pick'She was a very strong lady,' Marzenna recalled. 'For her, nothing was impossible.
---
Recommended history of Polish resistance in WW2.
The descriptions of Agent Zo's personal skills reminded me of my gran. Everyone loved her, but not for her small talk!
Personal gripe: one of those "hidden histories" where actually what the author means/ acknowledges is "*English speakers* didn't know about it...".
#wpnf25
Well, I've read 3 of them! Agree with 2 (Agent Zo & What the Wild Sea Can Be), not so sure about Raising Hare.
I'm glad The Eagle and the Hart didn't make it, but disappointed Sister in Law isn't there.
Will be getting Story of a Heart out of the library!
As far as possible, the women saved each other.
(Magdeburg camp, 1944)
"an insane feminist and pioneer of the "liberation" movement and equality of women', the report continued. 'A hysterical woman'.*" '
Got to love the lack of self-censorship in pre-Freedom of Information civil servants' memos.
Zo usually returned from Germany [to Poland] within a few days, bringing back her observations on changing travel regulations, rationing and morale... After one Berlin air raid, Zo was asked to walk around the city and later discreetly mark up a map to help assess the accuracy of the campaign.
'The English know almost everything about the results of their attacks on Germany', Joseph Goebbels... sullenly complained to his diary."
During the Great War the Dutch dancer Margaretha Zelle, better known as Mata Hari, had lodged the idea of femme fatale spies in some romantic minds Although women serving in the resistance deployed whatever skills and resources they had, their distinguishing superpower was not, in fact, irresistible sexual allure, but simply their ability to be consistently overlooked and underestimated.
pickI knew about some of the efforts to keep the public fit in WWII, but not the experimental basis behind them, and not all of the stuff discussed here. I found this very readable and interesting.
Warning: if you're phobic about insects (or at least biting ones), be careful. There's a whole chapter on them, and I definitely had some intrusive thoughts and a nightmare because of it.
pickThis was one of the books from the #WPNF25 list I was most excited for and it did not disappoint. It‘s a banger of a book, detailing the life of Polish resistance fighter Elzbieta Zawacka in WWII and beyond. She was a remarkable woman. If you love historical fiction but are wary of NF, give this one a try.
February reads
Best book of February. I've already recommended it to one of my FB groups, and I'm giving a copy to my Dad (which I'll keep if he doesn't want it). #readingbracket2025 @Catsandbooks
