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West Branch Nonfiction Book Discussion

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington

West Branch's monthly nonfiction book discussion group. May: The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive by Lucy Adlington.

Join us for West Branch's monthly non-fiction book discussion group. We read a variety of contemporary non-fiction and meet once a month for a lively discussion. Contact discussion leader Janet Stephens at 630-264-3626 for a copy of the book or a list of current titles.

Join us virtually or come in person. Be sure to sign up if you wish to receive the Zoom link. Contact discussion facilitator Janet Stephens at jstephens@aurorapubliclibrary.org for more information.

The book for May is "The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive" by Lucy Adlington

At the height of the Holocaust twenty-five young inmates of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp--mainly Jewish women and girls--were selected to design, cut, and sew beautiful fashions for elite Nazi women in a dedicated salon. It was work that they hoped would spare them from the gas chambers. 

This fashion workshop--called the Upper Tailoring Studio--was established by Hedwig Höss, the camp commandant's wife, and patronized by the wives of SS guards and officers. Here, the dressmakers produced high-quality garments for SS social functions in Auschwitz, and for ladies from Nazi Berlin's upper crust. 

Drawing on diverse sources--including interviews with the last surviving seamstress--The Dressmakers of Auschwitz follows the fates of these brave women. Their bonds of family and friendship not only helped them endure persecution, but also to play their part in camp resistance. Weaving the dressmakers' remarkable experiences within the context of Nazi policies for plunder and exploitation, historian Lucy Adlington exposes the greed, cruelty, and hypocrisy of the Third Reich and offers a fresh look at a little-known chapter of World War II and the Holocaust.

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