“But I was even more certain that all babies are precious to someone, that we did not have the right to play judge, jury or God. Ever.”
Anke is a midwife in Germany and ends up in a concentration camp after helping a Jewish woman give birth to a child in the forbidden area. In the camp, she tries to stay low, but one day a woman in the sewing room goes into labor and Anke helps her. From then on, she is helping deliver babies in the camp. She endeavors to give the mother as much comfort as possible since everyone knows the babies lives will be measured in minutes, days and maybe weeks. Her reputation becomes widely known and she is sought out to be the midwife for a very important person in Germany – Eva Braun.
I saw The German Midwife mentioned in the newspaper and I looked up more about it. The description of the plot intrigued me and I quickly put a hold on it with my local library. The ebook was available fairly quickly. My favorite genre is historical fiction and this was a plot I hadn’t seen before.
Anke goes from life in a concentration camp to a house of almost luxury. Eva Braun is only halfway through her pregnancy, but Anke must stay on their property and check on Eva almost daily. However, she has her own space in a small cottage, steady meals and books to read. The Nazi SS officer in charge of watching her and getting her supplies for the birth shows her more decency than most of the other workers there. Anke knows she must remain guarded so her family will stay safe – that is her bargain for attending Eva. However, no one knows if things will go smoothly or who can be trusted.
I really enjoyed reading The German Midwife. The “what if” of the story was very thought-provoking. Readers will ponder what they would do in Anke’s situation. What is one life worth? I would highly recommend this to historical fiction lovers and anyone looking for a unique story to read.
Do you enjoy pondering ethical dilemmas? If so, share one of your favorites on the blog.