Warrior: Audrey Hepburn

by Robert Matzen, Luca Dotti (Foreword by)

Overview

"UNICEF thought that with my mother they would get a pretty princess to show up at galas. What they really got was a badass soldier.” – Luca Dotti, Audrey Hepburn’s son. Warrior: Audrey Hepburn completes the story arc of Robert Matzen's Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II. Hepburn's experiences in wartime, including the murder of family members, her survival through combat and starvation conditions, and work on behalf of the Dutch Resistance, gave her the determination to become a humanitarian for UNICEF and the fearlessness to charge into war-torn countries in the Third World on behalf of children and their mothers in desperate need. She set the standard for celebrity humanitarians and—according to her son Luca Dotti—ultimately gave her life for the causes she espoused.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781735273839
Publisher:	GoodKnight Books
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	473,398
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Robert Matzen is the internationally bestselling author of Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe, and six other books. He has appeared on broadcast programs around the world and his byline has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, among other publications. Luca Dotti is the son of Audrey Hepburn and Italian psychiatrist Professor Andrea Dotti. Luca is co-author (with Luigi Spinola) of the New York Times bestseller Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen and two other books. He has long been involved with the Audrey Hepburn's Children's Fund, which helps children in need around the world.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface xi

1 Comebacks 1

2 Wings, Prayers, and Fate 15

3 Cinderella 19

4 The Square 24

5 The War Diet 32

6 The Visionary 43

7 You Just Decide 50

8 The Good Egg 66

9 Two Worlds 79

10 Camels with Solar Panels 89

11 Eye-Opener 96

12 Obliged 104

13 Return of the Dutch Girl 110

14 Dangerous Road 115

15 Unseen Shield 122

16 The Big Gun 128

17 The Adventurer 138

18 Chicken or Fish? 152

19 Intermission 160

20 Turning Point 172

21 Reunion 185

22 The Recruit 193

23 Conqueror 200

24 This Iron Will 213

25 She's Real 224

26 Good Ol' What's-Her-Name 231

27 The Big T 240

28 Held Together by Willpower 256

29 Warrior Queen 263

30 City of Death 274

31 Partners 289

32 The Last Battle 295

Epilogue 302

Author's Notes 307

Acknowledgments 323

Selected Bibliography 327

Index 329

Editorial Reviews

"Matzen meticulously researched Hepburn’s UNICEF years and worked closely with her son, her friends, UNICEF staff, journalists who covered her trips, and military personnel who met with and greatly admired her. VERDICT Hepburn’s empathy and bravery shine through; a must-read for both history buffs and Hepburn fans." —Library Journal

 


"Robert Matzen's inspiring biography Warrior: Audrey Hepburn...An inspiring and important chronicle of the final six years of Hepburn's life, when she tirelessly circled the globe as a humanitarian advocate for UNICEF." —Kevin Howell, Shelf Awareness

 


"A must-read at a time when income inequality, racial justice, climate change, women’s rights and the global refugee crisis have never been more newsworthy, Warrior is an original and gripping work of celebrity biography that will turn the world’s perception of this film and fashion icon on its head, and inspire a new generation of fans." —We Are Movie Geeks
 


"Drawing upon meticulous research, Mr. Matzen delivers a vivid, moving and persuasive account of a harrowing time that the actress seldom discussed in detail and which has been glossed over or sensationalized by frustrated biographers." —The Wall Street Journal
 

"Visceral details—of intense privation, bombings, and also acts of resistance—evoke the period. Matzen has created a vivid portrait of a civilian population under siege—one of whom just happened to become a Hollywood star." —Publishers Weekly 
 

"A meticulously detailed and researched look at the formative years of an iconic performer; for fans of Hepburn as well as anyone seeking a social history of the Dutch experience of World War II." —Library Journal
 

"A master storyteller, Matzen has given us a great story—intimate, intense, and unforgettable—that carries us not only into the heart of the battle but into the heart of a great human being." —Foreword Reviews
 

"[Dutch Girl] offers a wonderfully complete and revealing character sketch of an individual who continues to fascinate millions around the world. Hepburn was, of course, gracious, talented, and elegant. But Matzen makes clear that she also was extraordinarily courageous." —The Christian Science Monitor

From the Publisher

07/01/2021

Many books have chronicled the life and career of enigmatic actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn, but most biographies (including Dutch Girl, Matzen's earlier Hepburn biography) gloss over her character-defining work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. For this new book, Matzen meticulously researched Hepburn's UNICEF years and worked closely with her son, her friends, UNICEF staff, journalists who covered her trips, and military personnel who met with and greatly admired her. He interweaves stories of Hepburn's youth during the Second World War—her role as a 15-year-old volunteer for the Dutch Resistance; her complicated feelings toward her Nazi-sympathizing parents—with her second career advocating for the displaced children of the world. Hepburn's travels for UNICEF took her to places where children were most at risk. Overcoming her fears and putting aside regard for her own health, Hepburn ensured that journalists covered famine in Ethiopia, homelessness in Ecuador, lack of education in El Salvador, and the war in Sudan; in her last mission, she visited Somalia in 1992, just after the start of its civil war. VERDICT Hepburn's empathy and bravery shine through; a must-read for both history buffs and Hepburn fans.—Lisa Henry, Kirkwood P.L., MO

Library Journal