The Goddess of Warsaw is a historical fiction novel written by Lisa Barr. This is the story of a World War II Jewish assassin who escaped the Warsaw ghetto. She leaves behind a painful past and finds fame as a Hollywood actress, but her secrets don’t stay buried forever.

In 1943, Bina Blonski was a member of the Polish Jewish elite. She grew up in a wealthy home and worked as a performer. When she and her family are imprisoned in the ghetto under Nazi occupation, Bina is determined to use her blonde hair, blue eyed Aryan looks to go undercover. Bina is able to sneak out and become a spy, gaining information and smuggling weapons to protect her fellow Jews. Circumstances grow more dire everyday and many sacrifices are made.

Bina eventually needs to make an escape and after a long treacherous journey, she winds up in America. About a decade later, she is reborn as Lena Browning, a Hollywood starlet. Yet, Bina always carries a piece of her past with her and continues to do underground resistance work rooting out Nazis in America, including one man whose mission it is to haunt her.

Years later, when new Hollywood it-girl Sienna Hayes set out to make a movie about Lena Browning’s life story, she gets a much darker and more powerful story than she bargained for. There is one last tale of revenge that needs to be carried out and Bina enlists Sienna to help her get there.

This story was completely captivating and haunting. It pulled me in and I read it in about 48 hours. Barr has such a distinct voice and ability to paint her characters in a vivid detail that brings you right into the action. It was an incredible show of strength and perseverance by this Jewish woman during the darkest period of her life.

The Goddess of Warsaw will break your heart and leave a lasting impression, and perhaps even a little bit of peace with the ending. This book was the perfect story of female resilience to read during Women’s History Month!

Lisa Barr is a former journalist and editor turned author.