Join the Virginia Holocaust Museum for an online book talk and Q&A with author Shelly Sanders, discussing her novel The Night Sparrow. Sanders will discuss why young women were drawn to join the Red Army, how propaganda shaped their loyalty, and the real snipers who inspired the novel, including the experience of being Jewish in the Red Army. She will also reflect on the moral complexities these women faced, their erasure from history, and why their stories still matter today. The Night Sparrow Synopsis Moscow, 1942. Elena Bruskina joins the Red Army as a sniper to get revenge from the fascists who murdered her family, but when she’s ordered to give up her rifle to become an interpreter, she is entangled in a secret hunt for the most evil Nazi of all. Shelly Sanders is the author of five novels, including the recent Canadian bestseller The Night Sparrow(HarperCollins, 2025). Her earlier novel, Daughters of the Occupation (HarperCollins, 2022), explores her Jewish-Latvian roots and the Holocaust, earning critical acclaim for its haunting portrayal of victims and descendants. Shelly also writes Jewish Young Adult historical fiction (Rachel’s Secret, Rachel’s Promise, Rachel’s Hope), worked as a journalist for Canadian national publications, and teaches creative writing. She is a board member of Artists Against Antisemitism and a member of PEN America, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and The Writers’ Union of Canada. Learn more at www.shellysanders.com and follow her on Twitter @shelly_sanders and Instagram @fictionbyshellysanders Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6b4H9SjvQCmCqwVrUW7Mag#/registration
We remember. Our museum uses the history of genocide to teach the dangers of prejudice and indifference.
