🔹Cradles of the Reich🔹

Thank you @jennifer, @sourcebooks, and @netgalley for my first NetGalley arc!

At Heim Hochland, a Nazi breeding home in Germany, three women’s lives are forever changed by the Lebensborn program - Gundi, Irma, and Hilde are each brought into the home to further the mission of increasing Germany’s “Aryan” population.

Wow. This was a challenging story to read, as are many WWII historical fiction novels, but I was captivated from beginning to end! I had never heard about the Lebensborn program before this book, and it made me really angry, confused, and sad. I really appreciated the different sides of history each woman told, but I really struggled with Hilde’s views and beliefs (which was intentional, I know). It’s clear how much research the author did for this book! It’s a work of fiction, but it’s largely based on real people and real events, so I learned so much history along the way.

A few stats that stuck out to me in the author’s note:

▪️20,000 children were produced through the Lebensborn program.
▪️Roughly 200,000 children were kidnapped from countries Nazis occupied and placed up for adoption. Children who refused to conform to German culture were sent to concentration camps.

Cradles of the Reich is a tough read given the subject matter, but I highly recommend it to historical fiction fans or people who’ve never learned about this part of history. It’s out today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022!

Jennifer Coburn weaves a captivating story of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes during World War II in Germany. This story is told through the point of view of three German females, each with their own thoughts and opinions about what was happening in their current climate. At the Helm Hochland, their lives become to be interwoven as they navigate their own roles in the story. The unique perspectives helped myself as a reader understand a little bit more of the German people from questioning to following along whole-heartedly. I was also intrigued by the time of history that I have not read or learned much about. I found myself immersed in each of their individual stories, and read this book very quickly. Thank you to Jennifer Coburn, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn
Historical Fiction
Publication Date: Today!

The story follows three women of very different backgrounds and their experiences with a breeding home in Bavaria in Nazi Germany. Gundi, a member of the resistance, Hilde, a true believer of the Reich, and Irma, a middle aged nurse. The idea behind the home is based on the Lebensborn Society "maternity homes.” Emphasis on the quotation marks. It was an institution whose primary purpose was the trafficking of children and women for the good of the state. Women were forced to give up their children for adoption, if they weren’t blonde enough children were given a lethal injection, or women acted as prostitutes for high ranking officials.

For pretty much the entire book I was both horrified and uncomfortable at what all three women experienced. To have your value reduced as a breeding mare for your country and to be brainwashed to the point where you are happy to do it is just unimaginable to me. Yet, Coburn manages to present all three women’s stories in a way that while you want to yell at them, you can kind of understand their positions and where they were coming from. They were just ordinary citizens and they all had their own reasons yet, by the end you can see how their experiences begin to open their eyes and disillusion them of their realities. It was a well researched and well thought out story bringing attention to a part of history that I certainly don’t remember ever learning about.

Coburn kept all three characters in a state of uncertainty ensuring the plot was constantly progressing. There was never a dull chapter.

I think the atrocities outlined here definitely serve some food for thought in terms of humanity, nationalism, and women’s rights and their relation to a women’s value.

I’ve had a hard time writing this review because I just don’t think I can adequately review it. For me at least, it was a hard story to read but it is an important one. I’ll definitely be on the look out for whatever Jennifer writes next.

Thank you Jennifer for reaching out to me and thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read a lot of historical fiction, and much of it takes place during World War II. Just when I think there can't be any new stories from this era, I am blown away by something new like I was with Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn.

This novel is based on the Lebensborn Society "maternity homes" that were run by the Nazis to expand the Aryan race. Babies who were born there were given to officers' families, and other babies were downright kidnapped if they looked "racially fit" to join a good German family. Young women were actually recruited to have liaisons with German officers to create more loyal Nazis. It's frightening to realize that this really happened. (I appreciated the thorough author's note to expand on the history of this time.)

Our three main characters were well-developed, and I could relate to all of them on some level. Gundi was deemed a perfect German specimen, so the Nazis were eager to get her baby, since they knew nothing of her resistance activity or her baby's real father. Hilde was an eager Nazi who couldn't wait to help the cause by becoming pregnant by a German officer, and Irma was a nurse escaping her own past but didn't know what she was getting into by joining the staff at Heim Hochland. Their stories intertwine as the story is told from each of their points of view.

The pace kept the plot suspenseful, and there was plenty of action to move the story forward. What these women went through was harrowing to read. The ending was a little abrupt, but that didn't detract from this being a solid 4.5 read rounded up to 5 stars.

I will recommend this to our library's (many) readers who like WWII historical fiction featuring strong women.

I thank Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars. Author Jennifer Coburn casts a bright light on a lesser known nazi evil. Based on historical events.. in 1935 during WWll, the Lebensborn Society Maternity breeding program was created by the nazi’s as an answer to create a new master race.

This book follows the character driven (fictional) story of three young women, one a nurse, who all live on the ground’s of one of these infamous maternity homes.. this one being the real “Heim Hockland” located in Bavaria. All three having their own beliefs toward the party (not all were positive).

It’s heartbreaking and absolutely terrifying to know these homes did exist.. with newborns being born at these sites, or that babies were being taken from their murdered parents in other countries (for their blonde hair/blue eyes).. then shuffled through, picked by and given away to German couples supporting the reich.

There’s so much more to this story, and is one I feel a must read for historical fic. readers. Jennifer Coburn has done an incredible job of researching this subject and it truly shows in this book. Excellent. 4.5 stars — Pub. 10/11/22

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cradles of the Reich is the story of three German women during the height of the Nazi occupation. One is a pregnant university student, one part of the resistance movement and the other a middle-aged nurse who is trying to rebuild her life. Their lives soon connect at one of the homes of the Lebensborn Society - whose goal was to gather healthy, young Aryan women to breed the next generation of Nazis.

This is an interesting part of WWII, and it is clear that Coburn did a lot of research for this book. The story is set during the Nazi's reign, but despite being set in this era, there is a surprising lack of tension. The plot also progresses at a painfully slow pace until the last quarter of the book when the energy picks up substantially - only for the book to end abruptly, leaving me with too many unanswered questions.

I like the use of multiple timelines and the inclusion of different POVs in my Historical Fiction and through Hilde, Gundi and Irma, readers get an interesting trio of perspectives. But the storytelling and character development were weak and the back and forth between the POVs and timelines often felt muddled, so I never quite felt invested in the lives of these women.

With its lighter feel and lack of tension, the story didn't have the emotional impact I was expecting and had an almost Women's Fiction feel to it than the grittier Historical Fiction I tend to gravitate towards. I'm not the ideal reader for this lighter Historical Fiction read but I think it will find its audience with fans who enjoy lighter takes on the genre, particularly fans of Kristen Harmel, Kristy Cambron and Natasha Lester.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

’m a historical fiction junkie, but I must admit it’s rare to find books that manage to hit the right balance of historical elements and believable characters and plot.
Jennifer Coburn does this flawlessly in Cradles of the Reich, which follows three different women with different roles at Heim Hockland, a Nazi breeding women.
Jennifer Coburn shows us how ordinary people can get swept up in a fervent wave of horrific insanity — particularly women who find themselves with few choices.
This is definitely one to add to your line-up!

In Cradles of the Reich, author Jennifer Coburn explores a topic rarely highlighted in WWII historical fiction, the Nazi's Lebensborn project. Lebensborn, translates to Spring of Life and is based on eugenics and the Nazi's belief in a pure Aryan race. The Nazi propaganda machine extolled the patriotic honor of bearing 'appropriate' children. These Nazi run homes' provided a safe and pampered life for women with 'inconvenient' pregnancies and encouraged sexual encounters with Nazi officers all to further the ideal race.

Coburn chose to expose these atrocities through three different characters' experiences at Heim Hochland, one of the actual homes. Gundi, a pregnant University student, has been working with the resistance and fears what will happen when her baby is born. Hilde, 18, is a dedicated member of the party and determined to rise through the ranks. She thinks having a Nazi official's baby will fast track her plans. Irma, a 44-year-old nurse saw so much death in WWI, she is desperate to start life over and focus on the beginning of life.

This novel is meticulously researched, and the author's notes are a must read. The portrayal of these characters, their motivations and evolution seem balanced and true. I wouldn't go so far as to say I felt sympathy for Hilde, but we do see the indoctrinating, grooming and fear that put her on her path. Coburn wove together the three character's storylines with tension that kept the novel moving at a quick pace.

Historically, women have held little power, but have proven themselves to be adept, quick witted and resourceful with what they do possess. I feel certain within these fictional women are the roots of real women of history who risked it all to fight for a different future.

My only criticism is I feel the ending was rather abrupt. The reader is not left hanging, but perhaps wanting a bit more.

Many thanks to the author, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy and finished copy in exchange for my honest review.

This one is a must read for my WWII fiction fans! Unfortunately my schedule is insane and it took me a while to get through this one but if I had the time I would have finished it in a day or two!

This novel highlights a lesser known piece of WWII history and focuses on the Lebensborn Homes in Nazi Germany. The Lebensborn Society was essentially a breeding ground for Hitler’s master race where “racially valuable” unwed mothers were sent to have their babies before they were adopted by high ranking members of the Nazi party. Later the program was expanded to include “mothers in training” who were encouraged to get pregnant by German officers.

This novel follows the experiences of three different women at a Lebensborn home called Heim Hochland. Each of the women have very different reasons for coming to Heim Hochland and the reader is able to see the Lebensborn society from many different angles. Gundi is a resistance fighter forced into the program by a high ranking Nazi doctor. Irma is a lonely nurse who volunteers to escape a broken heart. Hilde is a Nazi zealot desperate to be noticed by the party. Each woman will be tested in their own way and their lives will never be the same after their time at Heim Hochland

This novel is told from multiple perspectives, alternating between the three women. I enjoyed the character development and getting to know the three main characters. I found Hilde’s character to be rather annoying and frustrating, but it’s hard to like a Nazi zealot. I also thought that the novel was very well researched. Coburn provides lots of historical details about Nazi programs for building a master race and their persecution of the Jews. She also included real life characters wherever possible.

I would love to see this story continued and check in with Gundi and Irma after the war to see how their lives have turned out.

I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

Cradles of the Reich
by Jennifer Coburn

In Cradles of the Reich, Coburn brings to light an unthinkable Nazi scheme to produce “racially desirable” children for Hitler’s master race. We learn of the top secret Lebensborn Society through the eyes of three very different women. There paths will cross at Heim Hochland, a maternity home. Gundi is a university student who falls in love at the wrong time for the wrong man. Learning that Gundi is pregnant, her well intended mother schemes with Gundi’s doctor to send her off in an effort to prevent social shaming. Assessed by the SS to be a perfect specimen of Aryan beauty, Gundi isn’t given a choice. Hilde is the less desirable of two sisters in a family that doesn’t acknowledge her value. She finds her opportunity to be seen and feel important by becoming the mistress of a high ranking married SS officer. Irma is a veteran WWI nurse running from a broken engagement and heartache. She finds solace and her true purpose at Heim Hochland, that is, until she discovers the hidden truths of the Lebensborn Society. As has been true throughout history, woman find the comfort, hope and courage to persevere in one another and here is no exception.

The author slowly and skillfully reveals the intricacies of the Lebensborn Society’s program. Coburn plainly illustrates the dehumanizing strategies and practices that commodified woman into breeding machines. If The Handmaid’s Tale seemed too far fetched, read Cradles of the Reich. This book will also appeal to readers of historical fiction who enjoy delving into less explored parts of history. I will however say that reading certain passages made me viscerally uncomfortable - triggers abound.

Thank you @netgalley & @bookmarked (Sourcebooks Landmarks) for this gifted digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer Coburn's novel sheds light on the mostly untold Lebensborn program that the Nazi regime had, in order to make "racially pure" children. The story was told in three alternating perspectives -- those of Gundi, Irma, and Hilde. I can tell you that I absolutely despised Hilde, which I'm quite sure was the point. She is a loyal Nazi and finds herself trying to impress everyone she comes into contact with. The other two characters, Irma and Gundi, I really enjoyed reading about, and how their participation in the Lebensborn program came to be. I was interested in the story from the beginning and wanted to know more about the characters, their fates. The story moved at a good pace, but I felt like the ending was abrupt. I wanted just a bit more at the end. Overall, this was incredibly well-researched and an insightful look into a part of history we don't hear much about.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn

I was lucky enough to receive an e-Arc from the author and also surprised me with a finished copy a few weeks ago! This historical fiction novel is out Tuesday 10/11 and I highly recommend it!

This is a historical fiction novel following three women who find themselves involved with the Nazi’s Lebensborn Society. This was the Third Reich’s program to breed the “perfect” Aryan child. The three women have vastly different perspectives of this program:
Gundi, who becomes pregnant and brought to a home where she will carry the baby where it will then be taken from her for adoption.
Irma, who is a staff nurse at the home and unknowingly becomes involved in this society.
Hilde, who I s a young 18 year old nazi supporter who is proud to carry the baby of a Nazi officer.

This was something in history I had no clue about. It is a work of fiction but based on true events and wonderfully researched. I could tell the author did a lot of work making it historically accurate. This novel evokes the same feelings I felt when I read Hold My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. I highly recommend this novel to history lovers

I love World War II fiction and this added a new dimension to situations. It’s a setting that is fresh and the characters are well drawn. I read in one sitting!

I was really excited to sink my teeth into Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn, which tells the shockingly true and vastly undocumented story of the Lebensborn program, which sought to increase the number of Aryan and "racially pure" German children by having young, eligible women procreate with top Nazi officials. And while that bit of history is undoubtedly interesting, I found myself disappointed with the character arcs, the ending, and the writing.

Told from the three alternating points of view--Hilde, the young power hungry Hitlerite who finds herself pregnant by a prominent married Nazi officer; Irma, a nurse with scars left over from the Great War who has recently broken it off with her sweetheart; and Gundi, a perfect example of Aryan purity and beauty who is pregnant with her Jewish lover's baby and worked with the Resistance--Cradles of the Reich suffers from the lack of development that comes with trying to do too many POVs within such a short book.

Hilde was one of the most interesting and flawed, desperate to become something other than a wife and itching to do her patriotic duty. Unfortunately, she has next to no growth and one of the most disappointing conclusions to a character arc I've ever read. Gundi is undoubtedly the star and the best portrayed, with the last long chapter devoted completely to her harrowing escape from the Lebensborn program at Heim Hochland. Irma changed for the better by the end, though I had doubts how she could be so careless and inconsiderate in the beginning and the make such a 180 by the end. It seemed to not be in her character, to be so selfless, and I didn't feel she had enough happen to her to make her change so drastically.

With regards to the writing, sometimes it was beautiful and wonderfully descriptive, and at other times read like a summary with too much telling and because of that, failed to get an emotional response from me.

I really wanted to like this better, but it felt like the whole book was leading up to a big end, only for it to fall completely flat! Read it for the history, which was obviously well researched, but know that there won't be any satisfactory ending here.

World War II fiction is one of my favorite genres and this book did not disappoint. Cradles of the Reich follows three women and how their lives intersect at a maternity home which was also a breeding home. The story is told through the 3 women and each story has a little twist. This book was very well researched and I was not previously familiar with these maternity homes but was not at all surprised by their existence. I became totally engrossed in each women's story and also by their personal growth throughout the course of the novel. I was also satisfied with the ending for each character. For fans of historical fiction, this is a must read.

Another one has been added to my favorite list! I had a hard time putting this down and then it got to a point the I didn't. I had to finish it to see how it ended.
The Nazi breeding program was a horrific and unthinkable event, yet, the story being told is fascinating and draws you in to each different side of all the girls/women involved. Those who are readily on board with what the program is all about (the mothers and the nurses), those who don't really have a clue about what is about to happen once the child is born (mothers and nurses), and those who can't believe what is going on and do their part help out.

The Lebensborn program set up by the Germans was something I was vaguely aware 0f but my imagination couldn't grasp the scope of what they did. This story focuses on three women who are sent to Heim Hochland. Gundi is the perfect Aryan woman and when she becomes pregnant it is assumed she will have the perfect Aryan child but in her work for the resistance she falls in love with Leo who is Jewish. Hilde is an 18-year-old who is a true believer and will do anything to benefit herself including seducing a high-ranking German officer. Irma was a nurse during the Great War and still has nightmares but after a break up with her fiancé she accepts a job officer to work at Heim Hochland thinking that working with pregnant women wouldn't be traumatic.

The characters were very well defined and the life in Heim Hochland was interesting. Even though there was a war happening and food was in short supply these women had plenty. The home was filled with all kinds of luxury probably stolen from the Jews.

My only complaint was the ending. Of course it could go on and on with what happened to Gundi and her baby but the end was so abrupt leaving me with questions of what happened to other characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with a digital copy.

I'm disappointed to say I couldn't get past the first chapter of this book. The Nazi in the opening scene was so openly crude and sexually abusive that I will not be finishing this book. I feel the author could have written this scene much more discreetly. I know that the Nazis were truly horrible and malicious people, and that their crimes should not be hid, but it just made me so uncomfortable reading this. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this e-book. A positive review was not required, and the thoughts above are my own.

To promote the growth of a desirable Aryan population, the Lebensborn program was created in late 1935. A group of homes were set up for pregnant German women to safely give birth to what Nazi authorities deemed as racially valuable children as well as to provide a means for young women to become impregnated by suitable German men. The quest for a German master-race is hauntingly fictionalized through the lives of three women in Cradles of the Reich.

In 1939 Gundi Schiller was unmarried and pregnant. As a member of the Edelweiss Pirates, a resistance group, she met and fell in love with Leo Solomon, a Jewish man, who was now missing. When she is told that she needs to enter the Lebensborn program at Heim Hochland, Gundi knows that she must protect the identity of her child's father. Single Hilde Kramer enters the program, thrilled that she is pregnant by the married and much older Obergruppenführer Werner Ziegler. She is proud to show her allegiance to the Reich. Irma Binz decides to take a position as a nurse at Heim Hochland after a life of disappointments. Unmarried and childless, she is excited to have the chance to support the women and their babies.

Through much research, author Jennifer Coburn has skillfully brought the Lebensborn program to the forefront. As with so many stories about WWII, this impactful book sheds a light on yet another dark and despicable aspect of this horrible period of history. Through historical fiction, a story of heroism and strength is told representing those who tried to make a difference amidst all the horror.

These types of stories are never easy to read yet they help us to never forget.

Rated 4.25 stars.

💙🦋Book Review💙🦋
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Thank you so much @jennifercoburnbooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of Cradles of the Reich which is released tomorrow! It was a tough read as most from WWII era historical reads are. But I think it was an important story as well. It was something that I previously had not thought about in regards to the Holocaust and pregnancy. Beautifully written, deep, moving, and overall a fascinating read! The synopsis is below.
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Summary: At Heim Hochland, a Nazi breeding home in Bavaria, three women's fates are irrevocably intertwined. Gundi is a pregnant university student from Berlin. An Aryan beauty, she's secretly a member of a resistance group. Hilde, only eighteen, is a true believer in the cause and is thrilled to carry a Nazi official's child. And Irma, a 44-year-old nurse, is desperate to build a new life for herself after personal devastation. All three have everything to lose.

Based on untold historical events, this novel brings us intimately inside the Lebensborn Society maternity homes that actually existed in several countries during World War II, where thousands of "racially fit" babies were bred and taken from their mothers to be raised as part of the new Germany. But it proves that in a dark period of history, the connections women forge can carry us through, even driving us to heroism we didn't know we had within us.
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QOTD: do you enjoy reading historical books?
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