A harrowing account of true events. This is a terrifying a period in the not too distant past. How can this not have come to light before?

Congratulations to Jennifer Coburn for a meticulously researched story of events not found in our school history books.

Gundi joins a resistance group after falling for a young Jewish man she sees hiding in the shadows of a university lecture. After refusing to leave Germany with him because she doesn’t see the danger ahead of them, she discovers she is pregnant and must hide the identity of her baby’s father.

Hilde has ambitions of achieving rank in the social echelons of the Nazi Party; she wants to leave behind her tedious life. Hilde wholeheartedly believes and supports the propaganda for a better race. Her plan to seduce a married Party officer results in a pregnancy that she sees as her ticket to that coveted status. Hilde soon realizes that her plan may crash around her, so she manipulatively comes up with another way. Hilde never considered the consequences of her deceit.

Irma, unlucky in love and wanting to leave her presumably deceitful boyfriend, takes a position as a nurse in a home for pregnant women. Taking care of these young women; some who are waiting for their babies’ fathers to return from war, others who will give their babies up for adoption; promises to give Irma the purpose her life is lacking.

It doesn’t take long for each of them to discover that the Helm Hochland maternity home is not the altruistic gem that appears to sparkle with so much beauty. But instead, a baby mill whose sole purpose is to produce babies with genetic superiority.

Once the evil goals of the secretive Lebensborn Society come to light, they are all in so deep that the only way to survive the uncertainty of the future is to acknowledge what is truly happening and place their trust in complete strangers.

Thank you @jennifercoburnbooks @netgalley @sourcebooksfor this #arc

I truly enjoyed this book. There are so many World War II historical fiction books currently being written, and it is so lovely to find a book on a topic that I personally was not aware of, nor do I feel like many others would know about. While the idea of a home for Aryan mothers and a school to “teach” girls the art of motherhood should not surprise me, yet sadly it did. The three stories highlighted within this book I think did an amazing job of showing three different perspectives of how woman in this situation might feel or handle the idea of being part of breeding the next generation of perfect Germans. I was truly heartbroken during the adoption section where the woman didn’t want to take home the little girl because her foot curled. To think of living in a world where something so small could mean life or death for an infant is just heart breaking. I really think that a lot of people are truly going to enjoy reading this book. The characters are easy to enjoy and the personal growth they all go through be it for good or bad really resonates with the reader. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to recommending it in the future.
Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

TITLE: Cradles of the Reich: A Novel
AUTHOR: Jennifer Coburn
PUB DATE: 10.11.2022 Pre Order Now

Synopsis:

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.

Thoughts:

Three German women’s story collide in this unique WWII read that I found intriguing, interesting, and compelling. The writing is so skillfully researched, that I was completely immersed into the story. This was certainly heartbreaking and powerful, one that I could not fathom to believe happened and of course this inhumane story did during the rise of the Nazis. I highly recommend this extraordinary book!

I appreciated the author’s research and quest to make this work of historical fiction as true to history as possible. It was well-written and hard to put down!

I will not be adding this book to my church library due to its descriptions of sexual encounters that went on as part of this program.

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Four stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Cradles Of The Reich sheds light on a little known program during WWII. The characters are well written and the story will keep you riveted. This is a book you don't want to miss.

Thank you so much to the author for having a gifted ARC sent my way! I appreciate you so much! Also, thank you to the following wonderful ladies for the buddy read and chat (even though I slacked on the chat part because…well, life🤦🏼‍♀️) @welllreadbookclub @crystalzreads @jessisreadingbetweenthewines @bookshelf_taylorsversion @thisfamilyreads.alot @poetry.and.plot.twists


💭My Thoughts:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.25/5

This is a fascinating yet haunting story off the Nazi breeding program and wanting to create their ideal “breed” of children for the Reich. I have been fascinated with WWII History for as long as I can remember but have never heard of the Lebensborn Society until I read this book, and let me say that I am blown away at this concept.

During WWII the Lebensborn Society had maternity homes in many different countries where women would stay to have their babies whom the German’s specifically chose based on their Aryan characteristics. Once the babies were born, they were taken from their mothers to be raised and conditioned to become one of the children of Hitler’s Reich.

This heart breaking, fascinating, yet beautiful story is told from the POV of three different women, whose lives eventually intertwine. We have Gundi, who fits the ideal look of the Aryan race, is pregnant and who the Reich has chosen to birth her baby at one of the homes, yet she is secretly part of the resistance and in love with a Jewish man. Irma, who is a nurse and who works at one of the Lebensborn Society homes. Hilde, an 18 year old who is a support own the Reich and the Aryan race, falls pregnant and is honored to be chosen to stay at one off the Lebensborn Society homes to have her baby.

Coburn has done a fantastic job with doing her research, given the very little information that there is on this. Her writing, depth of research, character development, and story paint a horrifying picture and shed light on a dark and disturbing time in history that not many people are familiar with. This book would be a great book for discussion for a bookclub or buddy read! I highly recommend, especially for those of you who are as fascinated with WWII History.

✨Overall Verdict: Powerful, vivid, heartbreaking, yet a beautifully painted story of a dark time in history.

Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn If you only have time to read one book this Fall, let it be this one! It is about the little known history of the Lebensborn Society. The writing is exquisite! Perfect for book clubs!

A solid 4 star read that fans of WWII historical fans would enjoy. Told through three different female perspectives, this story centers on the Lesbensborn Society maternity homes. It was here that “racially” pure babies were delivered and, if born out of wedlock, were adopted into more “suitable” homes. Certainly a haunting historical topic, but I enjoyed reading about these three women and their different experiences and roles within the ward.

This is such an unusual story that I hadn’t heard a lot about. As a unique historical fiction read, it delves into the real-life history of the German Lebensborn Society program during WWII, a Nazi sanctioned breeding program to propagate an Aryan race. This tells the tale of 3 women and how their lives intersect at Heim Hochland. Was a fascinating read! I would have liked to have a bit more closure at the end to learn more about what happens to the characters, but overall, would definitely recommend! Thanks to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ebook.

CRADLES OF THE REICH by Jennifer Coburn is a chilling and heart-wrenching work of historical fiction that sheds light on a dark and disturbing breeding program run by the Nazis to create what Hitler called a “master race”. Based on true historical events, it tells the story of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes where “racially-desirable” pregnant women were well-cared for in return for giving up their babies to well-placed German families. In addition, these homes housed young women that were forced to have sexual liaisons with SS officers. At one such breeding home in Bavaria, Heim Hochland, three women’s lives become unexpectedly intertwined in ways that will change them all forever. Gundi is a beautiful Aryan university student from Berlin who is secretly a member of the Jewish resistance. When she becomes pregnant, she is sent to Heim Hochland. Eighteen-year-old Hilde is a true believer in the Nazi cause who would give anything to become pregnant with a high-ranking Nazi official’s baby. Irma is a forty-four-year-old nurse who winds up at Heim Hochland to escape from devastating losses in her life. The story is told from the three women’s points of view which was very enlightening about the true experiences at the Lebensborn Society homes. The author has obviously done extensive and meticulous research revealing the shocking and unthinkable practices taking place during this time. CRADLES OF THE REICH is a powerful and thought-provoking book that I won’t soon forget. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

This review will be posted on October 10, 2022 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

Three very different women cross paths in a Nazi breeding home in the early days of World War II. Like the author, I learned of the Lebensborn Society from the streaming series, The Man in the High Castle. But, this was remarkable. It's clear Coburn did her research and this historical fiction is ripe with details of this horrific Nazi program. (Do read with care.) The hardest character for me to get a handle on was Hilde, a true Nazi believer. While Coburn did a good job of making her fully fleshed and human, she was still an abominable character. The only thing I wished the novel included was an epilogue. I wanted to know more about what happened to Hilde, Gundi, and Irma after the novel ended. Without it, the ending felt slightly abrupt to me. #CradlesOfTheReich Rating: 🙂 / liked it
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This book is scheduled for publication on October 11, 2022. Thank you @bookmarked for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three women are part of a program to use women to breed perfect Aryan children for the Nazi party. Their lives intersect in powerful and unexpected ways, shedding light on a little-known aspect of the Nazi regime.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing a copy of this unique book to read and review.

I read a lot of historical fiction and yes, there’s a big WW2 trend, but I was intrigued by the point of view of German women. It was a different take and included a setting and premise that I was unaware of.

It took some time for me to start to feel connected to the characters, but once it picks up, it captivated me.

Coburn is an American author of a travel memoir and six contemporary novels. Upon learning about the very real existence of the Nazi breeding program 'Lebensborn', she was inspired to learn more about it and write her first historical fiction novel. Lebensborn were created by the Nazis 'with the stated goal of increasing the number of children born who met the Nazi standards of "racially pure" and "healthy" Aryans, based on Nazi eugenics'. Racially pure pregnant young woman sent to these homes to be cared for, with the best of everything, until their babies were born. There were also unpregnant women at the home who 'entertained' high ranking officers in the hopes of further babies, that would then be adopted out to appropriate families. The author has created three fictional woman, from different circumstance, who each end up at one of such home. This is a great recommendation for historical fiction fans who want to learn about yet another aspect of life under the Nazis. I enjoyed it.

First, I want to thank Jennifer Coburn for reaching out and sending me an advanced digital copy of her newest novel Cradles Of The Reich.

I’ve been looking for a good historical fiction to sink my teeth into for a while, and this certainly fit the bill. It always makes me shudder when I think of what non Aryan people when through at the hand of the Nazi regime, and Cradles of the Reich was no exception to that!

The three women who’s POVs we get through have wildly different thoughts on these German “breeding houses” and what went on within them made me sick.

This was a slow paced read although the ending felt very abrupt and I wish there was an epilogue to see where the women were in their lives following the War.

Once again, thank you to Jennifer Coburn for the opportunity to read this early, Cradles of the Reich comes out on October 11!

Cradles of the Reich is a WWII historical fiction novel that is based on an aspect of Hitler's regime with which I was not familiar, the Lebensborn Society. Jennifer Coburn has written a thoroughly researched, multi-faceted view of the Nazi Aryan breeding program that focuses on three women who have through various avenues found themselves at Heim Hochland, a home for young women who would bear children 'for Hitler'.

The different backgrounds and motivations of the three main characters added a unique layer of interest in the story. Gundi, a young resistance movement member, is pregnant with a child by her Jewish lover. Irma, a more mature nurse, has just broken off with her fiance and accepts a job at Heim Hochland. Hilde, a high school student is happy to be bearing a child for the married Nazi officer with whom she has become involved. Of the three, Hilde was least sympathetic, in my opinion, though much of what irritated me was her immaturity and selfishness.

I felt like the three women's stories were left a bit incomplete, and would very much like to know how things turned out for them over the course of the next few years.

If you like WWII fiction, particularly books that cover a little known aspect of the time period, Cradles of the Reich will be an interesting read. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy of Cradles of the Reich. The opinions in this review are my own.

Years ago, I watched a program on the History Channel about Lebensborn, which I had never heard before. I took notes and incorporated the information into my college lectures.
When I saw Coburn’s book, over a year ago, I knew I had to read it. Based on the perfect breeding program conceptualized by Himmler, Cradles of the Reich explores three women’s experiences in a maternity home. Told from three perspectives it really enhances the reader’s journey into a frightening program. Coburn also touches on the heinous crimes of Nazi soldiers kidnapping “Aryan” children in occupied territories, another little known aspect.
I’ve read a few other books, non-fiction, about Lebensborn, but this is the first fictional account I have found. I commend the author for bringing this little known historical fact to the forefront and I hope it sparks interest in readers to learn more. It is well written, well researched, and a definitely a worthwhile read.

This book was horrifyingly sad. It's not for a pleasure read. Of all the characters, I started off liking Gundi from the start, her journey was hard but she had a slight hope in the end of the novel. At first I did like Hilde but over the course of the book I disliked her. But I am glad that she also had an 'out' but it's what she deserved. As for Irma, she grew on me and I liked her character growth. It would be a good movie, disgusting, but good. Rated R for many things.

This was a thoroughlyy enjoyable WWII story that shed light on the Lebensborn Society network of maternity homes in Nazi Germany. The setting and main characters are all interesting and well-developed. The contrast between the motivations of each character is particularly well-executed, making it an absorbing read.

I did find the climax fell a bit flat, and I think the events near the end of the book could have been explored in more detail for added tension and interest, but I still enjoyed the story a great deal.

Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fascinating and I read it so quickly. I was very much unaware of the programs the Nazis used to secure babies for Nazi families. This is an aspect of WWII that I haven’t seen in other books.

I thought this was so well written too. I found myself wanting to keep reading in order to find out what would happen. There is romance and loss in this book, and also hope and human kindness.

The author wrote about three different women and the life experiences and perspectives of these women were each different. It is clear she took so much care in how she approached each character. The author’s note does a great job of explaining how she approached each character, so make sure you read that part of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the this book in exchange for my honest review.