"In this, Nechama Tec's fifth book on the Holocaust, vivid individual stories blend effortlessly with detailed comparisons of wartime experiences of women and men. The result is a gripping account of the distinct coping strategies and ultimate fate of each sex.".

"Did women and men react differently under extreme conditions? Tec seeks answers by examining their experiences in a variety of Holocaust settings - during the initial stage of German occupation and in the ghettos, the Nazi concentration and death camps, the illegal Christian world, underground movements, and the forests. She shows how in each of these environments the women and men negotiated the rough terrain of a coercive and oppressive society.

The Holocaust gender tapestry is complex, and this book carefully illuminates its varied strands."--BOOK JACKET.