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THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS, Joanna Sliwa & Elizabeth White
Simon & Schuster * January 2024 * 336 pages -
The book does contain maps and photographs, which Iʻm happy to send if if needed - let me know.
THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS is one of the most important books on Joelle Delbourgoʻs list and one for which I believe there are more untapped markets beyond the UK sale to Bonnier and the translation deals to WSOY in Finland, Newton Compton in Italy, Rebis in Poland, and Eksmo in Russia.
THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS is the true story of Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg—a Jewish mathematician who saved thousands of lives in Nazi-occupied Poland by masquerading as a Polish Aristocrat.
World War II and the Holocaust have given rise to many stories of resistance and rescue, but THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS is unique. It tells the astonishing unknown story of “Countess Janina Suchodolska,” a Jewish mathematician woman who masqueraded as a Polish aristocrat to rescue more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by Poland’s Nazi occupiers, becoming a heroine for the ages.
Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg operated in Lublin, Poland, headquarters of Aktion Reinhard, the SS operation that murdered 1.7 million Jews in occupied Poland. Using the stolen identity papers of a Polish aristocrat, she worked as a welfare official while also serving in the Polish resistance. With guile, cajolery, and steely persistence, the “Countess” persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from the Majdanek concentration camp. She won permission to deliver food and medicine—even decorated Christmas trees—for thousands more of the camp’s prisoners. At the same time, she personally smuggled supplies and messages to resistance fighters imprisoned in Majdanek, where 63,000 Jews were murdered in gas chambers and shooting pits. Incredibly, she eluded detection, and ultimately survived the war and emigrated to the US.
Drawing on the manuscript of Mehlberg’s own unpublished memoir supplemented with prodigious research, Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa - professional historians and Holocaust experts - have uncovered the full story of this remarkable woman. They interweave Mehlberg’s sometimes harrowing personal testimony with broader historical narrative. Like The Light of Days, Schindler’s List, and Irena’s Children, The Counterfeit Countess is a “riveting…stunning” (Debbie Cenziper, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of Citizen 865) account of inspiring courage in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
★LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Holocaust historians White and Sliwa masterfully piece together the untold story of a Jewish mathematician who masqueraded as a countess while she helped free and feed thousands of Poles imprisoned at the Majdanek concentration camp."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Powerful. . . . a heart-wrenching profile of resilience, ingenuity, and heroism."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: "The remarkable story of Janina Mehlberg almost didn’t see the light of day. . . .this book is the result of the painstaking work of historical researchers and archivists who know the value of unearthing a narrative like this one, otherwise in danger of being forgotten. A genuine contribution to scholarship that is also a memorable, inspiring tale of individual heroism.”
KIRKUS: "A fine delineation of personal heroism amid an era of utter human depravity."
NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS: "The book is part adventure-war story, part inspirational tale of right winning over might, all of it thoroughly researched. It is all the more effective for being true and being told with vibrant energy so that Janina almost steps off the page."
LARRY LOFTIS, The Watchmakerʻs Daughter: "A story of courage, compassion, and cunning so profound that it must be included with the greatest Holocaust literature. Mehlberg is a heroine for the ages."
JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL: “A gripping tale of one woman’s grit and courage in the face of unimaginable terror. That it is only available today, more than fifty years after Henry Mehlberg first attempted to get it published, is a reminder of how many Holocaust stories remain untold."
DEBBIE CENZIPER, Pulitzer Prize winner, Citizen 865: “An extraordinary testament to courage, resilience, and humanity during the darkest months of the Holocaust. Beautifully crafted and meticulously researched by two powerhouse World War II historians, this riveting story will ensure that the world never forgets the utterly remarkable Josephine Janina Mehlberg and an epic rescue mission that defied great evil. You will not put this book down until the very last word -- it is a stunning piece of Holocaust history that will stick with you long after you’re done."
ANDREW NAGORSKI, Saving Freud: “A stunning masterpiece about a previously overlooked hero of the war and the Holocaust. Never betraying any fear, ‘Countess Suchodolska’ performed seemingly impossible miracles again and again, routinely risking her life to save thousands of Polish prisoners in the Majdanek concentration camp. White & Sliwa have performed their own miracle by meticulously reconstructing her story and giving her the long-overdue recognition she so fully deserves.”
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE, AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY―City University of New York: “Part biography, part adventure tale, this is the astonishing and riveting account of moral courage and an enduring commitment to save lives.”
Dr. Elizabeth White recently retired from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where she served as historian and as Research Director for the USHMM’s Center for the Prevention of Genocide. Prior to working for the USHMM, she investigated and prosecuted Nazi criminals and other human rights violators at the US Department of Justice.
Dr. Joanna Sliwa is a historian at the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) in New York, where she also administers academic programs.She has taught Holocaust and Jewish history at Kean University and at Rutgers University and has served as a historical consultant and researcher, including for the PBS film Iʻn the Name of Their Mothers: The Story of Irena Sendlerʻ. Her first book, Jewish Childhood in Kraków: A Microhistory of the Holocaust won the 2020 Ernst Fraenkel Prize awarded by the Wiener Holocaust Library.
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