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Warrior: Audrey Hepburn
"UNICEF thought that with my mother they would get a pretty princess to show up at galas. What they really got was a badass soldier." – Luca Dotti, Audrey Hepburn's son. Audrey Hepburn completes the story arc of Robert Matzen's Dutch Audrey Hepburn and World War II. Hepburn's experiences in wartime, including the murder of family members, her survival through combat and starvation conditions, and work on behalf of the Dutch Resistance, gave her the determination to become a humanitarian for UNICEF and the fearlessness to charge into war-torn countries in the Third World on behalf of children and their mothers in desperate need. She set the standard for celebrity humanitarians and--according to her son Luca Dotti--ultimately gave her life for the causes she espoused.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 28, 2021
41 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
About the author
Robert Matzen
12 books208 followersRobert Matzen is the author of eight books, including the bestsellers Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe and Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3, which won the 2015 ‘Biography of the Year’ Benjamin Franklin Award and earned praise from the Smithsonian Institution.
His forthcoming Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, involved three years of intense research and several trips to the Netherlands, where Audrey spent the war. He worked in close consultation with Luca Dotti, Audrey Hepburn's younger son, and with many Dutch citizens who survived the war with Audrey in the town of Velp.
Robert has appeared on the BBC, Talk Radio Europe, Radio Russia, and many U.S. television and radio outlets, including NPR. His previous print work includes many articles about classic films and national bylines for the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets. His work as a filmmaker earned national awards and his feature documentary about George Washington, When the Forest Ran Red, is a genre classic that premiered on PBS in 2001. He is a former communications professional for NASA, where he spent 10 years.
His forthcoming Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, involved three years of intense research and several trips to the Netherlands, where Audrey spent the war. He worked in close consultation with Luca Dotti, Audrey Hepburn's younger son, and with many Dutch citizens who survived the war with Audrey in the town of Velp.
Robert has appeared on the BBC, Talk Radio Europe, Radio Russia, and many U.S. television and radio outlets, including NPR. His previous print work includes many articles about classic films and national bylines for the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets. His work as a filmmaker earned national awards and his feature documentary about George Washington, When the Forest Ran Red, is a genre classic that premiered on PBS in 2001. He is a former communications professional for NASA, where he spent 10 years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
September 16, 2021
Firstly of course, thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and the author for an ARC copy for my honest review.
Warrior: Audrey Hepburn completes the story arc of Robert Matzen's Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II. Hepburn's experiences in wartime, including the murder of family members, her survival through combat and starvation conditions, and work on behalf of the Dutch Resistance, gave her the determination to become a humanitarian for UNICEF and the fearlessness to charge into war-torn countries in the Third World on behalf of children and their mothers in desperate need. She set the standard for celebrity humanitarians and--according to her son Luca Dotti--ultimately gave her life for the causes she espoused.
Robert Matzen has in this book gone deeper than any other book on the great actress Audrey Hepuburn, his incredible research, studies, interviews must have been enormous.
We know from his previous books, and on other authors biographies the history of her story, her incredibly sad and shocking childhood and here in this book her strength, power, determination with her work for UNICEF.
This book although heavy and slow reading in parts what it does show is the chaos in Audrey Hepburn's life, country to country seeing so much poverty throughout the world, this to me is what stands out in this book. Audrey's determination in sharing her knowledge to the world!
I belief very much like the author the sights and poverty that Audrey experienced were shocking, and as she said to a friend "Sometimes I do not sleep at night", that is a lot of package to carry around your shoulders later in your life and I am sure effected her health.
Audrey was truly a "warrior", faced the toughest battle of all, her health. Fighting against severe pains flying worldwide to promote UNICEF, going to Somalia when she should have been thinking of her own health and wellbeing.
A brave, courageous, talented, loved woman. A star, a hero, a woman to be remembered for her film work but more for her work for UNICEF. Thank you
Warrior: Audrey Hepburn completes the story arc of Robert Matzen's Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II. Hepburn's experiences in wartime, including the murder of family members, her survival through combat and starvation conditions, and work on behalf of the Dutch Resistance, gave her the determination to become a humanitarian for UNICEF and the fearlessness to charge into war-torn countries in the Third World on behalf of children and their mothers in desperate need. She set the standard for celebrity humanitarians and--according to her son Luca Dotti--ultimately gave her life for the causes she espoused.
Robert Matzen has in this book gone deeper than any other book on the great actress Audrey Hepuburn, his incredible research, studies, interviews must have been enormous.
We know from his previous books, and on other authors biographies the history of her story, her incredibly sad and shocking childhood and here in this book her strength, power, determination with her work for UNICEF.
This book although heavy and slow reading in parts what it does show is the chaos in Audrey Hepburn's life, country to country seeing so much poverty throughout the world, this to me is what stands out in this book. Audrey's determination in sharing her knowledge to the world!
I belief very much like the author the sights and poverty that Audrey experienced were shocking, and as she said to a friend "Sometimes I do not sleep at night", that is a lot of package to carry around your shoulders later in your life and I am sure effected her health.
Audrey was truly a "warrior", faced the toughest battle of all, her health. Fighting against severe pains flying worldwide to promote UNICEF, going to Somalia when she should have been thinking of her own health and wellbeing.
A brave, courageous, talented, loved woman. A star, a hero, a woman to be remembered for her film work but more for her work for UNICEF. Thank you
September 27, 2021
Known for her iconic roles in popular films and her signature grace and style, Audrey Hepburn is a household name. But while she is known for her movie roles and iconic fashion sense on the Red Carpet, what has always stood out for me was her dedicated work for UNICEF to help the world's most at-risk children.
Warrior is an inspirational biography of this iconic actress turned humanitarian that gives readers an unbelievable amount of depth into the life of Ms. Hepburn. I enjoyed learning about her Dutch heritage and early life living in The Netherlands during WWII (and the fact that she is not related to Katherine Hepburn which was news to me). When she passed away in 1993, the world lost a talented woman and a crusader for the world’s most poverty-stricken children.
Audrey Hepburn lived a fascinating life, but I didn't enjoy the way Robert Matzen tells her story. His writing is repetitive and regularly gets bogged down in the minutiae of her life and her many UNICEF trips. This made Warrior read less like a biography and more like a textbook or encyclopedia entry for this star and humanitarian. By the halfway mark I had had enough and skimmed the last half of the book.
I have great respect for Audrey Hepburn and the legacies she has left the world. My feelings about how Robert Matzen tells Hepburn's story are, in no way, meant to diminish her work in Hollywood or her life beyond the glitz and the glamour where she made her biggest impact in her tireless work to help the world's underprivileged and most vulnerable children.
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
netgalley-recensiti-da-leggere
August 1, 2021I've always had a "crush" for Audrey Hepburn: her beauty, her style, her elegance, the way she dressed, her big expressive eyes.... that was how I would have like to be myself!
I already knew she used to work for UNICEF, but I hadn't understood to what extent and how committed she had been. Such a beautiful person in and out!
I don't agree with the author that her work caused her death, I think her work gave her a new, fullfilled life. but maybe I can see that, being always super invested in other people's wellbeing she neglected her own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I already knew she used to work for UNICEF, but I hadn't understood to what extent and how committed she had been. Such a beautiful person in and out!
I don't agree with the author that her work caused her death, I think her work gave her a new, fullfilled life. but maybe I can see that, being always super invested in other people's wellbeing she neglected her own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
June 4, 2021
“For once in your life, Mummy, use your bloody name!”
Audrey’s son Luca could not have known how those words would stay with his mother for the rest of her life.
Warrior, Audrey Hepburn is another example of how Robert Matzen becomes intimately acquainted with his subjects. Audrey may be gone, but her legacy lives on in her sons Sean and Luca, and now her passion is being shared with the world through Warrior.
In Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, Matzen introduces a young Audrey who dreamed of becoming a ballerina. Then the Nazi’s came. Audrey lived through World War II under Nazi occupation. She witnessed first-hand the atrocities of war – images that would haunt her the rest of her life. She also remembered the hunger – not knowing when, or even if, she would eat again. Robert Matzen helps his readers experience the Hunger Winter of 1944. It was this memory that would drive Audrey to sacrifice her own health and ignore any perceived danger so she could use her “bloody name” to show the world the true victims of senseless wars – the children.
In Warrior, Robert Matzen exposes the real Audrey Hepburn. Beyond the glitz and glamour was a mother who never understood why people were so fascinated by her. She never saw her outer beauty. This book gives the world a clear picture of Audrey’s inner beauty, a beauty that was so much more than people could see on a screen.
Audrey never thought she was special. She never used her name to solicit special treatment for herself or for Sean and Luca. When Luca saw his grandfather lying in a hospital bed left to die, he pleaded with his mum, “For once in your life, Mummy, use your bloody name!” When she did, a bed miraculously became available at a hospital closer to family. Audrey saw the power of her name, and Luca’s words would stay with Audrey and become a driving force in her work with UNICEF.
When Audrey and “her Robbie” (Robert Wolders, her partner) made their first trip for UNICEF in which they looked into the eyes of starving children, Audrey was immediately transported back to the Hunger Winter. She recognized the look in their eyes. She remembered how it felt to suffer the same symptoms these children were suffering. She had to do something. Luca’s words came back to her, “use your bloody name!”
Warrior, Audrey Hepburn shares Audrey’s passion for children and how she used her name as much and as often as she could. This “Mother Teresa in designer jeans” was on a mission to save the worlds children. Luca once stated, “UNICEF expected Audrey Hepburn would be a pretty princess for them at galas. But what they really got was a badass soldier.”
No one could have ever imagined just how hard this soldier would fight for the children of the Developing World. She went into war zones. She showed the seemingly forgotten victims of men’s greed love and compassion like they had never seen. These victims did not know Audrey Hepburn the actress. They only knew the lady who brought smiles, who brought love, who hugged them and cared for them, and the lady who brough the trucks with food and medicine.
Audrey spent her final years as a fierce warrior. As shy as she was, she found the courage to speak to hundreds and thousands about UNICEF and the children they were trying to save. Journalists sometimes accused her of using UNICEF to bring attention to herself. The truth was that she was using herself, putting herself in harm’s way, sacrificing herself, to bring attention to UNICEF and the children.
Warrior, Audrey Hepburn is the portrait of a woman who did not see herself the way the world saw her. She truly was a warrior who spent her whole life putting others before herself. Matzen may not have ever met Audrey Hepburn, but through his research and the relationships he developed with people who did know her, there is no doubt he now has a very special relationship with Audrey Hepburn, and he makes the reader believe that he was right beside her every step of the way, fighting for the world’s children. His imagery is so vivid that one forgets the author was not actually there. Matzen shows the world Audrey’s passion. He shows the readers the world through Audrey’s eyes.
Aside from raising Sean and Luca, Audrey Hepburn was more passionate about saving the innocent children of the world than anything else. Everything she did was for the children. When asked by a reporter if her role at UNICEF was the most rewarding, she replied, “I’m not playing a role. Roles are imaginary and fantasy. There’s no fantasy to this. It’s tough heartbreaking reality.”
Yes, Audrey Hepburn represented beauty and elegance and grace. More importantly, Audrey Hepburn represented hope – hope to a world in which no one should be forced to live. Robert Matzen takes his readers to that world.
Audrey’s son Luca could not have known how those words would stay with his mother for the rest of her life.
Warrior, Audrey Hepburn is another example of how Robert Matzen becomes intimately acquainted with his subjects. Audrey may be gone, but her legacy lives on in her sons Sean and Luca, and now her passion is being shared with the world through Warrior.
In Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, Matzen introduces a young Audrey who dreamed of becoming a ballerina. Then the Nazi’s came. Audrey lived through World War II under Nazi occupation. She witnessed first-hand the atrocities of war – images that would haunt her the rest of her life. She also remembered the hunger – not knowing when, or even if, she would eat again. Robert Matzen helps his readers experience the Hunger Winter of 1944. It was this memory that would drive Audrey to sacrifice her own health and ignore any perceived danger so she could use her “bloody name” to show the world the true victims of senseless wars – the children.
In Warrior, Robert Matzen exposes the real Audrey Hepburn. Beyond the glitz and glamour was a mother who never understood why people were so fascinated by her. She never saw her outer beauty. This book gives the world a clear picture of Audrey’s inner beauty, a beauty that was so much more than people could see on a screen.
Audrey never thought she was special. She never used her name to solicit special treatment for herself or for Sean and Luca. When Luca saw his grandfather lying in a hospital bed left to die, he pleaded with his mum, “For once in your life, Mummy, use your bloody name!” When she did, a bed miraculously became available at a hospital closer to family. Audrey saw the power of her name, and Luca’s words would stay with Audrey and become a driving force in her work with UNICEF.
When Audrey and “her Robbie” (Robert Wolders, her partner) made their first trip for UNICEF in which they looked into the eyes of starving children, Audrey was immediately transported back to the Hunger Winter. She recognized the look in their eyes. She remembered how it felt to suffer the same symptoms these children were suffering. She had to do something. Luca’s words came back to her, “use your bloody name!”
Warrior, Audrey Hepburn shares Audrey’s passion for children and how she used her name as much and as often as she could. This “Mother Teresa in designer jeans” was on a mission to save the worlds children. Luca once stated, “UNICEF expected Audrey Hepburn would be a pretty princess for them at galas. But what they really got was a badass soldier.”
No one could have ever imagined just how hard this soldier would fight for the children of the Developing World. She went into war zones. She showed the seemingly forgotten victims of men’s greed love and compassion like they had never seen. These victims did not know Audrey Hepburn the actress. They only knew the lady who brought smiles, who brought love, who hugged them and cared for them, and the lady who brough the trucks with food and medicine.
Audrey spent her final years as a fierce warrior. As shy as she was, she found the courage to speak to hundreds and thousands about UNICEF and the children they were trying to save. Journalists sometimes accused her of using UNICEF to bring attention to herself. The truth was that she was using herself, putting herself in harm’s way, sacrificing herself, to bring attention to UNICEF and the children.
Warrior, Audrey Hepburn is the portrait of a woman who did not see herself the way the world saw her. She truly was a warrior who spent her whole life putting others before herself. Matzen may not have ever met Audrey Hepburn, but through his research and the relationships he developed with people who did know her, there is no doubt he now has a very special relationship with Audrey Hepburn, and he makes the reader believe that he was right beside her every step of the way, fighting for the world’s children. His imagery is so vivid that one forgets the author was not actually there. Matzen shows the world Audrey’s passion. He shows the readers the world through Audrey’s eyes.
Aside from raising Sean and Luca, Audrey Hepburn was more passionate about saving the innocent children of the world than anything else. Everything she did was for the children. When asked by a reporter if her role at UNICEF was the most rewarding, she replied, “I’m not playing a role. Roles are imaginary and fantasy. There’s no fantasy to this. It’s tough heartbreaking reality.”
Yes, Audrey Hepburn represented beauty and elegance and grace. More importantly, Audrey Hepburn represented hope – hope to a world in which no one should be forced to live. Robert Matzen takes his readers to that world.
October 23, 2021
After thoroughly enjoying Dutch Girl, my expectations were perhaps too high. This novel is about Audrey Hepburn's life after her acting career ended and she became heavily involved with UNICEF. Her commitment to raising awareness for children around the world in deplorable conditions was absolutely admirable. The narrator did a nice job.
August 23, 2021
This is a MUST read. Audrey Hepburn was a star but first she was a children’s advocate. She was shy until she was fundraising for UNICEF where she was a goodwill ambassador and then would raise $2M in one day to feed, educate and clothe the war torn children. Audrey was a humanitarian and loved children with all her heart.
Thank you NetGalley and GoodKnight books for an ARC. I learned something and am amazed at the devotedness Ms Hepburn had for those mothers and children that lacked the basics and her willingness to fight however she could to bring these basics to them. Her war was famine and not men.
Thank you NetGalley and GoodKnight books for an ARC. I learned something and am amazed at the devotedness Ms Hepburn had for those mothers and children that lacked the basics and her willingness to fight however she could to bring these basics to them. Her war was famine and not men.
August 14, 2021
Prior to reading this book, the most I knew about Audrey Hepburn was that she was a famous actress of her time. What a privilege it has been to read this book and learn about this sophisticated, fascinating, selfless, warrior who spent so much time bringing awareness to and for UNICEF. This was an inspirational autobiography that left me in awe of this amazing person. I would highly recommend this book. Thank you for the ARC of this book. #warrioraudreyhepburn #NetGalley #GoodKnightBooks
June 25, 2021
Bravery comes in many forms.
The thing that had me mentally speechless was that one of the places that she visited on behalf of UNICEF and that really made a distinct change in her was Tigray. Yes, THAT Tigray. The one where children and their families are in peril right now in 2021.
The book recaps her early life in The Netherlands during the German occupation, the year of starvation, and the rescue/liberation by Canadian forces. It then progresses through the Hollywood years, husbands, and the importance of her children.
Then comes the retirement from film making, her introduction to UNICEF, her devotion to the work, her extensive trips into the field under harsh conditions, and the countless speaking engagements and fundraisers (even after invasive cancer made itself known). It highlights the individuals who gave her the kind of support she needed as well as the toll it all took on her mind and body. There are the honest side rants regarding faulty government leaders of the suffering countries as well as the moneyed ones. The author has an excellent relationship with her son, Luca, and he has contributed to the book.
Impressive woman and impressive book. I will be buying a copy when available.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from GoodKnight Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
It is worth the full retail price., but I'll be getting audio.
The thing that had me mentally speechless was that one of the places that she visited on behalf of UNICEF and that really made a distinct change in her was Tigray. Yes, THAT Tigray. The one where children and their families are in peril right now in 2021.
The book recaps her early life in The Netherlands during the German occupation, the year of starvation, and the rescue/liberation by Canadian forces. It then progresses through the Hollywood years, husbands, and the importance of her children.
Then comes the retirement from film making, her introduction to UNICEF, her devotion to the work, her extensive trips into the field under harsh conditions, and the countless speaking engagements and fundraisers (even after invasive cancer made itself known). It highlights the individuals who gave her the kind of support she needed as well as the toll it all took on her mind and body. There are the honest side rants regarding faulty government leaders of the suffering countries as well as the moneyed ones. The author has an excellent relationship with her son, Luca, and he has contributed to the book.
Impressive woman and impressive book. I will be buying a copy when available.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from GoodKnight Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
It is worth the full retail price., but I'll be getting audio.
April 29, 2022
I am a big Audrey Hepburn fan and have already read several biographies on the Hollywood star; so I was intrigued by this release by Matzen and its main focus upon her experiences of war and her charity work.
I enjoyed it a lot because the book centers on her efforts to help people and use her platform and fame for a greater purpose; some information of which was new to me. Although the extreme level of detail could definitely slow the pace for those who aren’t such a fan of Hepburn. In general I liked the writing style of this biography but at times certain biases came through, rather than simply chronicling her achievements within UNICEF and other charitable works. A biased tone at times comes through just because Matzen should have an opinion on her motives or actions. This could unconsciously steer a reader to taking it as fact, which I find to be a potential problem in so many biographies, although this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
I appreciate this book because it helps to highlight a lot of the incredible work Hepburn did away from the cameras and glitz of Hollywood. It shows the qualities and the strength of an icon that was a world away from Givenchy and film sets.
I enjoyed it a lot because the book centers on her efforts to help people and use her platform and fame for a greater purpose; some information of which was new to me. Although the extreme level of detail could definitely slow the pace for those who aren’t such a fan of Hepburn. In general I liked the writing style of this biography but at times certain biases came through, rather than simply chronicling her achievements within UNICEF and other charitable works. A biased tone at times comes through just because Matzen should have an opinion on her motives or actions. This could unconsciously steer a reader to taking it as fact, which I find to be a potential problem in so many biographies, although this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
I appreciate this book because it helps to highlight a lot of the incredible work Hepburn did away from the cameras and glitz of Hollywood. It shows the qualities and the strength of an icon that was a world away from Givenchy and film sets.
July 26, 2021
This was an incredibly in-depth exploration into the later life of Audrey Hepburn; in particular, her many important and influential experiences working as goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.
Having very little knowledge of Hepburn, I went into this fairly blind, and was humbled by her wealth of experiences. Especially strange to read about was the extremity of the contrasts in her life; caring for sick and dying children whilst campaigning one moment, and in Hollywood the next. I was also blown away by the parallels drawn between the experiences of Hepburn and Anne Frank; growing up the same age in the Netherlands and experiencing the horror of the Nazis in such different ways. What an incredibly fulfilling and interesting life Hepburn led, and what an inspiration she was.
I must admit, however, that I did find it to be a touch repetitive, and - dare I admit it - a bit too much information. It was a bit of an overwhelming read. I understand, appreciate and admire the level of research and detail provided in this book, but personally I hate to admit that it didn’t make for the most riveting reading experience. I found myself skipping through large sections, especially in the second half.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who wants a rigorous account of Hepburn’s UNICEF years.
Having very little knowledge of Hepburn, I went into this fairly blind, and was humbled by her wealth of experiences. Especially strange to read about was the extremity of the contrasts in her life; caring for sick and dying children whilst campaigning one moment, and in Hollywood the next. I was also blown away by the parallels drawn between the experiences of Hepburn and Anne Frank; growing up the same age in the Netherlands and experiencing the horror of the Nazis in such different ways. What an incredibly fulfilling and interesting life Hepburn led, and what an inspiration she was.
I must admit, however, that I did find it to be a touch repetitive, and - dare I admit it - a bit too much information. It was a bit of an overwhelming read. I understand, appreciate and admire the level of research and detail provided in this book, but personally I hate to admit that it didn’t make for the most riveting reading experience. I found myself skipping through large sections, especially in the second half.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who wants a rigorous account of Hepburn’s UNICEF years.
September 28, 2021
This book is hagiography. It lauds Audrey Hepburn, one of the most prominent American Hollywood actors of the 1950s and 1960s. The book is authored by a man who wrote *Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II* and is close to Luca Dotti, one of Hepburn's sons.
If hagiography would be all that there is to this book, it would be junk.
Thankfully, this book is more than applause and apotheosis.
Audrey Hepburn was humanitarian and helped people who weren't as fortunate as she was. She made more of a career as an UNICEF ambassador than an actress; she went a very long way to help people who lived in appalling conditions. There is no doubt in my mind that she tried to better these conditions in many ways, which are on display in this book.
This book lifts a shroud off Hepburn's persona as constructed by magazines.
There are some bizarre omissions throughout the book. For example, there is mention of Hepburn's support for Live Aid, but nothing said about how proceeds from that gala were emptied by the Ethiopian government to buy arms, something which Bob Geldof was warned about but ignored.
Some very personal details are included:
It is also clear that Hepburn did her best to try and help people who desperately needed help.
She used her name and fame to get money for poor people, which should always grace her name:
I wonder what Hepburn herself would say if she were today interviewed about her life. I doubt she would direct most of the conversation to be about herself, which is why I'm glad this book exists. It shows that anybody can help out, no matter to what extent. On the other hand, the book is garnished with namedroppings that we could do without.
This book suffers a bit from being fragmented. It's written in an old-school style of writing: paragraphs are quite standalone and some people are portrayed as fairly two-dimensional. Still, on the whole, it's interesting to read about Hepburn's selfishness and good heart.
If hagiography would be all that there is to this book, it would be junk.
Thankfully, this book is more than applause and apotheosis.
She had heard that one of the children was asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “Alive” was the response. Audrey could see a nightmare in the making not just for Ecuador but for the world, and it rattled her. They were growing up wild, these children of the streets, with no education, no moral compass, and total susceptibility to all the evils of the world. By adulthood, those who survived would be monsters without conscience. That realization crystallized UNICEF’s street-children mission in her mind.
Audrey Hepburn was humanitarian and helped people who weren't as fortunate as she was. She made more of a career as an UNICEF ambassador than an actress; she went a very long way to help people who lived in appalling conditions. There is no doubt in my mind that she tried to better these conditions in many ways, which are on display in this book.
“My mother didn’t take herself seriously,” said Sean. “She used to say, ‘I take what I do seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously.’”
This book lifts a shroud off Hepburn's persona as constructed by magazines.
When she was five both her parents embraced Germany’s savior Adolf Hitler, tucked their daughter in the Netherlands with family, and traveled to Munich to meet the Führer. Soon Audrey’s father separated from Dutch Baroness Ella van Heemstra, Audrey’s mother, to work for the growing German empire. Her mother retained pro-Nazi ties for another eight years, all of which became a set of secrets locked in Audrey’s soul for a lifetime.
There are some bizarre omissions throughout the book. For example, there is mention of Hepburn's support for Live Aid, but nothing said about how proceeds from that gala were emptied by the Ethiopian government to buy arms, something which Bob Geldof was warned about but ignored.
Some very personal details are included:
February 1980. Eight years before the Ethiopia trip, Audrey had secluded herself at 615 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills during what she called “the worst period of my life.” Divorce proceedings with Dotti were dragging on and when final, she would find herself a signed and sealed two-time loser. So much for chasing love. Her most recent attempt at following her heart had been a crush on actor Ben Gazzara, with whom she worked on the features Bloodline and They All Laughed. But the infatuation went nowhere and she ended They All Laughed feeling lonelier than ever.
It is also clear that Hepburn did her best to try and help people who desperately needed help.
“Many times, people would ask for an interview about UNICEF when they really just wanted to talk about movies,” said Christa Roth. “She would talk an hour about, say, Ethiopia and five minutes about films, but the story would be ten percent UNICEF and ninety percent movies. It bothered her a lot. So we started to restrict the interviews to publications that gave her solid footage. It worked out quite well. She got a lot of coverage.”
She used her name and fame to get money for poor people, which should always grace her name:
This audience had purchased tickets in the range of $25 to $75 each. Hundreds of donors had paid $250 to $500 to rub shoulders with Audrey and one another at the pre-event cocktail hour. Tonight’s gate for UNICEF would total north of $350,000.
I wonder what Hepburn herself would say if she were today interviewed about her life. I doubt she would direct most of the conversation to be about herself, which is why I'm glad this book exists. It shows that anybody can help out, no matter to what extent. On the other hand, the book is garnished with namedroppings that we could do without.
This book suffers a bit from being fragmented. It's written in an old-school style of writing: paragraphs are quite standalone and some people are portrayed as fairly two-dimensional. Still, on the whole, it's interesting to read about Hepburn's selfishness and good heart.
October 1, 2021
Robert Matzen's inspiring biography WARRIOR: AUDREY HEPBURN focuses on the last six years of the actress's life--the years she devoted to her work as a tireless advocate for children's rights as Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF (United Nations Children's Emergency Fund). Warrior begins nearly a decade after Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) retired from filmmaking to raise her two sons in Switzerland. In 1987, she hosted a benefit for UNICEF in Macau and found a calling more satisfying: saving lives. "UNICEF expected that Audrey Hepburn would be a pretty princess for them at galas," said her younger son, Luca Dotti. "But what they really got was a badass soldier."
Matzen's previous book, DUTCH GIRL: AUDREY HEPBURN AND WORLD WAR II, chronicled the Belgium-born actress's harrowing and heroic experiences during the five years of Nazi occupation. He backtracks briefly to show that her connection with UNICEF began decades earlier than her ambassadorship. "UNICEF saved me as a child," Hepburn said. "To save a child is a blessing. To save one million is a God-given opportunity." She testified before Congress, and spearheaded projects to provide drinking water in Guatemala and Honduras, literacy programs in El Salvador, schools in Bangladesh and camps for displaced Sudanese children.
Matzen's highly detailed and compelling chronicle of Hepburn's steely determination to awaken global awareness and save children around the world is a thrilling and motivating read. It's an important piece of Hepburn's legacy and, happily, it is finally getting the attention it deserves.
WARRIOR is a stirring tribute to a tireless humanitarian and an inspiration for future activists. An inspiring and important chronicle of the final six years of Hepburn's life, when she tirelessly circled the globe as a humanitarian advocate for UNICEF.
Matzen's previous book, DUTCH GIRL: AUDREY HEPBURN AND WORLD WAR II, chronicled the Belgium-born actress's harrowing and heroic experiences during the five years of Nazi occupation. He backtracks briefly to show that her connection with UNICEF began decades earlier than her ambassadorship. "UNICEF saved me as a child," Hepburn said. "To save a child is a blessing. To save one million is a God-given opportunity." She testified before Congress, and spearheaded projects to provide drinking water in Guatemala and Honduras, literacy programs in El Salvador, schools in Bangladesh and camps for displaced Sudanese children.
Matzen's highly detailed and compelling chronicle of Hepburn's steely determination to awaken global awareness and save children around the world is a thrilling and motivating read. It's an important piece of Hepburn's legacy and, happily, it is finally getting the attention it deserves.
WARRIOR is a stirring tribute to a tireless humanitarian and an inspiration for future activists. An inspiring and important chronicle of the final six years of Hepburn's life, when she tirelessly circled the globe as a humanitarian advocate for UNICEF.
December 13, 2022
I've always thought it unfair that Audrey Hepburn is mostly remembered for being extremely pretty in films when the work she did as a UNICEF ambassador changed and saved lives. Having all she went through to ensure that people didn't just sweep children's suffering under the rug and pretended it wasn't happening simply because it was in impoverished countries has been inspiring. But I never really knew the whole story of everything she did, experienced, and sacrificed to achieve what she did.
This book is both fantastic and heartbreaking. The beautiful, honest writing by Matzen is both the reason I admire it and that it took me 6 months to read it. It is a no-holds-barred retelling of the highs and lows of each campaign and all the work Hepburn and the people at UNICEF did. It paints a vivid picture of entire communities decimated by war and famine. It is both the good and hope in people doing their best to bring aid and the horrors of that aid not being enough or getting there in time. And through it all, a slight wisp of a woman with more will and determination than an entire battalion walking into Hell in hopes of being able to give those suffering a voice.
It is not an easy read. I continually had to walk away from it just from how well Matzen places the reader right next to Hepburn as she walks through starving villages and war-torn cities. It hits hard and keeps on hitting even when the chapters are about things that happened in Hepburn's life outside of her work for UNICEF.
Even with that, I very highly recommend giving this one a read to see what true strength of character is and how one person lending their voice to a cause can change the world.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and GoodKnight Books for the eye-opening read!
This book is both fantastic and heartbreaking. The beautiful, honest writing by Matzen is both the reason I admire it and that it took me 6 months to read it. It is a no-holds-barred retelling of the highs and lows of each campaign and all the work Hepburn and the people at UNICEF did. It paints a vivid picture of entire communities decimated by war and famine. It is both the good and hope in people doing their best to bring aid and the horrors of that aid not being enough or getting there in time. And through it all, a slight wisp of a woman with more will and determination than an entire battalion walking into Hell in hopes of being able to give those suffering a voice.
It is not an easy read. I continually had to walk away from it just from how well Matzen places the reader right next to Hepburn as she walks through starving villages and war-torn cities. It hits hard and keeps on hitting even when the chapters are about things that happened in Hepburn's life outside of her work for UNICEF.
Even with that, I very highly recommend giving this one a read to see what true strength of character is and how one person lending their voice to a cause can change the world.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and GoodKnight Books for the eye-opening read!
July 27, 2021
Warrior shines a spotlight on a little explored time in the life of one of cinema's most beloved stars. Like most from my generation, I first knew Audrey Hepburn as a classic film star and fashion icon. After watching her movies I was mesmerized, though nothing comes close in my admiration for her than the fact she spent the last years of her life advocating for children as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Many biographies and magazine specials brush over this time so I was overjoyed to see that Robert Matzen was focusing on this era in his new biography Warrior..
This was an an incredible read. Both riveting and heartbreaking, it's an illuminating look at Audrey Hepburn's relationship with UNICEF and her dedication to children. I loved that though it told the story of Audrey it explored stories (hers and others) to really set the stage for each chapter. The context helped provide insight and amplified the stakes of many situations. Highlighting her empathy and hope for a better a world for all children it serves quite the informative punch. I'm in awe of how she was able to go on missions and see such suffering and still insist on continuing on.
If you've ever enjoyed an Audrey Hepburn film or adored her fashion I really do hope you pick up this biography. She really had a huge heart and used her fame to champion children, going into war-torn areas to do so, when many would have been content to stay happily retired or do a gala or two. Her legacy deserves so much more than her looks. This really illustrates how dedicated to the hope of a peaceful and a just world she was, and is no doubt what she'd like to be remembered for. The next time someone looks at a trendy Audrey Hepburn poster I hope they see not a fashion icon but inspiration to help those in need and change the world. The legacy she deserves.
Thank you to Netgalley for the digital copy to review.
This was an an incredible read. Both riveting and heartbreaking, it's an illuminating look at Audrey Hepburn's relationship with UNICEF and her dedication to children. I loved that though it told the story of Audrey it explored stories (hers and others) to really set the stage for each chapter. The context helped provide insight and amplified the stakes of many situations. Highlighting her empathy and hope for a better a world for all children it serves quite the informative punch. I'm in awe of how she was able to go on missions and see such suffering and still insist on continuing on.
If you've ever enjoyed an Audrey Hepburn film or adored her fashion I really do hope you pick up this biography. She really had a huge heart and used her fame to champion children, going into war-torn areas to do so, when many would have been content to stay happily retired or do a gala or two. Her legacy deserves so much more than her looks. This really illustrates how dedicated to the hope of a peaceful and a just world she was, and is no doubt what she'd like to be remembered for. The next time someone looks at a trendy Audrey Hepburn poster I hope they see not a fashion icon but inspiration to help those in need and change the world. The legacy she deserves.
Thank you to Netgalley for the digital copy to review.
January 27, 2022
When I think of Audrey Hepburn I think of her beauty, grace, and being a Hollywood movie icon. I don’t think of the word Warrior.
Robert Matzen writer of Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II (2019). Has once again surprised me with information that I had no clue on about Hepburn. Warrior takes you all around the world with an inside look at her humanity work with UNICEF.
Hepburn wasn’t just a famous name to pair with UNICEF to use to raise money at fancy gala. She actually went to on the missions to third world countries to not only see “the hell” these people were living in but to actually dig in and help with the aid. She went into war zones, refugee camps, and went head to head with world leaders. Hepburn’s main focus was always to help and save the children and mothers from these horrific conditions.
I received this book from the publisher for an honest review in turn. I got about a chapter or two into Warrior and I was so blown away with Matzens description and detail in his research. I just placed this book down and went out and purchased his bestseller Dutch Girl. I wanted to know more about Hepburn and her backstory. When reading Warrior you don’t actually need to have read Dutch Girl but I’m glad that these books came into my life.
If you’re a fan or not of Hepburn do yourself a favour and dive into Matzen books. Another treat about the Warrior was that her son Luca Dotti has written the forward.
April 10, 2024
I've always been a fan of Audrey Hepburn and this book did not disappoint. When I first read Robert Matzen’s first book about Audrey's life before frame "Dutch Girl" I automatically fell in love with his writing. I could tell within each chapter that he carefully did his research about her lifestyle and wrote it in a way as an act of respect for her family and sons. Learning about her work with UNICEF was fascinating because even when she was at her worst physically with her health, she continued to fight and advocate for children who similar to her when she grew up during the war that needed resources to survive. I think Audrey would be proud of how far UNICEF has developed over the years and how much success they have had in helping children, teens, and families around the world who are in need. If Robert writes another book about her, it will definitely get put on my want to read list because his books are very entertaining and interesting to read.
July 15, 2021
There aren’t many of us of a certain age who aren’t fans of Audrey Hepburn. Her grace, style and story of overcoming is admirable over and above her acting skill. While this book highlights her commitment to her work with UNICEF (with frequent side mentions of her fondness for Kent cigarettes) there was a little too much repeat detail. I confess to skimming to the end, disappointing.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC
March 24, 2022
Audrey Hepburn to legenda kina. Grała między innymi w takich filmach jak: „Sabrina”, „Śniadanie u Tiffany’ego” i „My Fair Lady”.
Autor Robert Matzen w obszerny sposób przedstawił sylwetkę Audrey. Przede wszystkim poznajemy ją z dobroczynności. Czy wiedzieliście, że po odejściu od kina zajęła się pracą na rzecz UNICEF-u? Kto na nią wpłynął? Jak to wszystko się zaczęło – dowiecie się czytając.
Audrey Hepburn w swoim życiu przeżyła mnóstwo tragicznych sytuacji. Żyła w hitlerowskiej okupacji. Przeżyła śmierć członków swojej rodziny oraz innych ludzi. Podczas wojny doświadczyła wielkiego głodu. Ledwo uszła z życiem. To ją głęboko dotknęło i doświadczyło na resztę życia.
Czy wiedzieliście, że nasza bohaterka brała czynny udział w holenderskim ruchu oporu? Też tego nie wiedziałam. Dzięki tej biografii poznałam mnóstwo ciekawostek dotyczących jednej z najsłynniejszych aktorek minionego wieku.
Bardzo przeżywała cierpienia głodujących dzieci. Prawdopodobnie dlatego, że sama tego doświadczyła.
„(…) Stała się głosem tych, którzy głosu nie mieli. (…)”
W działalność dobroczynną wkładała 3000% siebie. Na moje to za dużo. Takie mocne angażowanie daje poza pozytywnymi efektami również negatywne. O tych efektach również poczytacie w książce.
Jeździła z UNICEF-em po całym świecie – prosząc o pieniądze na głodujących ludzi z trzeciego świata. Oprócz tego wyjeżdżała z nimi na misje. Na własne oczy widziała, jak umierają niewinni ludzie i niestety dzieci. Szczepiła i karmiła najmłodszych. Po czasie nie bała się przytulać chore dzieci. Z każdej takiej wyprawy wracała załamana. Serce jej pękało. Chciała jak najwięcej zrobić, żeby nie było głodu na świecie. Czy osiągnęła swój cel? Jaką cenę zapłaciła za swoje zaangażowanie?
Na początku książki znajdziecie piękne słowa o Audrey Hepburn wypowiedziane przez jej młodszego syna Luca Dottiego podczas rozmowy z autorem:
„(…) UNICEF spodziewał się, że Audrey Hepburn będzie elegancką księżniczką na ich galach. W rzeczywistości dostali twardzielkę. (…)”
Później znajdziecie kilka słów wstępu od samego autora. Dalej otrzymacie cudowną biografię niezwykłej wojowniczki. Poznacie jej rodzinę, przyjaciół oraz jej nową życiową pasję.
Dowiecie się również jakie wydarzenie sprawiło, że zaczęła pracę dla UNICEF-u i stała się ich ambasadorką. Czy ludzie kochali Audrey? Zdania są podzielone.
Zachęcam do przeczytania najnowszego dzieła Roberta Matzena.
Wyjazdy na misję oraz ciężka praca, żeby pozyskać fundusze dla UNICEF-u potrafią wykończyć człowieka zarówno fizycznie jak i psychicznie. Ciężko się patrzy na umierające dzieci wiedząc, że nie jesteśmy im w stanie pomóc. Pomyślcie czy dla was kolor skóry ma znaczenie? Dla naszej wojowniczki to nie miało znaczenia.
Audrey Hepburn została ambasadorką dobrej woli UNICEF-u. Pracowała do końca swojego życia. Zmarła 20 stycznia 1993 roku w Tolochenaz.
Książka jest warta przeczytania. W tej biografii znajdziecie przepiękne fotografie i liczne wspomnienia dotyczące naszej bohaterki. Nie czyta się jej jednym tchem. Trzeba się delektować każdym jej słowem. Jestem zadowolona z tej lektury.
Autor Robert Matzen w obszerny sposób przedstawił sylwetkę Audrey. Przede wszystkim poznajemy ją z dobroczynności. Czy wiedzieliście, że po odejściu od kina zajęła się pracą na rzecz UNICEF-u? Kto na nią wpłynął? Jak to wszystko się zaczęło – dowiecie się czytając.
Audrey Hepburn w swoim życiu przeżyła mnóstwo tragicznych sytuacji. Żyła w hitlerowskiej okupacji. Przeżyła śmierć członków swojej rodziny oraz innych ludzi. Podczas wojny doświadczyła wielkiego głodu. Ledwo uszła z życiem. To ją głęboko dotknęło i doświadczyło na resztę życia.
Czy wiedzieliście, że nasza bohaterka brała czynny udział w holenderskim ruchu oporu? Też tego nie wiedziałam. Dzięki tej biografii poznałam mnóstwo ciekawostek dotyczących jednej z najsłynniejszych aktorek minionego wieku.
Bardzo przeżywała cierpienia głodujących dzieci. Prawdopodobnie dlatego, że sama tego doświadczyła.
„(…) Stała się głosem tych, którzy głosu nie mieli. (…)”
W działalność dobroczynną wkładała 3000% siebie. Na moje to za dużo. Takie mocne angażowanie daje poza pozytywnymi efektami również negatywne. O tych efektach również poczytacie w książce.
Jeździła z UNICEF-em po całym świecie – prosząc o pieniądze na głodujących ludzi z trzeciego świata. Oprócz tego wyjeżdżała z nimi na misje. Na własne oczy widziała, jak umierają niewinni ludzie i niestety dzieci. Szczepiła i karmiła najmłodszych. Po czasie nie bała się przytulać chore dzieci. Z każdej takiej wyprawy wracała załamana. Serce jej pękało. Chciała jak najwięcej zrobić, żeby nie było głodu na świecie. Czy osiągnęła swój cel? Jaką cenę zapłaciła za swoje zaangażowanie?
Na początku książki znajdziecie piękne słowa o Audrey Hepburn wypowiedziane przez jej młodszego syna Luca Dottiego podczas rozmowy z autorem:
„(…) UNICEF spodziewał się, że Audrey Hepburn będzie elegancką księżniczką na ich galach. W rzeczywistości dostali twardzielkę. (…)”
Później znajdziecie kilka słów wstępu od samego autora. Dalej otrzymacie cudowną biografię niezwykłej wojowniczki. Poznacie jej rodzinę, przyjaciół oraz jej nową życiową pasję.
Dowiecie się również jakie wydarzenie sprawiło, że zaczęła pracę dla UNICEF-u i stała się ich ambasadorką. Czy ludzie kochali Audrey? Zdania są podzielone.
Zachęcam do przeczytania najnowszego dzieła Roberta Matzena.
Wyjazdy na misję oraz ciężka praca, żeby pozyskać fundusze dla UNICEF-u potrafią wykończyć człowieka zarówno fizycznie jak i psychicznie. Ciężko się patrzy na umierające dzieci wiedząc, że nie jesteśmy im w stanie pomóc. Pomyślcie czy dla was kolor skóry ma znaczenie? Dla naszej wojowniczki to nie miało znaczenia.
Audrey Hepburn została ambasadorką dobrej woli UNICEF-u. Pracowała do końca swojego życia. Zmarła 20 stycznia 1993 roku w Tolochenaz.
Książka jest warta przeczytania. W tej biografii znajdziecie przepiękne fotografie i liczne wspomnienia dotyczące naszej bohaterki. Nie czyta się jej jednym tchem. Trzeba się delektować każdym jej słowem. Jestem zadowolona z tej lektury.
September 25, 2023
As most of my friends can attest (and anyone who's ever visited my apartment), I've am very much in love with Audrey Hepburn. I've been in love with her ever since I first saw Breakfast at Tiffany's in tenth grade. I've watched her entire filmography, most of the movies more than once, and she's about the only celebrity that I would ever willingly read biographies of (she is my one exception to my 'I don't care about celebrities and I have some pretty serious concerns about celebrity worship and our culture's obsession with them).
Earlier this year, this book and Robert Matzen's other biography on Audrey Hepburn, Dutch Girl, went on sale on Chirp Audiobooks, and so of course I snatched them both up. I read Dutch Girl -- a book detailing Audrey's teen years in World War II and in Nazi occupied Holland, which delved a little into the efforts the teenager made with the resistance there -- and was pretty excited to read about this book. Warrior had the same audiobook narrator as Dutch Girl, and Tavia Gilbert once again knocked it out of the park with her excellent narration.
It relays a lot of the information that was present in Dutch Girl, but I don't think this is a failing. Matzen drew a very clear path between the horror Audrey went through in the war, including famine, and how it shaped her dedication to helping other children who were suffering through famine and war in her later years.
This book chronicles the final years of her life working for UNICEF - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund - and as part of that work, she toured poverty and war torn countries, doing what she could to raise awareness and raise money for these children. She did it in an entirely selfless way; it has been said by those closest to her that her tireless work with UNICEF is ultimately what led to her death at the age of 63.
There's certainly more material to work with in Audrey's final years, but even still Matzen delves deeply into only tangentially related topics -- including Bob Geldof and the Band-Aid/Live Aid event (which I was disappointed was not examined more critically) -- in the same way he did in Dutch Girl, but, like Dutch Girl, I appreciated many of them for giving a more robust picture of what was happening at the time.
While the book did, in fact, touch quite a bit on how Western Imperialism and European Colonialism is the driving factor between many of the conditions in developing countries, though not with any real depth, I was a little disappointed that it didn't go into what effects Audrey Hepburn and UNICEF had in the countries they visited. I do, however, recognize that that topic is well beyond of the scope of the book, which is, at it's core, a biography written on the final years of Audrey Hepburn's life.
This book was excellent though. Very listenable, and only served to raise Audrey Hepburn even higher in my esteem.
Earlier this year, this book and Robert Matzen's other biography on Audrey Hepburn, Dutch Girl, went on sale on Chirp Audiobooks, and so of course I snatched them both up. I read Dutch Girl -- a book detailing Audrey's teen years in World War II and in Nazi occupied Holland, which delved a little into the efforts the teenager made with the resistance there -- and was pretty excited to read about this book. Warrior had the same audiobook narrator as Dutch Girl, and Tavia Gilbert once again knocked it out of the park with her excellent narration.
It relays a lot of the information that was present in Dutch Girl, but I don't think this is a failing. Matzen drew a very clear path between the horror Audrey went through in the war, including famine, and how it shaped her dedication to helping other children who were suffering through famine and war in her later years.
This book chronicles the final years of her life working for UNICEF - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund - and as part of that work, she toured poverty and war torn countries, doing what she could to raise awareness and raise money for these children. She did it in an entirely selfless way; it has been said by those closest to her that her tireless work with UNICEF is ultimately what led to her death at the age of 63.
There's certainly more material to work with in Audrey's final years, but even still Matzen delves deeply into only tangentially related topics -- including Bob Geldof and the Band-Aid/Live Aid event (which I was disappointed was not examined more critically) -- in the same way he did in Dutch Girl, but, like Dutch Girl, I appreciated many of them for giving a more robust picture of what was happening at the time.
While the book did, in fact, touch quite a bit on how Western Imperialism and European Colonialism is the driving factor between many of the conditions in developing countries, though not with any real depth, I was a little disappointed that it didn't go into what effects Audrey Hepburn and UNICEF had in the countries they visited. I do, however, recognize that that topic is well beyond of the scope of the book, which is, at it's core, a biography written on the final years of Audrey Hepburn's life.
This book was excellent though. Very listenable, and only served to raise Audrey Hepburn even higher in my esteem.
October 14, 2023
Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) remains an icon for movie fans in Japan and around the world, despite having passed away 30 years ago in 1993. She spent six years as a UNICEF ambassador from 1988 to support children in conflict zones, as well as impoverished regions, in Asia, Central America, Africa, and brought their suffering and needs to the world's attention.
Author Robert Matzen thoroughly interviewed Audrey's close relatives, including her two sons, and UNICEF personnel who traveled the world with her. He documented Audrey's footsteps in her later years in this book.
In 1989, during her visit to Sudan, she was asked to leave the country as the ceasefire agreement was at risk of being broken. However, after leaving the country, she traveled back through neighboring Kenya to the southern region in Sudan occupied by the opposition to the government. On the plane during her journey, she was given a bulletproof vest, not to wear but to sit on. The reason behind this was the anticipation of receiving anti-aircraft fire from the ground during the flight.
An episode where Audrey declined an offer to play the lead role in the film "The Diary of Anne Frank" is well-known. I've heard it many times, but according to this book, the offer came not only from the director but also from Otto Frank, Anne’s father. I also learned that after becoming a UNICEF ambassador, Audrey planned an Anne Frank Diary reading concert. The episode of Audrey taking on the role of conveying Anne's prayers for peace across the decades is moving.
During her visit to war-torn Somalia, she was already battling cancer, and it's not hard to imagine that her mission as a UNICEF ambassador might have shortened her life. I deeply respect the unwavering determination of the Hollywood actress who, even at the cost of her life, extended a helping hand to children worldwide.
In 2023, the conflict in Ukraine caused by Russia's invasion has no end in sight, and at the same time, the exchange of hostilities between Palestine and Israel has reignited. We must once again focus on the situation where children become the biggest victims behind the scenes of conflicts started by adults. To do so, we should seriously receive Audrey's message, which she continued to convey through this book.
The author, Robert Matzen, previously wrote a biography called "Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II," which details Audrey's difficult childhood experiences during the war. I also want to read that book.
.
Author Robert Matzen thoroughly interviewed Audrey's close relatives, including her two sons, and UNICEF personnel who traveled the world with her. He documented Audrey's footsteps in her later years in this book.
In 1989, during her visit to Sudan, she was asked to leave the country as the ceasefire agreement was at risk of being broken. However, after leaving the country, she traveled back through neighboring Kenya to the southern region in Sudan occupied by the opposition to the government. On the plane during her journey, she was given a bulletproof vest, not to wear but to sit on. The reason behind this was the anticipation of receiving anti-aircraft fire from the ground during the flight.
An episode where Audrey declined an offer to play the lead role in the film "The Diary of Anne Frank" is well-known. I've heard it many times, but according to this book, the offer came not only from the director but also from Otto Frank, Anne’s father. I also learned that after becoming a UNICEF ambassador, Audrey planned an Anne Frank Diary reading concert. The episode of Audrey taking on the role of conveying Anne's prayers for peace across the decades is moving.
During her visit to war-torn Somalia, she was already battling cancer, and it's not hard to imagine that her mission as a UNICEF ambassador might have shortened her life. I deeply respect the unwavering determination of the Hollywood actress who, even at the cost of her life, extended a helping hand to children worldwide.
In 2023, the conflict in Ukraine caused by Russia's invasion has no end in sight, and at the same time, the exchange of hostilities between Palestine and Israel has reignited. We must once again focus on the situation where children become the biggest victims behind the scenes of conflicts started by adults. To do so, we should seriously receive Audrey's message, which she continued to convey through this book.
The author, Robert Matzen, previously wrote a biography called "Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II," which details Audrey's difficult childhood experiences during the war. I also want to read that book.
.
August 29, 2021
💫𝗪𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐩𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 💫
𝘉𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘻𝘦𝘯, 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘋𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳: 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘒𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 (𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝟸𝟾.𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟷)
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘱𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘐𝘒𝘌𝘈 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘴; 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘱 𝘶𝘱, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵.
This book reminded me that there were and have been a lot of amazing women trailblazing from the past. When it wasn’t the spotlight as it is now. Women like Audrey Hepburn who at 58 had everything you think you could want: family, wealth and the ease of comfort and yet pushed it all aside to focus social issues that became extremely political and important to her.
“𝘜𝘕𝘐𝘊𝘌𝘍 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘱𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳”.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 the nonfiction (kind of memoir) 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝. The accounts of women that were humanitarians from our past. Audrey Hepburn fought for social justices for all children and mothers in war torn countries. She turned a spotlight on environmental issues. She championed refugees and
𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬. 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲. 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟: 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐦𝐛.
The Audrey Hepburn I thought I knew behind the glitz and glamour was not even close to the full or most important part that we should know about her. The history, the life, the experiences….blown away by all she accomplished. I will warn you that parts of her story are graphic like the scene she stumbled upon in 1992 in Somalia.
So would I recommend it? 💯 especially if you enjoy learning about our past… how far we have come and yet it seems as though not even close to far enough. As many of the same issues we are still fighting for right now.
Ps. I feel like I’ve highlighted so many of her quotes on my kindle. There was just so much to take in like this one, which I’ll leave at the end of the review.
“𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 ����𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦”.
𝘉𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘻𝘦𝘯, 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘋𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳: 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘒𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 (𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝟸𝟾.𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟷)
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘱𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘐𝘒𝘌𝘈 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘴; 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘱 𝘶𝘱, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵.
This book reminded me that there were and have been a lot of amazing women trailblazing from the past. When it wasn’t the spotlight as it is now. Women like Audrey Hepburn who at 58 had everything you think you could want: family, wealth and the ease of comfort and yet pushed it all aside to focus social issues that became extremely political and important to her.
“𝘜𝘕𝘐𝘊𝘌𝘍 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘱𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳”.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 the nonfiction (kind of memoir) 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝. The accounts of women that were humanitarians from our past. Audrey Hepburn fought for social justices for all children and mothers in war torn countries. She turned a spotlight on environmental issues. She championed refugees and
𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬. 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲. 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟: 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐦𝐛.
The Audrey Hepburn I thought I knew behind the glitz and glamour was not even close to the full or most important part that we should know about her. The history, the life, the experiences….blown away by all she accomplished. I will warn you that parts of her story are graphic like the scene she stumbled upon in 1992 in Somalia.
So would I recommend it? 💯 especially if you enjoy learning about our past… how far we have come and yet it seems as though not even close to far enough. As many of the same issues we are still fighting for right now.
Ps. I feel like I’ve highlighted so many of her quotes on my kindle. There was just so much to take in like this one, which I’ll leave at the end of the review.
“𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 ����𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦”.
August 11, 2021
5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: biographies, Audrey Hepburn, Dutch Girl, humanitarian work, UNICEF, Robert Matzen
Note: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I read Dutch Girl the other year and really enjoyed it, so I was happy to find (and receive) Warrior on NetGalley. I absolutely sped through this book, I loved it so much (it's also a good 100 pages shorter than the first one).
Once again, Matzen doesn't disappoint and goes into detail about Hepburn's desire to help the children and the scope of her humanitarian work for UNICEF. There are personal anecdotes from her life and the lives of those around her sprinkled throughout, but I think Matzen does it in such a way that it works well in the biography. I found that I enjoyed reading about adult Audrey and liked that Matzen kept more to the topic of her UNICEF work than he seemed to her Resistance work in Dutch Girl. I found it really interesting to read about how Hepburn prepared for her UNICEF trips and was fairly surprised about some of the places she visited. She really seemed to be dedicated to her humanitarian work and I think Matzen gets that across well.
Like with the first book, Matzen again pays due to Hepburn's relationships. She has this network of people around her that are able to help her with UNICEF and support her career decisions. I think showing these relationships also drives home just how empathetic and connected to other people she was during her life. The close relationships she has span the ages and obviously have an impact on her, which Matzen shoes. I also think Matzen did a good job showing the impacts of the shorter relationships she fostered in the countries she went to for UNICEF and how some of those moements and conversations stayed with her throughout her life.
Overall a pretty good book. It does a good job of showing Audrey's UNICEF work while also depicting how her career, family, and WWII all played a role in her life. Due to the timeline of things, Matzen does include some information about her film career as well as the end of her life, but I don't think those chapters detract from her UNICEF work.
Recommended for people who like: biographies, Audrey Hepburn, Dutch Girl, humanitarian work, UNICEF, Robert Matzen
Note: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I read Dutch Girl the other year and really enjoyed it, so I was happy to find (and receive) Warrior on NetGalley. I absolutely sped through this book, I loved it so much (it's also a good 100 pages shorter than the first one).
Once again, Matzen doesn't disappoint and goes into detail about Hepburn's desire to help the children and the scope of her humanitarian work for UNICEF. There are personal anecdotes from her life and the lives of those around her sprinkled throughout, but I think Matzen does it in such a way that it works well in the biography. I found that I enjoyed reading about adult Audrey and liked that Matzen kept more to the topic of her UNICEF work than he seemed to her Resistance work in Dutch Girl. I found it really interesting to read about how Hepburn prepared for her UNICEF trips and was fairly surprised about some of the places she visited. She really seemed to be dedicated to her humanitarian work and I think Matzen gets that across well.
Like with the first book, Matzen again pays due to Hepburn's relationships. She has this network of people around her that are able to help her with UNICEF and support her career decisions. I think showing these relationships also drives home just how empathetic and connected to other people she was during her life. The close relationships she has span the ages and obviously have an impact on her, which Matzen shoes. I also think Matzen did a good job showing the impacts of the shorter relationships she fostered in the countries she went to for UNICEF and how some of those moements and conversations stayed with her throughout her life.
Overall a pretty good book. It does a good job of showing Audrey's UNICEF work while also depicting how her career, family, and WWII all played a role in her life. Due to the timeline of things, Matzen does include some information about her film career as well as the end of her life, but I don't think those chapters detract from her UNICEF work.
August 6, 2021
An indepth look at the effects of war and poverty on children through the lens provided by Audrey Hepburn's work with UNICEF. The stories of starving children, lovingly lifted up to be momentarily cared for by a woman about whom they know nothing are almost never-ending. Matzen chronicles Hepburn's work with UNICEF from it's inception with just a couple o glamorous events to it's end, when Hepburn has sacrificed her health in her dedication to the world's starving children.
It's a side of Hepburn most people only know about, not in detail, and it begins with how living through an occupied Dutch town during WWII gave Hepburn a unique perspective as well as her perceived attitude of being a soldier in a battle. The battle was one she experienced during the war, that of starving at the hands of men who were battling to control her physical location. She was a child, caught up in the fight between Nazis and others, much as the children she was serving through UNICEF were caught up between warring factions whose focus was and is on power and possession, not on people, especially not the children.
To that end, it's not a happy book. There are some bits of relief when Hepburn dons a Givenchy gown to present something to a gala or a group of individuals, all in the hope of raising awareness of the children. There are some vignettes told of her travels which make it unique and interesting On the flip side, much of it is the constant tale of starvation, children not understanding, Hepburn entering, sharing some compassion, then leaving again, over and over. So much of it is the same story, just in a different location, it is easy to lose track of where you are in the reading.
This is a book well worth reading. The knowledge imparted is valuable, as well as the potential for Hepburn's work to continue as information is shared and spread..There may be times when the reader decides to skim pages, because of the repetitive nature of what they are reading. That shouldn't lessen the impact of the book's message.
My thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and Robert Matzan for this advanced copy for review. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
It's a side of Hepburn most people only know about, not in detail, and it begins with how living through an occupied Dutch town during WWII gave Hepburn a unique perspective as well as her perceived attitude of being a soldier in a battle. The battle was one she experienced during the war, that of starving at the hands of men who were battling to control her physical location. She was a child, caught up in the fight between Nazis and others, much as the children she was serving through UNICEF were caught up between warring factions whose focus was and is on power and possession, not on people, especially not the children.
To that end, it's not a happy book. There are some bits of relief when Hepburn dons a Givenchy gown to present something to a gala or a group of individuals, all in the hope of raising awareness of the children. There are some vignettes told of her travels which make it unique and interesting On the flip side, much of it is the constant tale of starvation, children not understanding, Hepburn entering, sharing some compassion, then leaving again, over and over. So much of it is the same story, just in a different location, it is easy to lose track of where you are in the reading.
This is a book well worth reading. The knowledge imparted is valuable, as well as the potential for Hepburn's work to continue as information is shared and spread..There may be times when the reader decides to skim pages, because of the repetitive nature of what they are reading. That shouldn't lessen the impact of the book's message.
My thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and Robert Matzan for this advanced copy for review. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
November 1, 2022
Robert Matzen, who wrote a biography of Audrey Hepburn's experiences during WWII is back with a biography of her twilight years when she was recruited by UNICEF to be their ambassador for children in need around the world. What UNICEF expected was a celebrity to show up and smile at galas asking people for money for needy children, what they got was a war and hunger survivor who went and loved on kids in the most desperate of places on earth so she could turn around and tell people firsthand about their needs.
I really enjoyed Matzen's first biography of Audrey during the war years, but this might be even better (though knowing what she went through during WWII helps make it more powerful, so read both). Audrey could have lived out her days in the comfort of her little haven in Switzerland picking and choosing what movie parts were worth coming out of retirement to do, but instead she chose to go to places like Ethiopia and Somalia and the hills of Vietnam in downright dangerous conditions that even other NGO workers were worried to enter. Audrey didn't like to use her name to get things, but when she realized she could use her name in high government places to help children who were starving and hurting she jumped in 110%. Few other celebrities could do what she did, because she approached these children from a place of understanding. She'd been the war survivor who didn't know where her next meal was coming from and had edema and anemia and other diseases because she didn't get enough nutrients during the Hunger Winter. She knew their suffering. And she loved on them selflessly. It's a beautiful story of a celebrity who used what she had and what she knew to help the most possible.
Notes on content: A few minor swears and 2 strong swears in quotes. No sexual content. War and famine and the effects it has on the land and people is explored in detail. The kids Audrey visited are described in detail, and mentions she saw people die right in front of her in Somalia. Audrey's death from cancer closes the book. Audrey picked up smoking after the war and smoked the rest of her life.
I really enjoyed Matzen's first biography of Audrey during the war years, but this might be even better (though knowing what she went through during WWII helps make it more powerful, so read both). Audrey could have lived out her days in the comfort of her little haven in Switzerland picking and choosing what movie parts were worth coming out of retirement to do, but instead she chose to go to places like Ethiopia and Somalia and the hills of Vietnam in downright dangerous conditions that even other NGO workers were worried to enter. Audrey didn't like to use her name to get things, but when she realized she could use her name in high government places to help children who were starving and hurting she jumped in 110%. Few other celebrities could do what she did, because she approached these children from a place of understanding. She'd been the war survivor who didn't know where her next meal was coming from and had edema and anemia and other diseases because she didn't get enough nutrients during the Hunger Winter. She knew their suffering. And she loved on them selflessly. It's a beautiful story of a celebrity who used what she had and what she knew to help the most possible.
Notes on content: A few minor swears and 2 strong swears in quotes. No sexual content. War and famine and the effects it has on the land and people is explored in detail. The kids Audrey visited are described in detail, and mentions she saw people die right in front of her in Somalia. Audrey's death from cancer closes the book. Audrey picked up smoking after the war and smoked the rest of her life.
September 28, 2021
#Warrior: Audrey Hepburn
#RobertMatzen
Publishing today
28 September 2021
Thank you @netgalley and @goodknightbooks for the e-ARC.
This book completes the arc of
Robert Matzen’s ‘Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II. It is an eye-opening celebrity biography which hopefully will be inspiring to the masses. It focuses on so many subjects which will continue to be relevant: climate change, racial injustice, refugee crisis, women’s rights.
You knew, and fell in love, with Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and as the ethereal princess in Roman Holiday. She stole the heart of the world with her charm, acting prowess and emotive eyes.
But did you know of her work with the children in Ethiopia? She worked ceaselessly and tirelessly to be the face of countless mothers and children in desperate situations and in dangerous places.
They who did not know Hepburn the star, but only the humanitarian who brought them food, medicine, safety and enveloped them with love and smiles.
She used her fame and her name to capture the media’s (and the world’s ) attention and became the Warrior.
Hepburn’s son Luca Dotti, in his foreword to ‘Warrior’ says: “UNICEF expected that Audrey Hepburn would be a pretty princess for them at galas. What they really got was a badass soldier”.
A worthwhile read inspite of Matzen putting in so much of information that at places the book reads less a biography more an encyclopedia.
However it this detail and Matzen’s research which makes us feel that we are walking alongside, seeing the world through Hepburn’s eyes, feeling the hunger and the starvation, and that innate desire to make a difference.
I hope more and more read this book and that more and more celebrities use their standing, status and wealth to carry on the work Hepburn paved the path for.
#RobertMatzen
Publishing today
28 September 2021
Thank you @netgalley and @goodknightbooks for the e-ARC.
This book completes the arc of
Robert Matzen’s ‘Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II. It is an eye-opening celebrity biography which hopefully will be inspiring to the masses. It focuses on so many subjects which will continue to be relevant: climate change, racial injustice, refugee crisis, women’s rights.
You knew, and fell in love, with Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and as the ethereal princess in Roman Holiday. She stole the heart of the world with her charm, acting prowess and emotive eyes.
But did you know of her work with the children in Ethiopia? She worked ceaselessly and tirelessly to be the face of countless mothers and children in desperate situations and in dangerous places.
They who did not know Hepburn the star, but only the humanitarian who brought them food, medicine, safety and enveloped them with love and smiles.
She used her fame and her name to capture the media’s (and the world’s ) attention and became the Warrior.
Hepburn’s son Luca Dotti, in his foreword to ‘Warrior’ says: “UNICEF expected that Audrey Hepburn would be a pretty princess for them at galas. What they really got was a badass soldier”.
A worthwhile read inspite of Matzen putting in so much of information that at places the book reads less a biography more an encyclopedia.
However it this detail and Matzen’s research which makes us feel that we are walking alongside, seeing the world through Hepburn’s eyes, feeling the hunger and the starvation, and that innate desire to make a difference.
I hope more and more read this book and that more and more celebrities use their standing, status and wealth to carry on the work Hepburn paved the path for.
Read
October 2, 2021Warrior
Audrey Hepburn
by: Robert Matzen
GoodKnight Books
Audrey Hepburn as a Warrior was a woman who passionately cared about children around the world who endured tremendous injustices. Robert Matzen deftly captures the magnitude of Hepburn's humanitarian role in his enlightening new book. Her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador was powerful, and her actions were tireless. She fearlessly walked directly into places of famine, drought, hunger, sickness, death, and war. Her unrelenting endeavors led to heightened messages of awareness and raising of funds for her causes.
Although Matzen introduces us to Hepburn and follows her roles including actress, mother, wife, companion, friend, and gardener, the spotlight is on her work with UNICEF. Readers are moved upon learning that, as a child herself, she knew war and hunger. As Hepburn became a champion for children later in her life, Matzen takes us on her travels and missions for needs in places such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Sudan, and Viet Nam.
Audrey Hepburn first captured my heart as Princess Ann in Roman Holiday, gleefully riding through the street of Rome with her co-star, Joe, played by Gregory Peck. Learning about her determination and deeds of goodness through UNICEF, however, took me deep into her compassionate heart. Readers will appreciate discovering or deepening their awareness of the altruistic aspect of Hepburn's beautiful life, legacy, and Warrior spirit. As a bonus, her son, Luca Dotte, provides a very personal and touching foreword to the book.
Thank you to Net Galey and GoodKnight Books for the advance reader's copy and the opportunity to provide my honest review.
#warrioraudreyhepburn #NetGalley
Audrey Hepburn
by: Robert Matzen
GoodKnight Books
Audrey Hepburn as a Warrior was a woman who passionately cared about children around the world who endured tremendous injustices. Robert Matzen deftly captures the magnitude of Hepburn's humanitarian role in his enlightening new book. Her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador was powerful, and her actions were tireless. She fearlessly walked directly into places of famine, drought, hunger, sickness, death, and war. Her unrelenting endeavors led to heightened messages of awareness and raising of funds for her causes.
Although Matzen introduces us to Hepburn and follows her roles including actress, mother, wife, companion, friend, and gardener, the spotlight is on her work with UNICEF. Readers are moved upon learning that, as a child herself, she knew war and hunger. As Hepburn became a champion for children later in her life, Matzen takes us on her travels and missions for needs in places such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Sudan, and Viet Nam.
Audrey Hepburn first captured my heart as Princess Ann in Roman Holiday, gleefully riding through the street of Rome with her co-star, Joe, played by Gregory Peck. Learning about her determination and deeds of goodness through UNICEF, however, took me deep into her compassionate heart. Readers will appreciate discovering or deepening their awareness of the altruistic aspect of Hepburn's beautiful life, legacy, and Warrior spirit. As a bonus, her son, Luca Dotte, provides a very personal and touching foreword to the book.
Thank you to Net Galey and GoodKnight Books for the advance reader's copy and the opportunity to provide my honest review.
#warrioraudreyhepburn #NetGalley
September 6, 2021
I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. The words 'warrior' and 'badass' don't seem applicable to the beautiful and elegant Audrey Hepburn, but behind that movie star façade was a driven woman who fought hard to improve the dire conditions faced by way too many children around the world. Like me, if you have read Robert Matzen's book 'Dutch Girl', you would have learned about the horrors of war that Hepburn encountered as a child in Holland during World War II. Now Matzen describes her life post-Hollywood when she took on the commanding role of Ambassador for UNICEF. Because she understood the ordeals a child living in a war-torn country faced, she wanted to help, but she took the job to a whole new level. Hepburn insisted on visiting countries teeming with violence such as Ethiopia, Sudan and even Somalia. At her own risk, she never hesitated when it came to caring for diseased children who lacked medicine, food, and clean clothes. She would hold a baby in one arm while chasing the flies away with the other. Saving the children was the only thing on her mind. And she was magnificent at the job. Seeing the things she saw and experiencing the things she experienced, would change anyone, but she kept going back for more as long as her health held out. I was amazed at the stamina of this tiny little lady. If you are an Audrey Hepburn fan as I am, I highly recommend this book. If you are not an Audrey Hepburn fan, I think you will be once you read it. Author Robert Matzen has penned another fine book and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!
December 7, 2021
Having read the authors previous book about Audrey I was excited to read his ‘follow up’ book focusing on the years after her retirement from Hollywood at the age of 48. And particularly her work with UNICEF.
Anyone who has read ‘Dutch Girl’ will not be surprised at the strength and determination Audrey showed throughout her years as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, the organisation that had saved her life when she was a teenager at the end of World War two. Matzen chronicles Audrey’s enormous and lengthy efforts to endeavour to help children effected by war and famine throughout the world. She was naturally shy and very nervous when having to give press conferences or speeches but she knew how to harness her ‘star power’ for good. (Having first done so at the behest of her sons who wanted their grandfather moved to a different hospital, “for once in your life Mummy use your bloody name”.)
That said though, this book also shows that Audrey was not just a pretty face used to drum up support, she cared deeply about the work of UNICEF and campaigned on behalf of the organisation right up until her premature death at the age of 63. This book highlights some of the remarkable work that Audrey did on behalf of UNICEF and indeed shows the reader what was involved including the great personal risk she put herself in, whilst carrying out humanitarian missions with the organisation. I hope that people reading this book will come away from it with a much more truthful image of this courageous, brave, and determined lady, than the one that seemed to be portrayed by Hollywood.
Anyone who has read ‘Dutch Girl’ will not be surprised at the strength and determination Audrey showed throughout her years as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, the organisation that had saved her life when she was a teenager at the end of World War two. Matzen chronicles Audrey’s enormous and lengthy efforts to endeavour to help children effected by war and famine throughout the world. She was naturally shy and very nervous when having to give press conferences or speeches but she knew how to harness her ‘star power’ for good. (Having first done so at the behest of her sons who wanted their grandfather moved to a different hospital, “for once in your life Mummy use your bloody name”.)
That said though, this book also shows that Audrey was not just a pretty face used to drum up support, she cared deeply about the work of UNICEF and campaigned on behalf of the organisation right up until her premature death at the age of 63. This book highlights some of the remarkable work that Audrey did on behalf of UNICEF and indeed shows the reader what was involved including the great personal risk she put herself in, whilst carrying out humanitarian missions with the organisation. I hope that people reading this book will come away from it with a much more truthful image of this courageous, brave, and determined lady, than the one that seemed to be portrayed by Hollywood.
September 4, 2021
“‘For once in your life, Mummy,’ Luca pleaded to his mother, ‘use your ------ name!'”
Twenty-eight years after her passing, Audrey Hepburn remains the most beloved of all Hollywood stars, known as much for her role as UNICEF ambassador as for films like Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Several biographies have chronicled her stardom, but none has covered her intense experiences through five years of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands or her humanitarian work with UNICEF.
Warrior shows Audrey Hepburn as she fought passionately for UNICEF’s cause and worked on the frontline. Not one to use her status as a movie star and fashion icon, she was extremely private about her life during the war. She experienced much blood and death by the time she turned sixteen but never admitted to the horrors she had witnessed. This made her determined to fight for those in desperate need of help in countries ravaged by war.
I was so incredibly moved reading Warrior that I had to know more about her early life. It prompted me to pick up Dutch Girl to understand how her struggle during the war shaped her experiences and decisions in later years.
A visceral character sketch of a woman who refused to be broken by the war until her last breath, these capture an intimate account of Audrey Hepburn’s extraordinarily courageous life.
This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and GoodKnight Books.
For complete review, visit https://aquamarineflavours.wordpress....
Find me on other platforms via https://linktr.ee/AshieJayn
Twenty-eight years after her passing, Audrey Hepburn remains the most beloved of all Hollywood stars, known as much for her role as UNICEF ambassador as for films like Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Several biographies have chronicled her stardom, but none has covered her intense experiences through five years of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands or her humanitarian work with UNICEF.
Warrior shows Audrey Hepburn as she fought passionately for UNICEF’s cause and worked on the frontline. Not one to use her status as a movie star and fashion icon, she was extremely private about her life during the war. She experienced much blood and death by the time she turned sixteen but never admitted to the horrors she had witnessed. This made her determined to fight for those in desperate need of help in countries ravaged by war.
I was so incredibly moved reading Warrior that I had to know more about her early life. It prompted me to pick up Dutch Girl to understand how her struggle during the war shaped her experiences and decisions in later years.
A visceral character sketch of a woman who refused to be broken by the war until her last breath, these capture an intimate account of Audrey Hepburn’s extraordinarily courageous life.
This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and GoodKnight Books.
For complete review, visit https://aquamarineflavours.wordpress....
Find me on other platforms via https://linktr.ee/AshieJayn
April 30, 2023
In continuation from his international best seller “Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II , author Robert Matzen continues to explore the life of humanitarian and actress : Audrey Hepburn. In this latest work alongside Hepburn's son Luca Dotti shares her journey as ambassador of UNICEF. Dutch Girl, and Warrior serve together as a full embodied work noting Hepburn’s relationship with UNICEF after having received support from them as a child at the end of the Second World War. Matzen highlights Hepburn’s decision to raise her sons, after leaving Hollywood roughly 20 years prior at 38 years old and explores her decision to work for UNICEF and become an ambassador for the many children of the world. This book focuses on Hepburn’s five years working with UNICEF from 58-63 years old. Racial justice, climate change, women’s rights, and the global refugee crisis are areas Hepburn came across during her time as UNICEF ambassador. The resilience found as a child is depicted to be brought forth once more as she entered war zones once again, as she observed hunger, famine, and death. This book held her many roles in life in equal reverence and adds to exploring her experience and contact as she assumed them in life. Out of five stars on goodreads I gave this a strong five out of five stars. I recommend it to those who enjoy biography’s , films of Audrey Hepburn and would like to know the person behind the icon. Thank you to Netgalley and Good Knight Books for an advanced readers copy.
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