When I began writing and researching my new historical thriller, The Goddess of Warsaw, over two years ago, I couldn’t possibly imagine how eerily similar the 1940s would be to present-day events. As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and the author of World War II-themed novels, I am shocked by how relevant this story is today.
The Goddess of Warsaw is set against the backdrop of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, considered to be the most important Jewish revolt in WWII history. My novel follows a fierce young woman who survives the war using her brains, beauty, and acting abilities, first serving as a smuggler and then as an assassin for the resistance. After the war, our fearless heroine becomes one of the most famous actresses of her time, but one who never forgets the lessons of her past. The legendary Lena Browning (née: Bina Blonski) is not only glamorous, but also lethal. Lena uses her Hollywood sets as the ultimate cover to avenge her loved ones by hunting down those Nazis who escaped justice by hiding out in America — Tinseltown, her turf.
As I set out to research this book, several themes emerged: What is the fine line between the pursuit of justice and the hunt for revenge? Is there a price tag for survival? What was daily life like inside the Warsaw ghetto, and how did the uprising activate? How powerful and prevalent were Nazis in America, especially after the war?
And ultimately: How do I capture Jewish history’s darkest chapter and create a page-turner with a Hollywood twist?
I knew this would be a Herculean task, but I was up for the challenge. Rolling up my sleeves, my first stop was the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, where I met a literary goddess (Aka: a librarian named Helen, who was determined to give me the goods).
Within hours, I was immersed in a pool of documents, testimonials, and various pieces of literature, dissecting the intricate inner workings of the Warsaw ghetto. Most extraordinary to me was understanding how the ghetto’s 400,000 Warsaw Jews navigated disease, starvation, ghastly living quarters (a minimum of seven to a room), all while their identities and livelihood were stolen from them. In the beginning (1940), I was surprised to learn that despite the hardship, there was a very active ghetto nightlife, which included a cabaret, opera, symphony, comedy club, theaters, cafes, and bars. The Jews did everything in their power to create some semblance of a normal life, until the Nazis’ aktions (roundups/transports to concentration camps) quashed any hopes of this. Very quickly, survival became the only thing that mattered.
This story is at its heart a tale of resilience and resistance. Most of the ghetto’s fighters perished in battle as they fought the Nazis, but their valiant efforts and clear message reached the Jews of Europe: Fight back.
My characters and plot points explore real-time events and ghetto initiatives. For example, my main character’s husband is loosely inspired by historian Emanuel Ringelblum. The Ringelblum Archive is a collection of documents showing daily life in the ghetto, assembled by a secret group of intellectuals whose code name was Oyneg Shabbos.
There was also love in the Warsaw ghetto, passion that I tried to capture with my protagonist’s Bina Blonski and her unconventional choices.
SS commander Jürgen Stroop’s heinous edicts are included in the book, among them the horrific mandate that young Jewish women serve as Nazi sex slaves, which led to the suicide of ninety-three girls who chose death over submission to the Nazis. I obtained a document showing the letter of one of the girls just before her death. This was the most difficult portion of the book to write and fictionalize. It still brings tears to my eyes every time I reread that section.
In my book, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is led by my fictional heroic leader named Zelda. In the book, as in real-life, I highlight the crucial role women played in the ghetto, fighting, serving as couriers, smugglers, teachers, caregivers, doctors – doing whatever it took to help others survive. Resistance in the Warsaw ghetto was the largest component of my research, questions like how weapons were obtained, and all the nitty-gritty details that had to be meticulously planned for this revolt. And later, the destruction of the magnificent Great Synagogue of Warsaw — the largest synagogue in all of Europe — plays a central role in The Goddess of Warsaw, both in Warsaw and later on in Hollywood. I needed to research every aspect of its infrastructure to capture its significance to the Jewish community and the subsequent devastating symbolism when it was destroyed by the Nazis.
During all this research, I came across one dark post-war secret I’d yet to find – how the US government saved more than 1,600 prominent Nazis (including scientists, engineers, technicians) in a covert intelligence operation. Operation Paperclip brought them to America, and hid their true identities to bolster the US space program against Russia. There were also the “Hollywood Hitlers” – Nazis who escaped justice, came to the US, and tried to infiltrate Hollywood and push the Nazi propaganda machine. Hitler’s favorite filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl, also lands a significant role in the book.
The Goddess of Warsaw is a propulsive mix of history and fiction, and I happily handed over the reins to my resilient and badass protagonist Lena Browning, who was inspired by the legendary Lauren Bacall (born Betty Joan Perske) who, I discovered through my research, was the first cousin of the late prime minister Shimon Peres! (I love uncovering facts that make writing and research so thrilling in their own right.)
After the initial research was complete, I knew I couldn’t write this book without speaking to an actual survivor of the ghetto. The Illinois Holocaust Museum connected me with Estelle Laughlin, a Warsaw ghetto survivor, and it was instant chemistry. We held hands as she recounted her harrowing personal story, sharing key details about the ghetto — sights, scents, and sensations — vital inside information that only one who actually lived through that nightmare would know.
Most important to me is the reader’s takeaway: This story is at its heart a tale of resilience and resistance. Most of the ghetto’s fighters perished in battle as they fought the Nazis, but their valiant efforts and clear message reached the Jews of Europe: Fight back. It is this strength, this perseverance in the face of terrible odds that has inspired these words for generations to come: Never Again.
Lisa Barr is The New York Times bestselling author of Woman on Fire, The Unbreakables, and the award-winning Fugitive Colors. She has served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today’s Chicago Woman and Moment magazine, and as an editor and reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. She has appeared on Good Morning America and Today for her work as an author, journalist, and blogger. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and three daughters.
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