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Sudden Courage
The author of When Paris Went Dark returns to World War II to tell the remarkable story of the youngest members of the French Resistance and their war against the German occupiers and their collaborators
On June 14, 1940, German tanks entered a nearly deserted Paris. Eight days later, France accepted a humiliating defeat and foreign occupation. Many adapted to the situation—even allied themselves with their new overlords. Yet amid increasing Nazi ruthlessness, shortages and arbitrary curfews, a resistance arose—a shadow army of workers, intellectuals, shop owners, police officers, Jews, immigrants, and communists. Among this army were a remarkable number of adolescents and young men and women; it was estimated by one underground leader that “four-fifths of the members of the resistance were under the age of thirty.” Months earlier, they would have been spending their evenings studying for exams, sneaking out to dates, and finding their footing at first jobs. Now they learned the art of sabotage, the ways of disguise and deception, how to stealthily avoid patrols, steal secrets, and eliminate the enemy—sometimes violently. Nevertheless, in most histories of the French Resistance, the substantial contributions of the young have been minimized or, at worst, ignored. Sudden Courage remedies that amnesia. Amid heart-stopping accounts of subterfuge, narrow escapes, and deadly consequences, we meet blind Jacques Lusseyran, who created one of the most influential underground networks in Paris; Guy Môquet, whose execution at the hands of Germans became a cornerstone of rebellion; Maroussia Naïtchenko, a young communist uncannily adept at escaping Gestapo traps; André Kirschen, who at fifteen had to become an assassin; Anise Postel-Vinay, captured and sent to a concentration camp; and bands of other young rebels who chose to risk their lives for a better tomorrow. But Sudden Courage is more than an inspiring account of youthful daring and determination. It is also a riveting investigation of what it means to come of age under the threat of rising nativism and authoritarianism—one with a deep bearing on our own time.
On June 14, 1940, German tanks entered a nearly deserted Paris. Eight days later, France accepted a humiliating defeat and foreign occupation. Many adapted to the situation—even allied themselves with their new overlords. Yet amid increasing Nazi ruthlessness, shortages and arbitrary curfews, a resistance arose—a shadow army of workers, intellectuals, shop owners, police officers, Jews, immigrants, and communists. Among this army were a remarkable number of adolescents and young men and women; it was estimated by one underground leader that “four-fifths of the members of the resistance were under the age of thirty.” Months earlier, they would have been spending their evenings studying for exams, sneaking out to dates, and finding their footing at first jobs. Now they learned the art of sabotage, the ways of disguise and deception, how to stealthily avoid patrols, steal secrets, and eliminate the enemy—sometimes violently. Nevertheless, in most histories of the French Resistance, the substantial contributions of the young have been minimized or, at worst, ignored. Sudden Courage remedies that amnesia. Amid heart-stopping accounts of subterfuge, narrow escapes, and deadly consequences, we meet blind Jacques Lusseyran, who created one of the most influential underground networks in Paris; Guy Môquet, whose execution at the hands of Germans became a cornerstone of rebellion; Maroussia Naïtchenko, a young communist uncannily adept at escaping Gestapo traps; André Kirschen, who at fifteen had to become an assassin; Anise Postel-Vinay, captured and sent to a concentration camp; and bands of other young rebels who chose to risk their lives for a better tomorrow. But Sudden Courage is more than an inspiring account of youthful daring and determination. It is also a riveting investigation of what it means to come of age under the threat of rising nativism and authoritarianism—one with a deep bearing on our own time.
336 pages, Paperback
Published August 7, 2020
31 people are currently reading
1677 people want to read
About the author
Ronald C. Rosbottom
5 books25 followersRonald C. Rosbottom is a Professor at at Amherst College. He has edited three essay collections and has written two monographs on French novelists.
At Amherst, Ron is the holder of the Winifred Arms Professorship in the Arts and Humanities and professor of French and European studies. He has also been an academic administrator and planner and former dean of the faculty. His classes have included the 18th-century British and French novel, the history of ideas, literary criticism, art history of the early modern and modern periods, the history of the European city, especially of Paris, fictional and documentary film, Napoleon and his legends, the literature of World War I, and, most recently World War II and the European imagination. Ron has published well over a hundred articles and book reviews, has edited three essay collections and has written two monographs on French novelists.
At Amherst, Ron is the holder of the Winifred Arms Professorship in the Arts and Humanities and professor of French and European studies. He has also been an academic administrator and planner and former dean of the faculty. His classes have included the 18th-century British and French novel, the history of ideas, literary criticism, art history of the early modern and modern periods, the history of the European city, especially of Paris, fictional and documentary film, Napoleon and his legends, the literature of World War I, and, most recently World War II and the European imagination. Ron has published well over a hundred articles and book reviews, has edited three essay collections and has written two monographs on French novelists.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 17, 2019
An interesting study about the role age played in motivating people to participate in resistance to the Nazi occupation of France. Rosbottom does a good job of analyzing different reasons and ways of resisting, as well as why people chose not too. I enjoyed his further discussion about the parallels between modern youth movements and the historical ones.
December 25, 2022
Enjoyed the stories within well enough and found it enlightening, but altogether, it felt really directionless. Took me three months to finish because I just rarely found the motivation to pick it up after finishing a section.
July 17, 2023
There seems to be a stereotype that the French are easily defeatable, given how quick the country was taken over by Nazis. But Rosbottom's Sudden Courage dispells some of that notion with stories of youth resistance during the occupation of France. During the 40s, many French teenagers joined underground resistance groups, some due to anti-German sentiments and others fearing for their livelihood as it wasn't just Jews who were targeted by the Nazis. Only of a few of them are given noticeable publicity, but all who joined in believed they were fighting for a cause to help free their country from unwanted dictatorship.
Although not a thorough biography of the noted youths who got their own memories recorded down, definitely all of them tremendous courage and wit to stand up in life threatening situations. Some were executed and many are not recognized, even today. But Rosbottom shows that even young people can comprehend what's going in current events, as many of the volunteers joined by choice and not by force of the resistance. I found Sudden Courage to be both informative and inspiring of what individuals can do in grim situations, especially since I fit in with the majority of the age group listed in here. My only issue is that the stories behind some of these individuals are clogged woth info explaining the background of the WWII occupation, but that's easily overlooked. If anything, Sudden Courage shows the positive actions youths cam do when others can't. For piece of history and a little French culture, Sudden Courage is a well-read book on ordinary citizens who did what they could to help wave off fascism.
Although not a thorough biography of the noted youths who got their own memories recorded down, definitely all of them tremendous courage and wit to stand up in life threatening situations. Some were executed and many are not recognized, even today. But Rosbottom shows that even young people can comprehend what's going in current events, as many of the volunteers joined by choice and not by force of the resistance. I found Sudden Courage to be both informative and inspiring of what individuals can do in grim situations, especially since I fit in with the majority of the age group listed in here. My only issue is that the stories behind some of these individuals are clogged woth info explaining the background of the WWII occupation, but that's easily overlooked. If anything, Sudden Courage shows the positive actions youths cam do when others can't. For piece of history and a little French culture, Sudden Courage is a well-read book on ordinary citizens who did what they could to help wave off fascism.
August 31, 2019
A very interesting look at youth in France under German Occupation. It covers the different forms of revolt (from spitting seeds at German soldiers to underground organizations and even the shooting of a German Soldier). The author also did a good job discussing the different youths and their efforts against the German Invasion, which not only included young males and communists but also Jews and young women (the latter which he devotes time to emphasize, since many of the efforts of young women from this time have often been overlooked). This was a book I enjoyed and read through quite quickly, because I found the topic very interesting. Will definitely be a book I re-read again in the future and I'm looking forward to seeing how his previous book When Paris Went Dark turns out as well (referenced in Sudden Courage a few times).
September 10, 2019
If this book had a flaw it's that it was sometimes unfocused and sometimes struggled to fit a diverse collection of stories into the overarching theme of adolescence but it's still inspiring and it's a history that I personally knew very little about before reading this book.
November 25, 2024
This is a powerful book about the children and young people during the Nazi occupation of France 1940 - 1945. Many of these pre-adults formed a crucial part of the Resistance to the occupiers. At times I felt sick as I read of the dangers and abuse from the occupiers these children and young people suffered. At other times, I was inspired to tears by their bravery and resilience in the face of terror.
Chapter Eight "Does Resistance Have a Gender" covers in detail the bravery, smarts, and determination of female children, teens, and young people. I have never read anything about what this gender went through as part of the Resistance. I was on an emotional roller-coaster as I read what I think is the most important chapter in this book.
Chapter Eight "Does Resistance Have a Gender" covers in detail the bravery, smarts, and determination of female children, teens, and young people. I have never read anything about what this gender went through as part of the Resistance. I was on an emotional roller-coaster as I read what I think is the most important chapter in this book.
March 6, 2020
This was a unique take on the French resistance. I liked the fact that the author pointed out that teenagers and young adults are in a completely different frame of reference than adults. Especially, when it comes to dealing with war and their future. That said, it was difficult for me to harmonize that fact along with the political scene at the time and the various courageous acts that the youngsters performed. This is definitely worth reading and taking your time with. The one drawback is that it does not move as quickly as a lot of books that deal with the subject.
April 3, 2020
I agree with other reviewers that this book does not flow terribly smoothly due to the author's (rather rough) style of reporting of multiple individual stories. But while the transitions were poor (or non-existent, in some cases), the research effort appears to have been sound, and the result is a collection of fascinating profiles of young people who were both passionate and courageous in standing up for their country and their beliefs. Reading it definitely helped to expand my understanding of the French community as a whole, during the occupation. I recommend it.
December 18, 2022
Sudden Courage is not the book I thought it would be. This is not a story about teenagers in the French resistance ambushing Nazis and blowing up ammunition depots. Rather, it's a social history about the experience of children and young adults coming of age as their country is occupied by the Germans and their response to it. It's a study in psychology and how always-tumultuous adolescence is affected by the unprecedented changes wrought by the occupation. While I would have been more interested in the action-adventure story, Rosbottom explores the subject fully. The conclusion, sadly, seems to be that many of the French young adults risked - and sometimes lost - their lives while acting courageously but generally with little significant impact on the War.
February 21, 2020
A fascinating account of the young French adults that joined the resistance against the German occupation of France (1940-44). Inspiring and tragic stories of young adults, male and female, Jewish and Christians, and the risks they endured provide a riveting tale of the resistance. The descriptions of the conditions during the German occupation are especially interesting: intentional malnutrition, Vichy cooperation, and constant raids and arrests of the young resistors. Outstanding read!
April 21, 2024
Using journal and memoirs of the young people who lived in Paris during the Nazi occupation of WWII, the author recounts the courage the youth displayed. Having just read the author’s first book on the resistance, this was a good follow up. Some was redundant, but concentrated on the young resisters ages 12-30.
September 9, 2019
This book was so well - researched and fascinating. It's a great follow up to 'When Paris went dark'.
October 2, 2019
Impeccable research and a strong narrative make this a captivating read about a little-known aspect of WWII history. Never underestimate a kid on a bike!
February 2, 2020
Interesting, but very spotty, especially in the first several chapters.
May 24, 2020
This is a great book on a little examined subject. I think it would be great for young adult readers.
November 24, 2020
I wanted to like this and I wanted to read the whole thing too. I really like anything that has to do with the history of France but this is a pass. I made it to page 100 & I stopped. My biggest pet peev is not being able to finish a history book.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews