The Nuremberg Women: The Untold Story of the Eight Women Who Brought the Nazis to Justice

Bestselling author and historian Natalie Livingstone tells the story of the Nuremberg trials in a new way: through the eyes of the women who were there on the ground.

 

In November 1945, the eyes of the world turned to Nuremberg. Humanity was seeking not only the truth about Nazi crimes but also a vision of what justice might look like in their aftermath. The trials are traditionally associated with a roll call of famous men, but they were only part of the story. Not only were there women involved in the trial in every role—as journalists, researchers, lawyers, interpreters, court reporters, witnesses, artists, and even defendants—but they were pivotal in the trial’s outcome.

The Nuremberg Women tells the story of 8 women: a brilliant American lawyer, three pioneering journalists, two German, one British, an iconoclastic artist, a beautiful refugee aristocrat, a dauntless survivor of Auschwitz, and a young Russian translator.

From the major stories about justice, gender, and politics at a pivotal moment in the 20th century to the smaller, daily intimate tales of the women’s affairs and bar-room disputes, The Nuremberg Women shows the most famous trial in a new light—making a brave new case for it having been a more diverse and democratic exercise than has often been recognized.

They reveal a Nuremberg that is intimate, human, and haphazard; one that was lower paid and less publicized. They demonstrate that the trial was remarkable not because it was perfect but because, against all odds, it happened. Thanks to these women and many others, justice was served.