A non-fiction book that reads like a novel is the holy grail. History by nature is engrossing, but there is no guarantee of it being well-written. Happily, Catherine Grace Katz spotlights a fascinating time in history from a unique vantage point: the daughters of the great men who were there.
The Conference at Yalta, where Churchill, FDR and Stalin gathered to plan out the end of World War II. By design and coincidence, Churchill brought his daughter Sarah. FDR brought his daughter Anna. And Averell Harriman, then U.S. Ambassador to Russia, brought his daughter Katherine, who also worked at the American embassy in Moscow. The daughters had administrative and military roles during the war, and the conference in Yalta brought them all together where they could observe and contribute in ways that took advantage of their somewhat overlooked positions.
The book begins in early February 1945 at a pre-meeting in Malta before the American and British contingents headed to Yalta - a Crimean seaside resort polished up to host the leaders in former Russian palaces.
The book is based on the many letters the women sent to friends and family that gave eye witness accounts to a conference that took advantage of and yet missed many opportunities that still reverberate today.
FDR would be dead by April of that year with Churchill falling out of power soon after. The aftermath is just as fascinating as the meeting itself, leaving no question that time marches on.
About the Author
Catherine Grace Katz is a writer and historian from Chicago. She graduated from Harvard in 2013 with a BA in History and received her MPhil in Modern European History from Christ’s College, University of Cambridge in 2014, where she wrote her dissertation on the origins of modern counterintelligence practices. After graduating, Catherine worked in finance in New York City before a very fortuitous visit to the book store in the lobby of her office in Manhattan led her to return to history and writing. She received her JD from Harvard Law School in May 2023. The Daughters of Yalta is her first book.
Same Shelf
A Life in Peace and War
Brian Urguhaut
