Five new books to check out in February
America's first stuntwoman, WWII resistance, the 1920's battle against leaded gasoline, and more.
We’ve got four tales of historic female heroism and daring-do on tap this month, from Nazi resistance to Roaring Twenties public-health activism to the silent-era star who became Hollywood’s first professional stuntwoman. Also: a Jewish lawyer’s crusade for justice in post-war Germany.
From the publisher: “Two women in Nazi-occupied Paris created a daring escape line that rescued dozens of Allied servicemen. With one still in a German prison camp, the other wrote a book about it—a memoir built on fabrications. Now the bestselling author of EIGHTY DAYS shares their incredible, never-before-told full story.” Kirkus Reviews: “Genuine heroism and well told, with no Hollywood ending.” (Ballantine, February 4)
From the publisher: “The untold story of Alice Hamilton, a trailblazing doctor and public health activist who took on the booming auto industry—and the deadly invention of leaded gasoline, which would poison millions of people across America.” Publishers Weekly (starred): “Stone’s depiction of Hamilton is a captivating portrait of a privileged daughter of wealth whose eyes are slowly opened to capitalism’s exploitation of the poor … Readers will be riveted.” (Dutton, February 18)
From the publisher: “The story of America’s first professional stuntwoman, Helen Gibson, who rose to fame during a time when women ruled Hollywood.” Publishers Weekly: “High-flying biography … An enthralling tribute to an early Hollywood pioneer.” (Hanover Square Press, February 18)
From the publisher: “The astonishing true story of three fearless female teenage resisters during WWII whose youth and innocence belied their extraordinary daring in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.” Publishers Weekly: “This moving story spotlights the extraordinary heroism of everyday people during the war and the Holocaust.” (Citadel, February 23)
From the publisher: “The powerful true story of a Jewish lawyer who returned to Germany after World War II to prosecute war crimes, only to find himself pitted against a nation determined to bury the past.” Kirkus Reviews (starred): “Disturbing insights into a bygone era. … Stirring revelations of an unsung hero of postwar Germany.” (Crown, February 25)
That Jack Fairweather book is an insta-buy - looking forward to reading it