“A powerful story of seldom-sung heroines in humanity’s darkest days and a vivid reminder of the power of conscience.” — Edgardo David Holzman, author of MalenaThroughout the occupied territories, Catholic Sisters were active members of The Nazi Resistance.Based on letters and documents written by Catholic Sisters during the Nazi occupation of Belgium, this book tells the remarkable story of … Belgium, this book tells the remarkable story of these brave and faithful women, and how they served to resist the German forces.
From running contraband to hiding Jews, from spying for the allies to small acts of sabotage, these courageous women risked their lives to help defeat the Reich.
This is a story that needs to be told.
”…an engaging account of World War Two as told through the voice of a fictional Belgian nun… fascinating and valuable.” — Donald Lystra, Author of Season of Water and Ice
“…a generous recounting of the deeds of marvelous nuns living in the midst of mortal danger. It’s also a great read!” — Father James Heft, Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California
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Thank you HFVBT for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
What Did You Do In The War, Sister?
By: Dennis J. Turner
REVIEW .5
In the spirit of full transparency I must say that I dislike the title of this book. In The War sounds odd to me. Maybe during the war or for the war would have been more coherent. Furthermore, I found the book’s premise to be misleading. At first glance, this is a nonfiction book, but it is actually a combination of fiction and nonfiction. The author has true evidence of some events but conjured others. The characters are fictional because their creation was necessary to support the narrative. Facts and fiction are also mixed around to create a cohesive timeline. I appreciate the time and research necessary on the author’s part to lay the groundwork for such a tale. I only wish the synopsis, etc. more clearly stated what type of story this is. I found the idea of nuns and resistance fighters very compelling. No one questions a nun’s intentions because there is no reason to suspect clandestine activities in a nunnery. Truly, they were extremely clever, tactful and courageous to do the things they did. I love WWII fiction and nonfiction, and this book is unique among everything else I have read on the subject. At times, the narrative almost seems to lean toward academia with an over worded point about something or other. This does slow everything down a bit. Overall, I did enjoy the story of these women who hid in plain sight and used generalizations to their advantage. This book is a good reminder that people are usually not what you might expect. If historical fiction is your cup of tea, do pick up a copy of this book!
The research behind the story is meticulous. I really appreciated the author’s footnotes detailing where he had filled in the story told by the actual letters that were the base for the story.
This book told the story of Roman Catholic sisters cooperating with the Resistance in Belgium during World War 2. The story of these courageous and devoted women was compelling and inspirational and I highly recommend this book.
Based on actual letters and documents written by Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur during the Nazi occupation of Belgium, What Did You Do in The War Sister? Is an interesting story about the lives of these Catholic Sisters. The original mission of the Convent was to teach girls in their school, however, as the war progressed, the Sisters became part of the resistance. Risking their lives, they hid Jews, soldiers, and resistance fighters. A well-written, well-researched story.
I enjoyed this book but I thought it would go into more detail .
It is a novel
The last couple of chapters were more informative with a timeline etc. and explanations of some of the stories.
Another interesting story, based on true events that happened during WWII! This novel is told through the eyes of a nun, Sister Christina and is based off of diaries, letters and documents that were kept that talked about all the things the nuns did to help refugees and aid resistance groups. Each story I read, is another testament to the real heroes.
The nuns were used to help aid, in that they were able to hide refugees and obtain things needed in plain sight. No one was going to questions a woman in a habit. They used their dress to help conceal things, exchange messages and protect those who were needing help. It is amazing the different obstacles they always seemed to have a plan to overcome.
Although there were times that the Nazi’s did some and demand to search their place or whatever buildings they occupied, they had such a good routine that nothing or no one was ever found out. Often they held both Nazi’s and American’s in the same room, and none were the wiser that refugees were also there right in front of their eyes.
This novel is written partially history book, which I enjoyed in that he really laid the facts out of what was happening when, and then also historical fictions through Sister Christina. It was a different type of read, but I think he fit the pieces together well, in that it kept my attention and I feel I learned about other bombings and attacks I had not yet learned about.
Thank you to the author, Dennis J Tuner for letting me read his novel – I think you did them justice with your story! And thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the invite! I enjoyed this one, and never even thought of what the nuns would have done during the war. Another new piece of history I learned about!