To Look Upon The Sun

To Look Upon the Sun by Shannon St. Hilaire
I couldn’t put it down! This formidable story, set in pre-WWII Germany, reveals the horrors of the Nazi’s race purification and Lebensborn program. “Just as we breed Hanoverian horses using a few pure stallions and mares, so we will once again breed pure Nordic Germans by selective cross-breeding…From the human reservoir of the SS we shall breed a new nobility. We shall do it in a planned fashion and according to biological laws. –Richard Walther Darre, chief of the SS Race and Settlement Main office.” (Pg 137)
On one fateful day, seventeen-year-old Ilse not only discovers she is pregnant but also that unbeknownst to her, the father, her boyfriend, is Jewish. Plus, he and his family have fled the country. She realizes her child will be a “Mischling of the first degree” i.e. an undesirable in the Nazi’s eyes.
Ilse’s father is abusive and a staunch Nazi. She must leave home. “Her head felt too heavy to lift; she hadn’t dared to fall asleep last night. The bruises from her father’s blows had become hideous purple splotches on her arms. Her body ached so much from the beating, and from shivering through the cold night…” (Pg.25)
With no other options, Ilse forges papers regarding the baby’s father and enters the ill-fated Lebensborn program. What lies ahead is unimaginable.
The author immerses the reader into the setting with excellent sensory imagery. “Outside, it was a damp, cold night. The moon was nowhere to be seen. No stars peeked through the clouds. Ilse was yet another woman in the house on the hill, screaming with no anesthetic, only a photo of the dear leader to gaze upon as a pain reliever. She, however, squeezed her eyes shut.” (Pg 72)
Ilse’s voice is vivid throughout the story. We feel her fears and hear her innermost thoughts. Her situation is unimaginable. “She traced his apple-round cheek and something fierce and wild rose up in her, a force bigger than herself. She would tear the world apart for him. She would work hard, get promoted, save money. Stay out of trouble.” (Pg.85)

Out of her expert historical research, St Hilaire has created an extremely personal account of the true horrors of Nazism. To Look Upon the Sun is an outstanding piece of historical fiction. Rating 5

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I read a lot of historical WWII fiction and I've read about the Nazi brothels and breeding location before, but it is still as disturbing to think of young women and teens being used in this way. The writing was good and Ilse is quite the centerpiece of the story as she comes of age during WWII in Germany.

An absolutely powerful, thrilling, and haunting story of one woman’s fight to own her own body and reproduction. In a world where the government is trying to limit a woman’s choices about when she can have a child, this story rings across time.

I love when authors write about topics that are not commonly written about, such as the Lebensborn programs the Nazi's used all over Germany and other countries they occupied during WWII. To Look Upon The Sun tells the story of Ilse, a young German girl who finds herself pregnant out of wedlock. If the Nazi's find out who the baby's father is, she could find herself and the life of her unborn baby, in grave danger. Eventually, Ilse ends up at a Lebensborn home, working hard everyday to hope she and her baby will be save and that her secret is never discovered. What awaits Ilse is sad, heart wrenching, and sometimes hard to stomach, however; it's important her story, although fiction, is told. This story is filled with heartbreak, tragedy, desperation, and the will to survive: and so many women had to do just that.

The author, Shannon St. Hilaire obviously did her research and crafted a gripping WWII story that is both accurate and nearly impossible to put down. Ilse's story accurately depicts what happens when young and impressionable youth grew up hearing a Nazi ideology and fall victim to the horrors of the Third Reich, unbeknownst to them.

For WWII fiction lovers, this is a must read!

A young woman gets pregnant in Germany during WW2 and is sent to a home where she gives birth to a son who is taken from her. She is then assigned as a cook in a home where SS men get together with pure women to procreate their race. She finds herbs to help herself and other women not get pregnant.

A really interesting story about a part of the Nazi life that I had not read about before. The common people in Germany during that time really had to endure a lot and a complete domination of their lives and what they could do and what they were forced to do. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in that time in history.

“To Look Upon the Sun” is a pre-WWII (and also during WWII) German historical fiction book by Shannon St. Hilaire. This book starts with 17 year old Ilse being pregnant and discovering that her baby’s father is Jewish - something she wasn’t aware of until she discovers the family has left Germany. Through her membership in a Nazi program, Ilse goes to another Nazi program, the Lebensborn, to have her child. Upon her arrival there, she discovers that all isn’t what she’s been told. She decides to keep her baby (instead of giving it up like she said she would) and is allowed to work at the Lebensborn helping new mothers-to-be and doing housework. Something happens and Ilse is moved to a different Lebensborn, becoming their cook. There’s more to the plot, but I cannot say more without giving away key bits of info. I have to say that at first I thought “oh, wow, another Lebensborn story - read it, know how this goes.” This one didn’t always match up with how I thought it was going to go, so that was a nice plot twist. However, something about Ilse just didn’t work for me - and I cannot put my finger on exactly why that is. I did like a number of the side characters - from her child’s godfather to the female pilot. They had more depth and I could feel sympathy with them (or maybe I just found them more interesting in general). I could tell that a bit of research went into the creation of this book - and the author’s notes confirms that. This was a fine book, thus the four stars, but this book wasn’t a consistent fantastic read for me.

A very interesting novel which I have greatly enjoying! What particularly attracted me in this story is its time setting. Indeed, it starts well before WWII. This fact gives a captivating insight into how people and young people in particular got indoctrinated in Hitler's ideas and aims. This leads to the main theme of the storyline: Lebensborn. It shows how women were treated as breeding machines. Machines indeed, as a loving bonding to their children was forbidden. Such loneliness! Anyway, many of these babies were then adopted. Beware, if the children were not healthy.... Through Ilse's young life experiences, we learn all about it as well as her awakening as to what Nazism actually meant... A great story which should not be forgotten.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

Young Ilse's situation with being a model Aryan, unmarried, and pregnant leads her to being an expectant mother in the Lebensborn. She carries the deep secret that the father of her child is Jewish. I won't go beyond this point of the story so no spoilers are revealed, but Ilse has to walk a tightrope in order to survive the Lebensborn society. Will she succumb to being a 'breeder' for the Nazi agenda, or will she find ways to rebel?

I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shannon St. Hilaire’s, To Look Upon the Sun captivated me from the first page to the last. Young, pregnant, and alone, Isle must navigate the world of Lebensborn, the German program to propagate a superior race during WWII. Powerful, heartbreaking, and at times challenging to read, I highly recommend this book for its chilling portrayal of what it means to live, sleep with, and become a member of the SS in Germany in the early years of the war. St. Hilaire’s tale is a masterfully written and well-researched piece of storytelling that will keep you riveted to the pages long after midnight. I read. I cried. I empathized. The horrors and fears Isle meandered as she grappled with her pregnancy, the birth of her child, and the horrific aftermath will stay with me for a very long time. Isle had one secret that she somehow managed to keep throughout the story: the baby’s father was Jewish. What sets this novel apart from other WWII stories I have read is the attention to detail and the impact St. Hilaire’s storytelling had in further educating me on Lebensborn. I was transported to the realities of the Third Reich, the philosophies of some in power to propagate a master race while imprisoning others. At the same time, many of the young BDM girls accepted their duty to the Reich to become wives, mistresses, and mothers both inside and outside of marriage. As Isle navigates a maternity house for pregnant women, she learns the truth behind many of the Reich’s pogroms. Driven to ensure she would never fall victim to the pressure to bear a child with an SS officer, Isle goes to great lengths to shield herself from another pregnancy. St Hilaire’s research is so intricately woven inside her tale, and her characters are so rich and believable, I felt as if I was walking the streets of Germany and sharing a room with Isle at the maternity home. The characters sprang off the page as the plot thickened. The story takes us on another adventure as Isle plots to escape the Lebensborn system. This book is a testament to the power of resilience, the survival of many under horrific odds, and the determination of some to avoid the Reich's coerced indoctrination. I couldn’t put it down. Five Stars all around. Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. This review is my opinion and mine alone.

This book was completely captivating. It is set in Nazi Germany during Hitler’s regime before and at the start of World War II. It follows a young German girl who finds herself in a Nazi breeding home. They were trying to “purify” the German race by breeding the women who were deemed to be perfect German specimen. Our main character’s only choice is to breed with an SS officer. She has little control over her life, but she finds a small way to fight back.

I loved this story from start to finish. The whole idea of breeding these women to create perfect SS officers is horrifying. This book will stick with me for a long time. It’s the side of Nazi Germany that we don’t really hear or learn about. This book is an easy 5 stars.