"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
- A Novel in Verse: Experience Gerda Taro’s gripping story through intimate, first-person poetry that brings her passion, defiance, and courage to life.
- The Spanish Civil War: Journey to the front lines of a brutal conflict, where Gerda risks everything to capture the human cost of the fight for freedom through her camera lens.
- Inventing Robert Capa: Discover the audacious true story of how Gerda and her partner, André Friedman, created a fictional American photographer to change the face of photojournalism.
- An Anti-Fascist Spirit: Follow a headstrong young woman who, after being arrested for distributing anti-Nazi propaganda, flees Germany only to run toward the next fight against tyranny.