Wednesday, May 22, 2019

The Story Behind the Story ~ Linda Shenton Matchett ~ Love's Belief


It's Wahoo Wednesday again, this time with author Linda Shenton Matchett, and "The Story Behind the Story of "Love's Belief."
Go, Linda ... I'm eager to hear about this new book from you.
~ ~ ~

Late last year, I read a book called German Voices, written by a man who was born in San Francisco, German immigrants, and then moved to Germany with them in 1933, just as Hitler was coming into power. He was unable to return to the U.S. to reclaim his citizenship until 1949. Reading his story was a moving and eye-opening experience, making me realize how uninformed I was about the German home front during WWII.

When it came time to consider the next volume in my Wartime Brides series, I knew I wanted to locate the story in Germany but was uncertain what aspect of life to explore. Each book in the series is a retelling of a biblical story set during WWII, so I searched my Bible for an appropriate story. During my investigation, I discovered a six-verse narrative in Exodus about Shiprah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh’s laws to kill male Jewish babies. These women had no shortage of imagination. When he asked them why they let the babies live, they said, “The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get there.” (NASB).

Because of German Voices and additional reading I knew there was a cadre of people within Germany who protected and saved Jewish people and others considered “undesirables” according to the Nuremberg laws. Some who helped were part of the German Resistance, while others simply followed their conscience and did what they could when opportunities arose.

Further research led me to Nanna Conti, head of the German Midwives Association. Despite her extreme anti-Semitic views, she made great improvements to the midwife profession and pre-natal care for mothers, and she was highly placed within the Nazi organization, unusual for a woman. She played a large role in ensuring “her” midwives” adhered to the laws.

The final piece came together when I read about the Rosenstrasse protest that occurred in Berlin between the end of February and the middle of March in1943. A group of Jewish men who had previously been protected because of being married to Gentile women were arrested and targeted for deportation. They were held at a facility on Rosenstrasse (Rose Street) awaiting transportation. Their wives showed up in droves and demanded the return of their husbands. They faced down soldiers and stood for hours in the freezing weather. Word got out of Germany, and Goebbels realized he had no choice but to release the men.


Combining actual events from the war with inspiration from the story of Shiprah and Pual, Love’s Belief shows how one person can change the world.


About Love’s Belief:
Midwife Pia Hertz and her mother Sabine have been delivering babies long before the Nazis came to power. Now, the Third Reich has implemented mandates that require Jewish babies and other “undesirables” to be killed as part of The Final Solution. Is Pia’s new faith in Christ strong enough to defy the laws of man?

Despite the agony of the injury at the Battle of Drøbak Sound that took his arm, Dieter Fertig is relieved he’s no longer part of Hitler’s army. He returns to Berlin and discovers Jews are being deported by the thousands. When he realizes the Nuremberg Laws require his best friend’s baby girl to be killed, he must find a way to spirit the child out of Germany before the Nazis discover her existence. 

Inspired by the biblical story of Shiprah and Puah, the midwives who saved Jewish babies during Pharaoh’s reign, Love’s Belief shows how one person’s actions can change the world.

Available from:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2V6ShRg

About the Author: 
Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her life. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII.

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2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. My pleasure, Linda! Always happy to have you here. FYI, I downloaded the Kindle book this morning.

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