Ep197: Hendrika de Vries, Open Turns: Memoir of Champion Swimmer in 1950s Australia

November 13, 2025
Hendrika de Vries is a retired family therapist, a teacher, and a writer, chronicling her life experiences with oppression and resistance in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, migration, competitive swimming, and misogyny in 1950s Australia. A fierce feminist and activist, de Vries infuses her writing with historical depth and personal perspective on challenges facing women and anyone deemed other. She is the author of When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew, award-winning memoir of her WWII childhood. and OPEN TURNS: From Dutch Girl to New Australian, which tells the story of her coming-of-age experience as an immigrant and a champion swimmer in 1950s Australia. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times and the LA Times. She lives in Santa Barbara, CA. Find out more about her at www.agirlfromamsterdam.com.

Order Open Turns, Hendrika de Vries’ second memoir
Order When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew, Hendrika de Vries’ second memoir
Hendrika’s website
Hendrika on Instagram and Goodreads
Mexico president to seek charges after being groped on street, Will Grant, BBC, November 6, 2025

Hendrika’s books are award winners.
When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew
Winner of the 2019 May Sarton Women’s Book Award.
Winner of the 2019 Nautilus Award for Memoir and Personal Journey. 
Non-fiction Author Association Gold.
Winner of the 2020 Eric Hoffer First Horizon  and Culture awards. 
2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Memoirs.
2021 Winner in both categories of Memoir and Young Adult Non-Fiction NYC Big Book Awards.

Open Turns: From Dutch Girl to New Australian
2025 Gold Winner  NonFictionBook Awards