Season 9, Episode 13 - Wendy Holden
In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, host Colin Mustful talks with Wendy Holden, author of "The Teacher of Auschwitz." Holden shares the remarkable story of Freddie Hirsch, a Jewish youth leader who became a beacon of hope for children during the Holocaust. Through resilience, compassion, and courage, Hirsch fought to protect and inspire young lives in the darkest of times. Holden discusses her research, the challenges of fictionalizing history, and the enduring importance of remembering stories like Freddie’s today.
About the Author
Wendy Holden, also sometimes known as Taylor Holden, is an experienced author and novelist with more than thirty books published, fifteen of which are bestsellers. She has also had numerous works transferred to radio and television, and four of her books have been optioned for film.
A journalist for eighteen years, her first novel The Sense of Paper was published by Random House, New York, to widespread critical acclaim and has recently been released as an ebook. Her second novel The Cruelty of Beauty has been published in English as an ebook and in Czech as a hardback. Her non-fiction titles have chiefly chronicled the lives of remarkable subjects, including the international bestseller Born Survivors which tells the true story of three young mothers who hid their pregnancies from the Nazis and gave birth in the concentration camps.
A novel inspired by the powerful true story of a man who risked everything to protect children in Auschwitz…
Fredy Hirsch—a courageous, gay, Jewish athlete—created a haven for children inside Auschwitz, offering hope, learning, and care amid horror. Risking his life daily, Fredy fought for better conditions and inspired the youngest prisoners to imagine a world beyond fear. As time ran out, his greatest challenge remained: teaching them how to survive against all odds.
