Red-Haired Ash Reads

Trigger Warnings: rape, miscarriage, death of a spouse, depression, attempted suicide, antisemitism, death, genocide, starvation, violence, racism, torture, concentration camps and ghettos, forced sterilization 

“They broke all the rules, including some not even written yet. They invented, they advanced, and they persisted.”

The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line tells the story of the women who were heroes during World War II who until recently, were unknown in the history books. These women broke barriers, invented amazing things, were spies, and saved hundreds of people and their story is finally being told. 

This was a wonderfully informative, and at the same time heartbreaking, book. These women put everything on the line to serve their country, to save people, and at the end of the war they were quickly forgotten, at least until the files from WWII became unclassified.  Of the 400,000 women who contributed during WWII, this book discusses 15 amazing women who made a difference and saved lives. These women did not have an easy time but they persevered and did their jobs, and they are finally being recognized for that. 

Like I said, this was wonderfully written and researched. These women were fascinating to learn about and it is extremely sad that they are just now being recognized 76 years later. Not only does Eder discuss what these women did during the war, she tells us what they did with their lives after the war. I really enjoyed learning about what these women did after the war was over. 

If you are interested in WWII history, or learning about remarkable women, I highly suggest picking up this book. It is well researched, informative, and eye opening to learn about all these women, what they went through, and the barriers they had to break to succeed. 

*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*

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