In 1851, Olive Oatman’s family journey west ended in tragedy when she and her sister were taken captive by a Native American tribe. Branded with a striking tattoo, Olive would grow up stuck living between two worlds—forever changed by her ordeal. In this episode of End of Story, we explore her story of survival, resilience, and identity on the American frontier.

Warning: This story includes descriptions of violence, loss, and trauma.

Sources

• Image: Olive Oatman, c. 1860s. Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
• The Blue Tattoo by Margot Mifflin (book)
• Captivity of the Oatman Girls by R.B. Stratton (available online at Project Gutenberg)

During the Holocaust and World War II, a Polish social worker, Irena Sendler, risked her life to rescue more than 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. In this episode, we explore how she built a secret resistance network, worked with Żegota, and defied Nazi occupation to save lives. This is a powerful Holocause and Jewish history story of courage, survival, and compassion in the face of unthinkable danger.

Content Warning: This episode discusses the Holocaust, including violence, death, and the persecution of Jewish families, as well as children in extreme danger. Please listen with care.

Sources

• Mazzeo, Tilar J. Irena’s Children: The Story of Irena Sendlerand the Children She Rescued from the Warsaw Ghetto. Simon & Schuster, 2016.

• Kansas Historical Society. Kansas History Day – Holocaust and Life in a Jar. https://www.kansashistory.gov/p/kansas-history-day-holocaust-and-life-in-a-jar/14874

• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (n.d.). Warsaw. Holocaust Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/warsaw

A child’s diary became one of the most haunting records of wartime survival.

This episode examines the forgotten history of the almost 900 day Siege of Leningrad through the words of an eleven-year-old girl.

Trigger Warning This episode discusses extreme human hardship, including instances of cannibalism during times of famine. Listener discretion is advised.

Sources & References

• ​Werth, Alexander. Leningrad 1943: Inside a City Under Siege
• ​Reid, Anna. Leningrad: Tragedy of a City Under Siege, 1941-1944
• ​Peri, Alexis. The War Within: Diaries from the Siege of Leningrad
• ​Soka University Russia Center, "Tanya Savicheva Diary and the Life of Olga Berggolts. https://www.soka.ac.jp/en/special/berggolts/tanya/