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Amanda Barratt is our guest on the podcast this week – finally! Such an oversight on my part to not have her join us before this. We chatted about her new book, The Warsaw Sisters, about what drew her to writing her last two books in Poland during WWII, What the Warsaw Uprising Was, and the role women played during the war. Patrons will get to hear when she first decided she wanted to be an author.
The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt
On a golden August morning in 1939, sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska send their father off to defend Poland against the looming threat of German invasion. The next day, the first bombs fall on Warsaw, decimating their beloved city and shattering the world of their youth.
When Antonina’s beloved Marek is forced behind ghetto walls along with the rest of Warsaw’s Jewish population, Antonina turns her worry into action and becomes a key figure in a daring network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. Helena finds herself drawn into the ranks of Poland’s secret army, joining the fight to free her homeland from occupation. But the secrets both are forced to keep threaten to tear the sisters apart–and the cost of resistance proves greater than either ever imagined.
Shining a light on the oft-forgotten history of Poland during WWII and inspired by true stories of ordinary individuals who fought to preserve freedom and humanity in the darkest of times, The Warsaw Sisters is a richly rendered portrait of courage, sacrifice, and the resilience of our deepest ties.
Praise for The Warsaw Sisters:
“Readers seeking a powerful story of love, loss, resistance, and resilience will appreciate The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt. It worked its way into my heart, broke it, gently held the pieces, and then healed it, although not completely so I’d be mindful of all it experienced.”
Get your copy of The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt.
I’m Amanda—novelist, history nerd, and daughter of the King of kings. From an early age, as I wandered through a small-town library, my life has been shaped by countless stories—offerings of art from an author’s heart to mine.
I’m passionate about illuminating oft-forgotten facets of history—be it the story of a group of unsung heroes who fought for hope and humanity behind the walls of the Krakòw ghetto, the lives of the university students who stepped from the ranks of the silently complicit in Hitler’s Germany, the love story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Maria von Wedemeyer, or the heroism and tragedy of the Warsaw Uprising.
It thrills me to search for the snapshot in the sweeping panorama of a historical event, to delve into the quiet valor of ordinary individuals faced with extraordinary times.
Though my novels and novellas span a variety of eras, I’m ceaselessly intrigued by the Second World War. In times of some of the greatest evil and inhumanity our world has ever known, there emerged glimmers of courage, resilience, and sacrifice. The juxtaposition of those fragments of light against the darkness is extraordinarily powerful and inspires me as I write.
Research is one of my favorite parts of the novel-crafting process and my idea of the perfect vacation is a trip to a museum or historical landmark. I love stories that linger in the heart long after the last page, shelves brimming with books, and cherished moments with family and friends. And I love my readers! Friends like you who take the time to gather around my virtual coffee table.