Walls: Resisting the Third Reich: One Woman's Story

by Hiltgunt Zassenhaus, Katherine Paterson (Foreword)

Hiltgunt Zassenhaus was 17 when she first resisted the Third Reich by refusing to give the "Heil Hitler" salute in her high school. Later, as the terrible events of wartime Germany swirled around her, she risked death to smuggle food, medicine, and emotional support to hundreds of political prisoners, ultimately saving them from mass execution by the Nazis. Walls is her story.

For her wartime work, Zassenhaus was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974. Walls was named on of the 25 best books of 1974 for young adults by the American Library Association and received a Christopher Award in 1975.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, World War II, Memoir, Biography, Holocaust

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Hiltgunt Margret Zassenhaus (10 July 1916 – 20 November 2004) was a German philologist who worked as an interpreter in Hamburg, Germany during World War II, and later as a physician in the United States. She was honoured for her efforts to aid prisoners in Nazi Germany during World War II.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Luanne Castle]

Since reading Hiltgunt Zassenhaus’ book, Walls: Resisting the Third Reich–One Woman’s Story, I have also felt inspired to live my life in a better way.

I’ve read many memoirs by Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, but this one is by a German woman, a Gentile, who decided not to play it safe, but to “fight back” against the Nazis.

Her story reads like an adventure tale. I became caught up in the danger that Zassenhaus put herself through to save Scandinavian political prisoners. I learned what it was like for her and for her family, living in Germany during the war. Although she does anything but draw attention to it, Zassenhaus’ strong ethics and sense of honor inform the book. She refused to compromise these codes when her resulting actions put her life in danger.

The main theme seems to be how important it is to speak up or act in resistance against dangers to freedom like Nazism. Her clearly written scenes allowed me to envision how and why an entire nation was caught up in Hitler’s madness. As an example, one character, her neighbor Mr. Braun, is an angry man who doesn’t get along with any of the neighbors. There is something a little “off” about him. But as the Nazi movement takes over the country, Mr. Braun becomes the Warden of the precinct that Zassenhaus and her family live in. This gives him control over their freedom and their lives. By transferring control to “small” and dangerous people like Mr. Braun, Nazism was able to create a net (network) that captured all of Germany in its mesh.

[Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard]

This was read to us in high school, as we were studying World War II. It is a firsthand account of a woman who quietly resisted the Nazi regime; I found it moving and gripping by turns. I would actually love to re-read this as an adult, now that I have more knowledge and understanding of WWII.

[Mrskzebra]

excellent read. i will read anything from this awful time in history, and found her account to be particularly moving. brave woman.

[Andy]

I'm a bit obsessed with the Holocaust, and I read a lot of books about this dark time of human history. This is one of my favorite books, full of quotes that give you pause about humanity.

[Linda Lucas]

This is a book that I've not seen publicized before. The author shares her life in Germany leading up to and throughout WWII. She never gave in to the Nazi Party and boldly dedicated herself to keeping the spirit alive in prisoners of war held in German prisons. She is credited with getting 1200 of those prisoners out of jail near the end of the war before Hitler ordered the execution of all prisoners. Those efforts led her to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. It is a very honest recounting of her successes and what she perceived as her shortcomings.

I am so pleased to have found a signed copy of this old paperback on the shelves at my in-law's house in Baltimore, Maryland. I learned later that after WWII, Zassenhaus completed medical school in Denmark, then settled in Baltimore in 1952 where she practiced medicine. Perhaps they became acquainted.

I am not sure this book is still in print, but there is a kindle version!

[Neil Spark]

An excellent account of life in Germany, particularly Hamburg, during the Second World War. Nobel Peace Prize nominee Hiltgunt Zassenhaus used her job as a translator to gain entry to prisons where Scandinavians were held. She took messages, food, and medicines to the prisoners.

A woman living in Zassenhaus’ house betrayed her to the Gestapo. The Gestapo terrified Zassenhaus, but she showed no fear. They wanted her to provide regular reports on the prisoners, but she didn’t. The security police summonsed her many times, and each time she walked away unscathed.

Walls is disjointed in places, but the suspense and interesting characters make up for this minor deficiency. Zassenhaus’s story is one of a brave woman’s resistance to evil which is uplifting and left me feeling hopeful.

[Marie Hartwell-Walker]

Riveting memoir of Zassenhaus' efforts as a young woman to save Scandinavian political prisoners in Germany during WWII. With courage, intelligence and, at times, naivete, she was able to leverage her job as a translator of prisoner mail to get herself into prisons with messages, medicines and mercy for hundreds of men in multiple prisons. Along the way, she shows us how different people respond differently to terror and atrocities - denial; numb acceptance; accommodation; participation; active resistance. Each response has its costs. We all like to think we'd do the right thing. I kept questioning myself -- Would I? Could I?

[Joanne Otto]

Beautiful memoir of a conscientious young German woman's experiences as she repeatedly put herself at risk in order to help political prisoners. It's as riveting as a novel, but even more interesting because it really happened. Her observations about the mindset of the German people during that trying period shed light not only on the human foibles of her time, but also on those of our own. Her writing is lean, lucid, and evocative.

[Cacophony]

This was an interesting story, but the prose was disjointed. Possibly because English was not the author's first language.

[Rachel]

Ends abruptly, but is a great story

[Amy]

An uplifting anti-fascist autobiography.

[Renee Hanley]

What this woman did and how she did it was brave and inspiring. For me it was slow to draw me in but so glad I stuck with it.

[...]

Yet another unique account of the war. Was a thrilling read that will enhance your understanding of history that much more. Bravo to this brave young woman.

[Nancy]

This is an amazing memoir of a courageous woman. She teaches us many things about priorities. This is a new perspective about Germany during WWll. A complelling true story.

[Kara McWilliams]

Very interesting about the German citizens story of WW2.

[Simon]

The book needed either a better translator or a better editor or perhaps both. The narrative is very disjointed, and Zassenhaus' recreation of dialogue which supposedly took place during past events is . . . well, unbelievable is too strong, but melodramatic isn't strong enough. On the other hand, it was interesting to read that Nazi Germany was such a bureaucratic mess that she was able to take trains all over the country in the middle of wartime to bring comfort to Scandinavian prisoners of war, simply because the rules said she could. The purple prose lends a certain Girls' Ripping Yarns quality to her story.

[Barb]

This was a powerful book for me, partly because of the parallels - real or perceived - between the rise of Hitler and the fears around the Trump administration. The author is the sister of a man who was a member of my church in Columbus, Ohio, and so I feel a connection.

The book was an easy read, but provided powerful images. Some have criticized her writing - and I'd agree that it's not written with beautiful language. Rather, it's a direct memoir of Hiltgunt's work, which is inspiring!

One thing not mentioned in her bio here on Goodreads is that she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.