Join us for an author talk, followed by a book signing, with Gwen Strauss, author of The Nine.
Gwen Strauss is an award-winning children’s book author and poet, whose titles include Trail of Stones, The Night Shimmy, Ruth and the Green Book, and The Hiding Game. Her poetry, short stories and essays have appeared in numerous places including The New Republic, New England Review, Kenyon Review, London Sunday Times and Catapult. She lives in Southern France where she is the Director of the Dora Maar House, an artist residency program, and the Hôtel de Tingry, a cultural center located in a historic 18th century manor.
The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great-aunt, Helene Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII. They smuggled arms through Europe, harbored parachuting agents, coordinated communications between regional sectors, trekked escape routes to Spain and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments. They were subjected to a series of French prisons and deported to Germany. By the time they were enslaved at the labor camp in Leipzig, they were a close-knit group of friends. During the final days of the war, forced onto a death march, the nine chose their moment and made a daring escape.
Please note: Face masks are required for all guests ages 2 and up. Complimentary face masks are available at the Security desk.
