The Light of Days

The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos

By: Judy Batalion

Narrated by: Mozhan Marno

One of the most important stories of World War II, already optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture: a spectacular, searing history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters—a group of unknown heroes whose exploits have never been chronicled in full, until now.

Witnesses to the brutal murder of their families and neighbors and the violent destruction of their communities, a cadre of Jewish women in Poland—some still in their teens—helped transform the Jewish youth groups into resistance cells to fight the Nazis. With courage, guile, and nerves of steel, these “ghetto girls” paid off Gestapo guards, hid revolvers in loaves of bread and jars of marmalade, and helped build systems of underground bunkers. They flirted with German soldiers, bribed them with wine, whiskey, and home cooking, used their Aryan looks to seduce them, and shot and killed them. They bombed German train lines and blew up a town’s water supply. They also nursed the sick and taught children.

Yet the exploits of these courageous resistance fighters have remained virtually unknown.

As propulsive and thrilling as Hidden Figures, In the Garden of Beasts, Band of Brothers, and A Train in Winter, The Light of Days at last tells the true story of these incredible women whose courageous yet little-known feats have been eclipsed by time. Judy Batalion—the granddaughter of Polish Holocaust survivors—takes us back to 1939 and introduces us to Renia Kukielka, a weapons smuggler and messenger who risked death traveling across occupied Poland on foot and by train. Joining Renia are other women who served as couriers, armed fighters, intelligence agents, and saboteurs, all who put their lives in mortal danger to carry out their missions. Batalion follows these women through the savage destruction of the ghettos, arrest and internment in Gestapo prisons and concentration camps, and for a lucky few—like Renia, who orchestrated her own audacious escape from a brutal Nazi jail—into the late 20th century and beyond.

Powerful and inspiring, The Light of Days is an unforgettable true tale of war, the fight for freedom, exceptional bravery, female friendship, and survival in the face of staggering odds.

Hard to even imagine

History should never be forgotten. The author's undertaking of this story is monumental. Heart breaking and comprehensive.

Not just another...

This story is different. It’s about women and their courage and their fortitude. It’s timely with all the inequities coming to light these days.
While extremely hard to listen to at times, I’m much more aware of humanity willingness to look the other direction and how so many countries were complicit in The Final Solution.

I’m pleased that the epilogue called attention to her own fears and how groups may still be choosing to ‘view’ history. May God bless the souls that fought and May they and their families find peace and joy. And especially, I wish all of us treat each other with compassion.

Thank-you, Judy Batalion.

This a must listen to book.

I feel the need to buy multiple copies, to give as Bat mitzvah gifts. Very powerful.

Deeply profound and well written

What an incredible weaving of tales bringing light to these women’s lives during the war. Truly moving. We must always keep the stories of these hero’s alive.

Deepening and contributing to a fuller understanding of the Holocaust

This is an account of how Female ghetto fighters contributed to theGerman resistance
With fierce courage and strength