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World War II: The Global, Human, and Ethical Dimension
An American Heroine in the French Resistance: The Diary and Memoir of Virginia D'Albert-Lake
This fascinating book tells the remarkable story of an ordinary American woman’s heroism in the French Resistance. Virginia Roush fell in love with Philippe d’Albert-Lake during a visit to France in 1936; they married soon after. In 1943, they both joined the Resistance, where Virginia put her life in jeopardy as she sheltered downed airmen and later survived a Nazi prison camp. After the war, she stayed in France with Philippe, and was awarded the Légion d’Honneur and the Medal of Honor. She died in 1997.
Judy Barrett Litoff brings together two rare documents―Virginia’s diary of wartime France until her capture in 1944 and her prison memoir written immediately after the war. Masterfully edited, they convey the compassion and toughness of a nearly forgotten heroine as they provide an invaluable record of the workings of the Resistance by one of the very few American women who participated in it.
“An indelible portrait of extraordinary strength of character . . . [D’Albert-Lake] is sombre, reflective, and attentive to every detail.”―The New Yorker
“A sharply etched and moving story of love, companionship, commitment, and sacrifice. . . . This beautifully edited diary and memoir throw an original light on the French Resistance.”―Robert Gildea, author of Marianne in In Search of the German Occupation, 1940-1945
“At once a stunning self-portrait and dramatic narrative of a valorous young American woman . . . an exciting and gripping story, one of the best of the many wartime tales.” ―Walter Cronkite
“An enthralling tale which brims with brave airmen and plucky heroines.”―David Kirby, St. Petersburg Times
Judy Barrett Litoff brings together two rare documents―Virginia’s diary of wartime France until her capture in 1944 and her prison memoir written immediately after the war. Masterfully edited, they convey the compassion and toughness of a nearly forgotten heroine as they provide an invaluable record of the workings of the Resistance by one of the very few American women who participated in it.
“An indelible portrait of extraordinary strength of character . . . [D’Albert-Lake] is sombre, reflective, and attentive to every detail.”―The New Yorker
“A sharply etched and moving story of love, companionship, commitment, and sacrifice. . . . This beautifully edited diary and memoir throw an original light on the French Resistance.”―Robert Gildea, author of Marianne in In Search of the German Occupation, 1940-1945
“At once a stunning self-portrait and dramatic narrative of a valorous young American woman . . . an exciting and gripping story, one of the best of the many wartime tales.” ―Walter Cronkite
“An enthralling tale which brims with brave airmen and plucky heroines.”―David Kirby, St. Petersburg Times
322 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 2006
105 people are currently reading
782 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 18, 2022
I had never heard of Virginia d’Albert-Lake, an American expat who participated in the French Resistance during WWII and who was sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp, before reading this book for Bookniks. Her memoir of her time there & in other camps was hard reading. Her bravery, resilience & survival were well-worth reading about.
March 21, 2019
Virginia D'Albert Lake lived as the best of the American spirit: in gratitude for privilege and opportunities as a citizen of this country. Her working class family values were strong on civil & humane ethics, finding one's path through inquiry and education, and applying oneself. While studying & working in France, Virginia met and married the love of her life. When WWII broke, they found themselves rescuing and sheltering the crew of a downed British aircraft as the right thing to do. The pace quickened, the rescues increased - until Virginia and one crew were discovered and taken by the Gestapo. She chronicled the series of imprisonments that followed in clear detail. Virginia's voice carried me across the pages - I binge read this book. Steady inner dialog, determination, courage, sense of purpose, love for others were her nature. Her likeness should be immortalized in a physical sculpture gracing a beautiful park where visitors can absorb her presence and learn her story.
This is what it means to be an American and global citizen and to experience the knowing of an enduring life partnership.
This is what it means to be an American and global citizen and to experience the knowing of an enduring life partnership.
May 15, 2012
What a wonderful book! I especially enjoyed Virginia's journal. I felt like I was in France right there with her experiencing those first terrifying months of war. Her love of her husband and her adopted country really shone through. I learned so much more about World War II reading this memoir that reads like a novel.
May 5, 2013
If my library could only consist of ten books, this would be one of them.
Not only is this a remarkable story for both its content and its preservation, but the entire book is well crafted: insightful footnotes, thoroughly documented sources, and thoughtful extras (such as the intro, the afterward, and the further reading).
Not only is this a remarkable story for both its content and its preservation, but the entire book is well crafted: insightful footnotes, thoroughly documented sources, and thoughtful extras (such as the intro, the afterward, and the further reading).
February 21, 2019
This true account of a heroic American woman and her husband who were members of the French resistance. Their risk, especially in guiding many American and allied servicemen to safety, touched me deeply. It isn't a book I'll forget and will very likely read again.
May 8, 2018
This was one of the biggest surprises I've come across. Not perfect, because the author spends much time just talking about day-to-day, but really well worth reading.
May 27, 2018
Extremely poignant telling of such an indepth experience from a time that should never have happened. Strength.
February 13, 2025
This is the actual memoir of Virginia D'Albert-Lake, an American woman who fell in love with a French man, married him, and lived in Paris as WWII was starting. She joined the Resistance and saved the lives of downed pilots, getting them to safety. She and her husband saved 60ish men.
She was so brave. She did get caught by the Gestapo and wound up in Revensbruck concentration camp where she practically died. She was saved, probably just in time, and continued to live in France with her husband Philippe, until she died at the age of 87. In 1997.
She received several honors, including the Croix de Guerre from France.
This book is well researched, many interesting footnotes.
I read the Room on Rue Amelie first. It was fiction based on Virginia's life. Then, I was thrilled to be able to order the memoir from Pratt.
She was so brave. She did get caught by the Gestapo and wound up in Revensbruck concentration camp where she practically died. She was saved, probably just in time, and continued to live in France with her husband Philippe, until she died at the age of 87. In 1997.
She received several honors, including the Croix de Guerre from France.
This book is well researched, many interesting footnotes.
I read the Room on Rue Amelie first. It was fiction based on Virginia's life. Then, I was thrilled to be able to order the memoir from Pratt.
November 13, 2022
The memoir part is better than the diary part. She was an amazing woman who deserves our admiration. Not as good as "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl. A hard read, especially the sections on Ravensbuck.
November 18, 2017
You know how it comes out and it's still harrowing.
December 29, 2025
I wish there were more stars than 5 that I could give this book! Fascinating story of courage and goodness and grit!
November 10, 2025
I see that I put this on my want to read list three years ago. I know that I could not find it at the time and then today it showed up on Goodreads for a minimal amount. So at last I am reading the original—not someone’s retelling of the story.
April 19, 2015
Disappointing. The French Resistance appeared in the title, so I expected more than ten pages about Virginia's work in the underground.
Virginia found it thrilling to convey fallen airmen through the streets, pretending to know them well by walking arm-in-arm.
Virginia was born 1910 in Dayton. In 1936, she married a Frenchman, so they moved to Paris. Virginia began her journal three years later. In 1943, she and her husband joined the resistance. Virginia and her husband guided sixty-six downed Allied airmen to shelter and safety before her arrest, eleven months after she began.
Interesting format. Part one includes her diary entries, from impending war in 1939 to her arrest in April 1944. Part two is her memoir, which covers the underground escape line from 1944, her internment in camps then her release in May 1945. A year later, she gave birth to her son.
Virginia distinguished herself as an American citizen who could return anytime to the safety of her native country. Only a few American women wrote in English about their experiences of this period. Virginia’s work gave a sense of immediacy because she wrote her diaries in the moment and her memoir in the year after the war ended.
Judy Barrett Litoff, editor of the book, wrote an excellent thirty-page introduction. Litoff’s helpful footnotes throughout the book document, clarify and illuminate Virginia’s diary and memoir.
Three stars: two stars for Virginia’s story, but four stars for Litoff’s vetting of the diary and memoir.
Virginia found it thrilling to convey fallen airmen through the streets, pretending to know them well by walking arm-in-arm.
Virginia was born 1910 in Dayton. In 1936, she married a Frenchman, so they moved to Paris. Virginia began her journal three years later. In 1943, she and her husband joined the resistance. Virginia and her husband guided sixty-six downed Allied airmen to shelter and safety before her arrest, eleven months after she began.
Interesting format. Part one includes her diary entries, from impending war in 1939 to her arrest in April 1944. Part two is her memoir, which covers the underground escape line from 1944, her internment in camps then her release in May 1945. A year later, she gave birth to her son.
Virginia distinguished herself as an American citizen who could return anytime to the safety of her native country. Only a few American women wrote in English about their experiences of this period. Virginia’s work gave a sense of immediacy because she wrote her diaries in the moment and her memoir in the year after the war ended.
Judy Barrett Litoff, editor of the book, wrote an excellent thirty-page introduction. Litoff’s helpful footnotes throughout the book document, clarify and illuminate Virginia’s diary and memoir.
Three stars: two stars for Virginia’s story, but four stars for Litoff’s vetting of the diary and memoir.
July 25, 2011
To quote the author, writing about Virginia and her husband, both resistants: "They were ... real heroes, people who risked their lives for something they believed in. It was as simple and powerful as that. In an era when the word 'hero' has become debased, when it often comes to mean simply surviving an ordeal, these two people did something more. They risked their lives, they took a chance, and they expected nothing in return. They actually DID something." And very nearly lost their lives doing it.
September 10, 2011
I've read German concentration camp accounts before, but this is non-fiction, begun immediately after her release from the camp in 1945. Virginia claims that the women who wept at night were the ones who died the next day; she got through because she never gave in.
July 26, 2015
This is an important story. It is not an easy read, but I really enjoyed the second half, the memoir, much more than the journal entries. I would have liked more details in the adventures on the comet line but I felt the will to live and the details she provided rounded out the story.
June 17, 2015
Good historical facts here but I found the first half of the book rather tedious and did a lot of skimming. I had read the book "The Nightingale" just previous to this. The Nightingale was also about women in the French resistance so I found this to be rather repetitive. Just ok.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews