Herta at Ravensbruck and becomes one of the Rabbits after she undergoes the egregious and gruesome sulfa experiments.  After the war, Caroline leads the crusade to bring the surviving "Rabbits" to the United States for much needed medical treatment.  And it is Caroline who upon learning that Herta, after serving only five years of her 20 year sentence has a medical practice in Germany, leads the charge to have Herta's medical license revoked.  

The book is quite a page turner and is full of well researched information and history.  It was difficult to put the book down, but there were times when it was just too disturbing to continue  reading.  I had to take a break.  I was not completely satisfied with the limited sketches of the women that the author provided, but it was after all a historical novel.  Real people were inserted into a fictional story and she may have wanted to be more accurate than assumptive.

After I read the book, I searched for book reviews and found the New York Times' May 27, 2016 review by Michael Callahan.  He was relentless in his condescension and criticism of the book.  The most negative aspect from his  perspective was with her characters saying Caroline came off as a "dilettante," Kasia, once a sort of "Joan of Arc" ends up as a "shrill, selfish brat."  How is it that a man can actually understand what is to be a woman?  Kasia spent years of physical and mental torture in a concentration camp so if she came out of it bitter, despondent and angry, would it be any wonder.  As for Caroline, I think one can be a great humanitarian, but still have character flaws.  The author gave her substance and complexity.  Apparently that was lost on Mr. Callahan.  I do agree with him on the portrait of Herta.  In the book she is shocked when she first arrives at Ravensbruck, not having any idea what the real purpose of the camp is.  In no time, she becomes  heartless and cruel, but we don't see the transformation occur.   How does a doctor become a monster?  

How does a man like Adolf Hitler rise to power?  Seeing Trump's supporters who refuse to see him for what he is, is  frightening and I am starting to understand.  We have narcissistic madman as our president and he is dividing us into tribes of hate...  Remember this from  the 2016 presidential campaign:    "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and not lose any voters."  

   

        Ravensbruck "Rabbits"

Survivors

1958 

###

Notes:  

1. The author of The Lilac Girls has a blog with much more information on the "Rabbits,"  Caroline Ferriday and  Herta Oberheuser.  www.marthahallkelly.com
2. Without the help of a positive review from NYT, the book became a best seller.
3. Mrs. Lombard was a terrible teacher.  Wow, that felt good.