First published 2021
Mildred Fish follows her German economist husband Arvid Harnack from Wisconsin to Berlin in the 1930s. They build a rich intellectual life in the vibrant city, surrounded by friends and meaningful work. Then Hitler and the Nazi Party seize power through violence and lies. Mildred refuses to stay silent. She gathers intelligence for her American contacts, including Martha Dodd, the spirited daughter of the U.S. ambassador. Her German friends Greta Kuckoff, an aspiring writer, and Sara Weitz, a literature student, risk everything to extract secrets from journalists, army officers, and high-ranking Nazi officials. For years, Mildred's network fights to bring down the Third Reich from within. But when radio operators detect a stray Russian signal, the Harnack resistance cell is exposed. Based on true events, this story follows ordinary people who chose to resist evil, sacrificing their lives and freedom to fight injustice.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, world-war-ii, activism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, resistance
Setting: Berlin, Germany, United States, Wisconsin
Period: 1930s, World War II
720 pages · Paperback · HARPERCOLLINS
Content warnings: violence