Women of War

The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis

By: Suzanne Cope

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

The gripping, true, and untold history of the Italian anti-fascist resistance during World War II, told through the stories of four spectacularly courageous women fighters

From underground soldiers to intrepid spies, Women of War unearths the hidden history of the brave women who risked their lives to overthrow the Nazi occupation and liberate Italy. Using primary sources and brand new scholarship, historian Suzanne Cope illuminates the roles played by women while Italians struggled under dual foes: Nazi invaders and Italian fascist loyalists.

Cope’s research and storytelling introduces four brave and resourceful women who risked everything to overthrow the Nazi occupation and pry their future from the fascist grasp. We meet Carla Capponi in Rome, where she made bombs in an underground bunker then ferried them to their deadly destination wearing lipstick and a trenchcoat; and Bianca Guidetti Serra who rode her bicycle up switchbacks in the Alps, dodging bullets while delivering bags of clandestine newspapers and munitions to the anti-fascist armies hidden in the mountains. In Florence, the young future author of Italy’s new constitution, Teresa Mattei, carried secret messages and hid bombs; while Anita Malavasi led troops across the Apennine Mountains. Women of War brings their experiences as underground resistance fighters, partisan combatants, spies, and saboteurs to life.

Essential and original, Women of War offers not only a reexamination of the elision of women from vital WWII history but also a valuable perspective on the ongoing fight for gender equality and social justice. After all, these were the women who launched a feminist movement as they fought for the future of their country, and what that could mean for its women, all while under Nazi and fascist fire.

©2025 Suzanne Cope (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Journalist Cope spins a thrilling saga of four young women of the Italian resistance...Cope’s narrative rivets as she tracks how the young women escalated their efforts; one woman, who at her first resistance meeting was asked to play Chopin to cover the partisans’ voices, ends up a key member of a hit squad...It makes for a captivating look at how antifascist resistance operated and evolved during WWII."—Publishers Weekly (starred)

“A deeply researched and sublimely cinematic tale about regular people making a difference and standing up to fascism, Women of War is an inspiring read that’s also highly relevant today. I stand in awe of the bravery of these tenacious women and of Cope’s skill in telling their incredible stories.”—Olivia Campbell, New York Times bestselling author of Women in White Coats and Sisters in Science

"Women of War is a well researched, elegantly told and deeply relevant story of female courage and defiance. Suzanne Cope's passionate prose moves and inspires."—Judy Batalion, New York Times bestselling author of The Light of Days