Flowers in the Gutter | K.R. Gaddy
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Flowers in the Gutter:
The true story of the edelweiss pirates, teenagers who resisted the nazis

THE TRUE STORY OF THE EDELWEISS PIRATES, WORKING-CLASS TEENAGERS WHO FOUGHT THE NAZIS BY WHATEVER MEANS THEY COULD.

       Fritz, Gertrud, and Jean were classic outsiders, their clothes were different, their music was rebellious, and they weren’t afraid to fight. But they were also Germans living under Hitler, and every one of those acts could get them arrested or worse. As children in 1933, they saw their world change. Their earliest memories were of the Nazi rise to power and of their parents fighting Brownshirts in the streets, being sent to prison, or just disappearing.
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      As Hitler’s grip tightened, these three found themselves trapped in a nation whose government contradicted everything they believed in. And by the time they were teenagers, the Nazis expected them to be part of the war machine. Fritz, Gertrude, and Jean and hundreds like them said no. They grew bolder, painting anti-Nazi graffiti, distributing anti-war leaflets, and helping those persecuted by the Nazis. Their actions were always dangerous. The Gestapo pursued and arrested hundreds of Edelweiss Pirates. In World War II’s desperate  final year, some Pirates joined in sabotage and armed resistance, risking the Third Reich’s ultimate punishment. This is their story.

"An eye-opening account of tenacity that brings the efforts of young anti-Nazi activists vividly to life." - Kirkus, Starred Review

"Told from the three teens’ perspectives, this compelling book is carefully and expertly researched.... A Must-Read." - SCHOOL & Library Journal, Starred Review

"this compelling account conveys the profound brutality of Hitler’s Germany and how some children responded with acts of breathtaking bravery" - Publisher's Weekly 

"Gaddy’s thorough research shines a light on a heroic group of Germans that often goes unmentioned." - Booklist

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Photograph of the Edelweiss Pirates memorial in the Ehrenfeld neighborhood of Cologne. White edelweiss flowers painted on a red background.
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Photograph of the author, K.R. Gaddy, writing in a book at the Brauweiler memorial.
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Photograph of the hallway of the women's prison at Brauweiler, currently a museum with posters on the wall.
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