"This is not just a story of the violence of fascism, but of the burning joy of freedom, and the exhilaration of shaping, with sweat and blood, a better world."**
From critically acclaimed author Kip Wilson comes this gripping coming of age historical fiction novel in verse about Gerda Taro, a vibrant, headstrong photojournalist with a passion for capturing the truth amid political turmoil and the first woman photojournalist killed in combat.
The daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants, Gerta Pohorylle doesn't quite fit in. While she's away at boarding school, however, she becomes a master at reinventing herself. When she returns from school, she gets more involved with left-wing groups as Germany splits into political extremes and after she's arrested for distributing anti-Nazi propaganda, Gerta and her family decide she must leave Germany.
In Paris, Gerda meets André Friedman, a Hungarian photographer eager for fame and fortune, who fosters Gerda's interest in photography and how it can be as much of a tool for broadcasting her beliefs as protesting and demonstrations. Together the pair invents Robert Capa, a rich American photographer, and soon they're selling "Capa's" work for high prices and to great acclaim. Soon after, Gerda begins selling her own work under the last name Taro and the pair take on more assignments, jetting off to Spain to cover the growing conflict that quickly becomes the Spanish Civil War.
As Gerda pushes closer and closer to the front line, eager to capture the lives and vibrant hopes of those fighting against fascism, she begins to lose track of, and regard for, her own safety.
** Kirkus starred review
- Strong Female Protagonist: Follow the fiercely independent Gerta Pohorylle as she defies convention, gets arrested for distributing anti-Nazi propaganda, and reinvents herself as the trailblazing photographer Gerda Taro.
- Partners in Photography: In Paris, Gerda meets the magnetic André Friedman. Together, they invent the persona of a famous American photographer, Robert Capa, a gamble that changes the course of both their lives.
- Written in Verse: Experience Gerda’s story through a unique and immersive novel in verse format, where every line feels like a snapshot capturing a fleeting, powerful moment.
- On the Front Lines of History: Journey to the heart of the Spanish Civil War as Gerda pushes ever closer to the front lines, risking everything to capture the human cost of the fight against fascism.
Kip Wilson is the author of White Rose, a critically-acclaimed YA novel-in-verse about anti-Nazi political activist Sophie Scholl. White Rose was a PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award winner, a Massachusetts Book Honor title, an Amelia Elizabeth Walden finalist, and the Malka Penn Award winner for Human Rights in Children’s Literature. Kip holds a Ph.D. in German Literature and was the Poetry Editor at Young Adult Review Network (YARN) for five years before joining Voyage as an Associate Editor in 2020. Her next YA novel-in-verse, The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin, is forthcoming from HMH/Versify in March 2022.
