Sudden Courage: Youth in France Confront the Germans, 1940-1945

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.

“Active resistance to the Nazi occupation of France in 1940 to1944 often depended on young people. The adolescents among them brought special assets to dangerous actions and faced stresses particular to their age. Ronald Rosbottom explores these matters sensitively and vividly. . . .A thoughtful and stirring book.” - Robert O Paxton professor emeritus of history Columbia University and author of Vichy France: Old Guard and New Order

“A fine history that brings back to light the contributions of the younger, often forgotten resistance fighters.” - Kirkus Reviews

“A complicated and inspiring portrait of youthful resistants: their successes, their failures, their occasional inconsistency and their undoubted courage.” - Shelf Awareness

“A fine story-teller… has many inspirational tales to tell.” - Wall Street Journal

“Ronald Rosbottom masterfully explores the crucial role played by the young people of France, many still in their teens, in resisting the Nazis during World War II.” - Lynne Olson author of Madame Fourcade’s Secret War

“An exceptional account about the French Resistance… Highly recommended for Francophiles and those interested in World War II.” - Library Journal (starred review)

“Captivating… a moving chronicle of youthful courage and sacrifice.” - Publishers Weekly

“Following up on his marvelous...When Paris Went Dark, Ronald Rosbottom now recounts movingly the inspiring story of young people who resisted the Nazi occupation. With far-right forces rising again in Europe and the United States one can only hope that such sudden courage will not be needed again.” - William Taubman Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Khrushchev: The Man and His Era and of Gorbachev: His Life and Times

“Ron Rosbottom brings his demonstrated mastery of the German occupation of France, plus decades as a college professor, to vividly revise our understanding of the French resistance, and how dependent it was upon the energy and moral courage of very young women and men.” - Joseph J. Ellis, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of American Dialogue: The Founders and Us