Summary: From the
author of the New
York Times bestseller A
Train in Winter comes the absorbing story of a French village that helped save
thousands hunted by the Gestapo during World War II—told in full for the first
time.
Le
Chambon-sur-Lignon is a small village of scattered houses high in the mountains
of the Ardèche, one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Eastern
France. During the Second World War, the inhabitants of this tiny mountain
village and its parishes saved thousands wanted by the Gestapo: resisters,
freemasons, communists, OSS and SOE agents, and Jews. Many of those they
protected were orphaned children and babies whose parents had been deported to
concentration camps.
With
unprecedented access to newly opened archives in France, Britain, and Germany,
and interviews with some of the villagers from the period who are still alive,
Caroline Moorehead paints an inspiring portrait of courage and determination:
of what was accomplished when a small group of people banded together to oppose
their Nazi occupiers. A thrilling and atmospheric tale of silence and
complicity, Village
of Secrets reveals how every one of the inhabitants of Chambon remained
silent in a country infamous for collaboration. Yet it is also a story about
mythmaking, and the fallibility of memory.
A major
contribution to WWII history, illustrated with black-and-white photos, Village of Secrets sets the
record straight about the events in Chambon, and pays tribute to a group of
heroic individuals, most of them women, for whom saving others became more
important than their own lives.
Angie's Comments: Village of Secrets told a fascinating
story about World War II and Vichy France. I had only vaguely heard about the
efforts of people living on Plateau Vivarais-Lignon who had helped save people
from the Nazis before reading this book. The book brought important issues to
light, such as the collaboration of the Vichy government with the Nazis.
I am glad I read the book, but
the book itself can be confusing. There are many people discussed in the book,
so after I was finished reading, I used the index to go back and refresh my
memory about who was who. The afterword is interesting, as it discusses
controversy about the story and the rescuers. In fact, according to Amazon.com
reviews, there is controversy about Village
of Secrets.
This book is best for people
interested in World War II and the history of Jewish people.
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