The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück
Coming June 3, 2025
During World War II, more than 100,000 women from Nazi-occupied Europe, many of them members of their countries’ resistance movements, were sent to Ravensbrück, the only German concentration camp designed specifically for women. Among them was an extraordinary group of French women that included Germaine Tillion, a brilliant anthropologist; Jacqueline d’Alincourt, an elegant young countess; Anise Girard, an exuberant college student, and Genevieve de Gaulle, the quiet, reserved niece of Gen. Charles de Gaulle.
In the midst of the camp’s terror and brutality, these four, along with dozens of their countrywomen, refused to behave like victims. Instead, they formed a sisterhood, joining forces not only to keep each other alive but to continue their battle to resist the Nazis, this time by defying their orders to work in the German war effort. “It was our way of taunting our captors, to prove that we were not defeated,” one of them later said. Knowing full well they risked death if they were discovered, they went even further, creating a satirical musical revue making fun of their SS tormentors.
After the war, when many in France wanted nothing more than to focus on the future and forget about those who’d resisted the enemy, the surviving members of the sisterhood refused to allow their achievements, needs, and sacrifices to be erased. They banded together once more, first to support one another in healing their bodies and minds, and then to continue their crusade for freedom and justice—an effort that would have major repercussions for their country and the world into the twenty-first century.
Praise
“Alternately chilling and inspiring, Sisterhood takes us into Nazi Germany’s notorious concentration camp for women, Ravensbrück, as a band of captive French partisans struggles to survive and bolster one another against unimaginable cruelty. Olson demonstrates yet again that she is a master not only of deep and difficult research, but also of gripping nonfiction narrative.”
—Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author of The Demon of Unrest
“Once again, Lynne’s Olson has retrieved for us a remarkable group of women largely obscured by history. Olson’s portrait of four Frenchwomen of breathtaking courage and resourcefulness comes at a time when we most need such inspiration. This book will lift your spirits and restore your faith in the power of human agency.”
—Kati Marton, author of Enemies of the People
“The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück is a searing, soaring account of indomitable courage rising up to defeat unspeakable horror. The women of Ravensbrück discovered that in a monstrous place . . .it was precisely other women who proved essential to sanity and survival. Against the worst that humans can do, they brought their best. Read this book, and you will find strength and solace and inspiration.”
—Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood
“The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück by Lynne Olson follows Caroline Ferriday’s beloved French friends, from war-torn Paris to the notorious all-female concentration camp Ravensbruck and beyond. At once heartbreaking and beautifully told, it’s a masterwork of non-fiction, a must-read for anyone who wants more of the incredible true story behind Lilac Girls.”
—Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls
“Filled with the detailed, comprehensive research Olson is celebrated for, her latest delves into the ingeniousness and fury that drove a band of French female political prisoners to not only survive their time in Ravensbrück, but, once freed, force the rest of the world to take a hard look at the horrors perpetrated by the Germans at a time when so many preferred to ‘move on.’ A stunning achievement.”
—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen
“Olson combines meticulous research and accessible storytelling with a deep understanding of hope and the urgent need to tell the world. The result is an intricately woven tale of many lives, and a superb account of the French experience in the women’s concentration camp at Ravensbrück. Riveting, shocking, and beautiful.”
—Elizabeth Wein, New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Verity