What a powerful book! “Cradles of the Reich” by Jennifer Coburn seems like a a ghastly horror or suspense book. But this historical fiction book is based on the truth. So many novels have been published lately about the Nazis and World War II but I don’t think many of them have even hinted about the true horrors of the Nazi’s Lebensborn Society.

From 1939 until the end of World War II, the Nazis operated homes for unmarried pregnant women. The purpose was to perpetuate “Aryan” genetics and increase the Aryan population. If a German woman had the correct “Aryan” features, she spent her pregnancy at a lovely home. Once she gave birth, her baby was generally adopted by high ranking Nazi officials. Single young women also lived at the homes and had sex with Nazi officials. Children from Poland and from other “Aryan-looking” countries were kidnapped and brought to Germany during the war. All of this is unbelievably depraved.

“Cradle of the Reich” is well-written and it explores the evils of this time through three main characters. One young woman is pregnant and the father who she loves, is Jewish. One woman is an ardent Nazi. And one is a nurse who awakens to the reality of the Nazi’s. This book was hard to put down. I commend the author for writing about such a heinous topic with such compassion.

I received an advance digital copy from Net Galley. This is my honest review.

CRADLES OF THE REICH
BY: JENNIFER COBURN

What's important to know is the three main characters are fictional, but the rest is based on factual history that this new to me Author, Jennifer Coburn has meticulously researched. The Author also interviewed various people who bear witness to its truth. One such person interviewed is Bernhard Schlink, the famous Author of "The Reader".

This weaves fiction with historical fact of a secret program run by the Nazi's which started in 1939 and went on for ten years. There were luxurious estates that were actually maternity homes for a two pronged goal. 1.) To take pregnant unwed mother's babies of perfect Aryan descent and place their babies for adoption, with or without the mothers consent. 2.) To procreate single German girl's with high ranking Nazi Officers for their babies also to be placed for adoption.

In the ten years that these secret maternity homes were in use approximately 200,000 babies were put up for adoption. Some of the victims were young children whose parents were murdered.

While I was reading this I kept thinking who in their right mind would volunteer to these breeding mills? One of the main characters does. This was not easy to read at times because of the subject matter.

In this story one of the young, pregnant unwed mothers really loved the baby's father who was Jewish. One is a nurse working at this maternity home and the third is a German girl who purposely gets pregnant by a high ranking Nazi Officer. I really liked the young woman whose father of the baby was Jewish. She fought in the Resistance. The nurse was a favorite at this maternity home in Bavaria. I grew to like her. I didn't care for the German girl who purposely got pregnant by a married German high ranking Officer.

As I said this Author really did quite a bit of work to bring this historical novel to life. I would read any of this Author's previous work or anything that she writes in the future.

Publication Date: October 11, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Jennifer Coburn and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#CradlesoftheReich #JenniferCoburn #SourcebooksLandmark #NetGalley

Loved this book and the glimpse into a relatively unknown part of World War II. It was a compelling read and one of my favorite books of the year so far. Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC!

Cradles of the Reich was a fantastic book. I knew the Nazi's did a lot of horrible things and medical horrors but I wasn't really aware of the Nazi breeding program and these maternity homes. The story was so good because you get the point of view of a young pregnant woman that works against the Nazi and SS and fights to help the jews, a nurse who's views change after working at the home, and a young woman who would do anything to help the Nazi way and really wants to be acknowledged by them. What really struck me was how there were comparisons with what happened then to some of the craziness going on in our own country right now! People need to read this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 4.5 stars

In Cradles of the Reich we are told about the Aryan breeding program known as the Lebensborn Society through the perspectives of three women who have vastly differing experiences.

Think Handmaid's Tale with Hitler at the helm.

This book is well written and you can tell the lengths the author went to in researching the subject. Where some would go in to deep and sometimes disturbing detail, Jennifer tells us the history in a way that's impactful but also tactful.

There is so much WWII historical fiction out there that I feel like I am often reading the same story told by different authors, but Cradles of the Reich provides a different story I hadn't really heard before.

If you enjoy historical and women's fiction I recommend giving Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn a try.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and the author for this digital Advanced Reader Copy.

An emotive read as the book takes a unique look at this horrifying aspect of WW2,well written and although at times I didn’t like all the characters they were well written and described, interesting authors note at the end, I wonder if there will be a second book?A book that really makes you think and tbh shudder sometimes at human behaviour

I couldn’t put this book down. I had never heard of this Nazi mission for Aryan babies, and I was glued to the pages. This book was both educational, detailing a little known factoid of Nazi evil, and mesmerizing. I expect it’ll be well received when it goes into publication.

I found the book to be very slow in the beginning and started to drag. It picked up towards the end.

Cradles of the Reich, by Jennifer Coburn

Cradles of Reich is a shocking and dark look back at history. In honor of Hitler, the Nazis' Lebensborn Society featured maternity homes where women were bred like cattle to create a "model German society".

I found Jennifer Coburn's book, told from the perspectives of three women, to be enthralling and a subject I was unaware of till I read the book. Although the novel is fiction, it is based on true events. Those interested in history will find this topic unusual and intriguing. This is a testament to the strength and endurance of women during the second World War.

Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn is available on October 11th.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for sharing this book with me. I appreciate your kindness.

Fantastic read! It kept me engaged throughout the whole book. The only thing that I wish was a little different was the ending. I really felt like it was lacking the closure on some of the other characters. I wanted to know how life worked out for them too.

Cradles of the Reich is a story about three women in one of the Nazis' Lebensborn Society "maternity homes" aka breeding facilities for aryan babies. Irma is a nurse looking for a new start. Gunde is a Nazi-approved, blonde-haired, blue-eyed pregnant university student who is secretly part of a resistance group. Hilde is happily pregnant with a high-ranking official's illegitimate baby and is hoping to use her baby to move up the ranks of the Nazi party.

This was a different, unique aspect of WWII history that I didn't know much about, and there's so much to discuss in this book -- this would be an excellent book club pick!

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: October 11, 2022

I had a hard time with this book even though I so badly wanted to love it. The writing felt a bit long winded and a tad disjointed. One minute I'm engulfed in the story and then I'm thrust into the past but no idea how far in the past. I wished the author tried to make those transitions a little smoother.

Another thing that didn't jive with me is how flat some of the characters seemed to me. They weren't very well rounded so I felt that some characters where just stereotypical. For example, some of the German officials were just painted as pigs and only interested in sex. Maybe that is what the author was going for but it left me feeling discombobulated as a reader.

Overall, I appreciated how well researched this was and that it was a topic I knew little about. However, I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy of Cradles of the Reich in exchange for an honest review.

WWII fiction and nonfiction is a subject that I continue to seek out and I had not previously heard of the Lebensborn Society. It is clear that the author thoroughly researched the time period, lives, and routines of the women living at the maternity homes, however, the characters left me feeling disconnected from the story. While this book was well written, I felt it lacked the depth I usually look for when reading historical fiction and that was mainly due to the lack of characterization.

I definitely think this would be a good introductory novel for those looking to start reading historical fiction.

An very interesting historical fiction set in WWII about a Lebensborn Maternity home in Bavaria. Wonderfully written it tells the story of three different women who come to house for various reasons and what happens to them. Another a piece of history almost forgotten but brought to light in this historical fiction novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC

Cradles of the Reich is a fascinating yet horrifying historical fiction about Heim Hochland one of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes ran by the Nazis in Germany.

Told through the viewpoint of three women this novel looks at this dark per in history through Gundi a pregnant college student, Hilde a loyal young woman who is there to learn to be a proper housewife and Irma an older nurse.

The writing had me intrigued in the story and all three storylines wove well together. My only complaint was I wanted more of an epilogue for all 3 women post war. This was something I had heard about but didn't know as much about and I appreciated the detailed author's note.

If you like World War II historical fiction I recommend Cradles of the Reich.

I LOVED Cradles of the Reich! While I’d heard of and read other books about the Lebensborn program, I definitely learned a lot from this book (those girls living upstairs to become “ideal wives”? Wild). I loved the different characters and how they all became intertwined at the home. I found the ending a bit sudden, but maybe that’s just because I didn’t want it to end. I read this in one night, and will be looking for more by Jennifer Coburn!

Jennifer Coburn fictionalizes a historically true and little-known practice under Nazi rule in Germany during WWII, "birthing homes." Birthing homes were institutions for young, pregannt German women who meet certain criteria. Under Hitler's rule, the Reich established the Lebensborn Society to oversee what were actually brothels, breeding homes and forced adoption agencies for "pure" Aryan girls and women where the Reich could begin to manipulate and control the German population. Cradles of the Reich tells the stories of two young girls and a nurse whose paths intertwine at Heim Hochland, one such birthing home, when the pregnant girls are selected to receive care under the Society. While the characters may be fictional, the setting and the history are very much factual. The novel is well-researched and written, despite the difficult context, and it will be a great book club choice.

Thanks to the author & @bookmarked for the gifted copy! Swipe for synopsis. 👉

You know me & my love for multiple POVs, especially in historical fiction, and this was no exception. As often happens with multiple POVs, I found myself enjoying one storyline (Gundi’s) more than the others, but they were all unique and enjoyable in their own way.

I read a lot of WWII historical fiction, so it’s rare that I find a book with a unique perspective but I’d never heard of Heim Hochland or the Lebensborn Society, so I was thrilled to learn something new. The authors note adds a lot of insight too! I loved Coburn’s writing style & the level of research was unmatched. Very well done! 👏

Cradles of the Reich comes out on Oct. 11. If you enjoy WWII historical fiction (my people!), you’re going to want to get your hands on this one.

Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, unexpected pregnancy, infidelity, miscarriage, sexual manipulation (and so many more)

This was not an easy read, not because of the writing, the writing is excellent, but the content is sometimes difficult to tolerate. I have read many WWII books, and some of them have mentioned this subject but none of them have gone into the research or depth of what truly the greater race and baby farm project was about. Unfortunately, it takes a war to stop the madness and cruelty of leaders that have lost their humanness. Thank heavens we won that one.
There is sexual content in here, nothing that is so much that I would have not read the book but wanted to make it known. The story reiterates the cruelty and disregard for women by the Germans. This one comes in with 5 stars.
Received an ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 5 stars.

The story of three very different German women sent to a Nazi-sponsored Lebensborn facility where Hitler planned to uphold Aryan genetics through selective breeding.

Well-researched and thoughtfully told, Cradles of the Reich is a perfect example of why history should not be erased.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.