Jennifer Vido: What inspired your latest release, THE KEEPER OF HIDDEN BOOKS?
Madeline Martin: I found some incredible journals by Warsaw’s public librarians about their efforts through the Nazi occupation during WWII. While the looting and pulping of Polish books was rampant, the librarians were secreting books away – hiding them in boxes and under debris and even storing them in a secret warehouse. When Nazis closed the libraries, the librarians opened a secret one under their noses, ensuring there were still ways for their patrons to read books when they needed them most. But subterfuge around secreting books to readers was also happening within the Warsaw ghetto walls. People hauled their own personal collection of books in suitcases to share with one another. And a librarian of the Warsaw Public Library opened something called CENTOS, which was a secret library for children disguised under the auspices of being a care facility for orphans. CENTOS was truly ingenious with secret shelves that flipped around to hide the books within. Those amazing effort were so inspiring!
Jen: How does Zofia’s love of reading bring her comfort in war-torn Poland?
Madeline: When I create my characters, I delve into the country’s past. Not only in the time period I intend to write in, but even farther back, as that wealth of economic, political, and social history are such an integral part to every person alive no matter what time period they live in.
That said, I discovered that Poland was a country that fought for centuries to secure their independence. They had only just attained freedom after the first world war through the Treaty of Versailles in 1918. Zofia and her friends were born in that pocket of freedom before the Nazi occupation began, which meant I knew she would be a rebellious and feisty character, one willing to fight for what she believed in.
In the book, as war with Germany presses upon Poland, Zofia finds ways to rebel against Hitler’s cruelty toward others by starting a secret book club to read books banned in Germany. But what starts as an act of defiance for a dictator in a foreign land becomes a comforting distraction for her as Hitler’s forces sweep into Poland and consume Warsaw.
With each of those books she reads and discusses with her friends, Zofia uncovers something about herself and others, broadening her mind and her heart. But such comforts should not be only for those with access to forbidden books that have been smuggled to safety, so Zofia rebels in a new way – saving books to preserve for others and lending out the forbidden books even though doing so might get her killed.
Jen: Who is Zofia’s friend, Janina?
Madeline: The friendship between Zofia and Janina extends back to when they were little girls in school and continued through to their teen years. Though Janina’s family is Jewish, her parents only celebrate certain Jewish holidays after Janina’s uncle was killed by a mob during a Jewish targeted pogrom before Janina’s birth. However, her culture is something Janina has longed to reclaim. She does this in small ways, like cooking with her grandmother to make Jewish dishes, reading a magazine called Ewa that was for Jewish women but written in Polish, and still wishes she could do more.
Jen: How does Zofia fight back when Hitler’s forces come to occupy Warsaw?
Madeline: Initially Zofia fights back with her secret book club and by helping to salvage books from the bombings during the attack on Poland at the start of the war. However, once the Nazis occupy Warsaw, she begins working for the library and helps to smuggle books away in an effort to protect them from looting and destruction.
Eventually she joins the Gray Ranks alongside the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (which was the equivalent of our Girl Scouts). Their efforts cause trouble for the Nazis, though aggressive subterfuge is reserved for the older members of the Gray Ranks – men and women who were too young to fight to protect Poland at the beginning of the war. When the Warsaw Uprising begins on August 1, 1944, the Gray Ranks joins forces with the Home Army (Poland’s underground) to finally fight back against Nazi control.
Jen: What happens to her friend Janina that threatens to tear the two friends apart?
Madeline: When the Jews are forced into the ghetto, Zofia finds that not only can she not protect Janina, she cannot even find a way to see her. Despite the large wall preventing Zofia from seeing within the ghetto, she knows the exact location where Janina lives after they were forced to move out from above the art gallery Janina’s father once owned. It is difficult to know that they are only several dozen feet apart, but in two separate worlds that prevent them from being reunited…at least for a while. But you’ll have to read to see the book to how they come together again.
Jen: Tell us something interesting you discovered while researching WWII Warsaw.
Madeline: While doing research for this book, I traveled to Warsaw for two weeks to get more hands-on study of Poland and the history. Honestly, there is more than I can possibly detail that was interesting about my discoveries, but I’ll focus on Warsaw itself for now.
When the Nazis were defeated by the Soviet Union in January 1945, they left destruction in their wake as they fled. The Warsaw Uprising already left everything in tatters, especially when parts of the city had never been able to recover from the aggressive bombing and destruction wrought by the German attack in September of 1939. But it wasn’t enough. As the Nazis ran from the city, they continued their path of devastation. Prized buildings like libraries and the palace had holes drilled into the walls, stuffed full of dynamite, and blown up. Even their methods of reducing these great buildings to ruins was maliciously calculated, blowing up the center of higher floors, so the contents within would pour like a funnel into the inferno raging on the primary level. As a result 85% of Warsaw was destroyed.
But it was not the end of Warsaw. The city was pieced together like a giant jigsaw puzzle using larger chunks of rubble to recreate the buildings that once stood, blending the scorched, pock-marked relics of old with the smooth, recreated new. Bit by bit, the city was rebuilt to resemble its former self and into the beautiful city it is today.
Jen: What do you hope readers take away from this story?
Madeline: I hope readers come away having learned about Poland’s amazing history, how so many centuries of battling for freedom left them ferocious with patriotism and a spirit to never stop fighting. I hope the brave men and women who stood up for what was right, saving books and saving people, will once more be in our thoughts so that their memories might live on in the centuries to come. And I hope people find a beautiful appreciation in things that are so easy to take for granted: the freedom of the world around them, the right to books and an education, and the little, normal moments in life that slip between the cracks of hectic days and busy lives.
Jen: How can readers stay up-to-date on your latest happenings?
Madeline: Thank you for asking.
The best way is definitely my newsletter: https://madelinemartin.com/newsletter/
But readers can also follow me on these social media platforms: my website, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, BookBub, Instagram, and Goodreads.
Jen: What’s on your TBR stack?
Madeline: I’m looking forward to reading Kelly Rimmer’s new release, The Paris Agent, and am really excited for Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True coming out later this month.
Some recent books that I’ve read and loved are:
Starring Adele Astaire by Eliza Knight
Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
The Spectacular by Fiona Davis
I could go on and on…did I mention I love to read? LOL
Jen: Sneak peek! What’s your current work in progress?
Madeline: I can’t share too much because nothing is visible online yet, but I’m going back to Britain for my next book. This will be set in Nottingham, England with a little part in London (yes, there might be some Last Bookshop in London cameos…). This one is about a mother whose daughter must be sent away for her own protection…and also has a book-ish setting, because you know I can’t help myself!
Jen: Thanks for stopping by to chat about The Keeper of Hidden Books. Best of luck with your powerful and poignant novel.
Madeline: Thank you!
THE KEEPER OF HIDDEN BOOKS by Madeline Martin
A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true story of the underground library in WWII Warsaw, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.
All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.
With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.
But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families – and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left – literature.
Women’s Fiction Historical [Hanover Square Press, On Sale: August 1, 2023, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781335455024 / ]
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About Madeline Martin
Madeline Martin lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her two daughters (AKA OldestMinion and YoungestMinion) along with their two cats: SketchyCat who stares at walls and eats fuzz and LapCat who has a shoe fetish and enjoys Kung Pow peanuts. All shenanigans are detailed regularly on Twitter. Madeline graduated from Flagler College with a degree in Business Administration and works for corporate America. Her hobbies include rock climbing, running, doing crazy races (like Mud Runs and Color Runs) and just about anything exciting she can do without getting nauseous. She’s also a history fan (really more of a full on history dork) and loves to blog about random curiosities from her research. After living in Europe for over a decade, Madeline enjoys traveling overseas whenever she can. Her favorite place to visit thus far: Scotland. Writing has been a passion of hers since she was a child and now she finally gets to see her lifelong dream come true.
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