Library Journal
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The granddaughter of Polish Holocaust survivors, Batalion tells the little-known story of women Jewish Resistance fighters in Poland, who risked (and often suffered) brutal imprisonment and death as they bore arms, smuggled weapons, helped built underground bunkers, and seduced and shot German soldiers. At the center of Batalion's story is Renia Kukielka, a weapons smuggler and messenger who effected a remarkable escape from a Gestapo prison. Originally scheduled for June 2020; with a 200,000-copy first printing and optioned by Steven Spielberg.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In April 1943, Nazi and local police forces entered an area known as the Warsaw Ghetto to deport and exterminate the remaining Jewish population of the city. The month-long uprising that followed, as well as other acts of both visible and hidden defiance that occurred in Poland and other parts of Europe throughout World War II, form the backdrop for this fascinating account of the women involved in these resistance movements. Members of well-organized, active Jewish youth groups, the women freedom fighters highlighted served as couriers, spies, saboteurs, and smugglers. Based on more than a decade of research, Batalion's (White Walls) work presents a largely unacknowledged story of nearly unimaginable heroism in the face of horror. Utilizing memoirs, diaries, testimonies, and interviews of Holocaust survivors, the volume features complicated stories that have resonance and relevance. Of particular interest is Battalion's discussion of not only her research and personal interest in the histories of the women and their families but also of the equally complex and nuanced meanings of female empowerment and resistance and what that means for succeeding generations. VERDICT Recommended for readers of World War II history and women's and Jewish studies. [See Prepub Alert, 12/2/19.]Linda Frederiksen, formerly with Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The granddaughter of Polish Holocaust survivors, Batalion acquaints us with the Jewish women resistance fighters of Poland, who risked brutal imprisonment and death as they bore arms, smuggled weapons, helped build underground bunkers, and seduced and shot German soldiers. With a 200,000-copy first printing; optioned by Steven Spielberg.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Resounding history of Jewish women who fought the German invaders in World War II.The role of women in resisting the genocidal tyranny of the Third Reich has, like so much womens history, been less well documented than the work of their male counterparts. Batalion, the child of Holocaust survivors, notes that an early role model for her was Hannah Senesh, one of the few female resisters in World War II not lost to history, who was captured and executed by the Germans, refusing a blindfold and staring at the bullet straight on. Discovering a Yiddish book called Freuen in di Ghettos (Women in the Ghettos) that had been published immediately after the war introduced the author to many other women fighters who contributed to the Allied war effort, whether by sabotaging German supply trains, smuggling weapons, spying for Russian military intelligence, or killing errant German soldiers. A stellar example is Renia K., whose story, in Batalions hands, is lifted from the footnotes to the text. Eventually captured by the Gestapo, she was asked, Dont you feel its a waste to die so young? She responded, As long as there are people like you in the world, I dont want to live. Surprisingly, she survived, although her story and those of many others were reshaped for political purposes. Those women, Batalion convincingly argues, have often been misrepresented for just those reasons. Many were politically active before the war and even militant, espousing Zionist, socialist, and pioneer values, and some chroniclers have been reluctant to celebrate their work because doing so might unduly judge those who did not resist, ultimately blaming the victim. In a vigorous narrative that draws on interviews, diaries, and other sources, Batalion delivers an objective view of past events that are too quickly being forgottenand a story much in need of telling.A welcome addition to the literature of the Shoah and of anti-Nazi resistance. (20 b/w photos) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Resounding history of Jewish women who fought the German invaders in World War II. The role of women in resisting the genocidal tyranny of the Third Reich has, like so much women’s history, been less well documented than the work of their male counterparts. Batalion, the child of Holocaust survivors, notes that an early role model for her was Hannah Senesh, “one of the few female resisters in World War II not lost to history,” who was captured and executed by the Germans, refusing a blindfold and “staring at the bullet straight on.” Discovering a Yiddish book called Freuen in di Ghettos (Women in the Ghettos) that had been published immediately after the war introduced the author to many other women fighters who contributed to the Allied war effort, whether by sabotaging German supply trains, smuggling weapons, spying for Russian military intelligence, or killing errant German soldiers. A stellar example is “Renia K.,” whose story, in Batalion’s hands, is lifted “from the footnotes to the text.” Eventually captured by the Gestapo, she was asked, “Don’t you feel it’s a waste to die so young?” She responded, “As long as there are people like you in the world, I don’t want to live.” Surprisingly, she survived, although her story and those of many others were reshaped for political purposes. Those women, Batalion convincingly argues, have often been misrepresented for just those reasons. Many were politically active before the war and even militant, espousing “Zionist, socialist, and pioneer values,” and some chroniclers have been reluctant to celebrate their work because doing so might unduly judge those who did not resist, “ultimately blaming the victim.” In a vigorous narrative that draws on interviews, diaries, and other sources, Batalion delivers an objective view of past events that are too quickly being forgotten—and a story much in need of telling. A welcome addition to the literature of the Shoah and of anti-Nazi resistance. (20 b/w photos) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Memoirist Batalion (White Walls) delivers a remarkable portrait of young Jewish women who fought in the Polish resistance during WWII. Drawing from “dozens of women’s memoirs” and “hundreds of testimonies,” Batalion documents an astonishing array of guerilla activities, including rescue missions for Jewish children trapped in Polish ghettos, assassinations of Nazi soldiers, bombings of German train lines, jailbreaks, weapons smuggling, and espionage missions. The story of “Renia K.,” a “savvy, middle-class girl” who served as a courier in the Bę dzin Ghetto, forms the backbone of the narrative, but Batalion highlights numerous other freedom fighters, including a network of young women who aided a prisoner revolt at the Auschwitz concentration camp, and provides a detailed account of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. She spares no details recounting the sexual violence and torture these women endured, and notes numerous reasons why their stories aren’t better known, including male chauvinism, survivor’s guilt, and the fact that the resistance movement’s military successes were “relatively miniscule.” Batalion allows her subjects to speak for themselves whenever possible, weaving a vast amount of research material into a cohesive and dramatic narrative. This poignant history pays vivid tribute to “the breadth and scope of female courage.” (June)

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Stories of Jewish women who resisted the Nazi regime have been woefully neglected in modern history. Their truths were overshadowed by male counterparts, censored, criticised, and occasionally regarded as outright false. Batalion (White Walls, 2016) sheds light on courageous women who came face-to-face with evil and refused to back down. She focuses on a group of female resistance fighters in Polish ghettos, where even camaraderie could be considered a punishable act of defiance. They smuggled guns inside loaves of bread, disguised themselves as Poles, established soup kitchens for ghetto orphans, arranged hiding places for fellow Jews, and fought fervently in ghetto uprisings. Many were caught and subjected to extreme brutality in concentration camps, where they continued to resist before being executed. Those who survived were haunted by guilt and subjected to public scrutiny. Batalion spent years researching, pouring over memoirs and testimonies, and even meeting with the women’s children. The result is a harrowing record of the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of female friendship. An important work, sure to become part of the WWII canon.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020