This story is based on untold historical events inside the Lebensborn Society maternity homes that existed during WWII. They had a "Program" to ensure that the German race is preserved and raised by good German families. Three women find themselves in precarious situations while trying to protect themselves and their unborn baby. Gundi Schiller is a university student who is pregnant and trying to keep the real identity of the father a secret as he is Jewish. Hilde Kramer is 18 years old who wants to be an actress but feels that her best chance for a good life is getting pregnant by a Nazi officer. She thinks that getting pregnant by high ranking Werner will secure a place within the regime. She happens to meet Gundi on the maternity ward. Irma is an older woman who works as a nurse who lives in a boarding house and engaged to Eduard who seems to be stalling moving forward with getting married. This is a view into the dark time in history where babies were being separated from their mothers due to their ethnicity.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Landmark for providing this book to me for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own. ( )

When you read this informative, horrific, excellent historical fiction story, make sure to read the acknowledgments at the end of the book. This was yet another piece of history that I knew nothing about, another piece that was kept out of history books, another piece that is tragic yet should not be forgotten. The author did an excellent job of researching and weaving this story about three women who find themselves at one of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes in Germany.
My only complaint is I was so invested in Gundi, Irma, and even Hilde, that I wanted the story to continue so I could find out exactly how things were going to work out for them!
If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a must-read. Even if you aren't a big HF fan, this is an important piece of history that made a page-turning story, thanks to the author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book! ( )

Cradles of the Reich offers an up close and personal look at what the Hitler regime was willing to do in the name of racial purity. In the story, a few of the women involved are the focus, but their stories could not be more different.

Hilde, at eighteen, is a staunch believer in Hitler’s policies. She wants nothing more than to be a standout German and give birth to pure German babies. Her married German lover sends her to Heim Hochland when he learns of her pregnancy. Her misguided beliefs lead her to drastic measures when she miscarries her baby.

Gundi, a perfect example of a pure German woman is pregnant and everyone mistakenly believes the father is her pure-blood childhood friend. Gundi’s love interest just happens to be Jewish and she joins him in his work for the resistance. When she becomes pregnant, she is more or less kidnapped and sent to Heim Hochland, a home for pregnant German mothers to receive the best of care for their babies.

Irma, a childless nurse at the home, realizes that she has misjudged her former fiancé and at a pivotal point in the story decides to follow his lead in offering compassion to the Jewish people.

Don’t read the story without reading the author’s notes at the end. It’s a very compelling part of the German history. Jennifer Coburn writes a somewhat mild version of the facts, so readers should not be wary of any violence against the mothers and the children.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to offer my honest review. ( )

Told from the viewpoints of three different women, I was once again shocked by another bloodcurdling atrocity that I had previously been unaware that happened. The Nazis & Hitler was creating the “master race” in maternity homes or breeding grounds for the perfection of the Aryan race.

Thought-provoking and superbly researched, be prepared for the entire rainbow of emotions to come out while reading this brutal, heartbreaking & emotional journey of these women.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Bookmarked for the gifted copy. ( )

I remember learning about the Lebensborn program ages ago, but I never fully understood how the program worked. This novel explores this cruel and bizarre piece of Nazi history which involved producing "racially pure" German infants - I felt like I was re-reading The Handmaid's Tale at certain points in this book. Overall, I found this novel very compelling and the conclusion was satisfying, even if I still have questions about the fate of some characters. ( )