9780062917287
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Sudden Courage audiobook

  • By: Ronald C. Rosbottom
  • Narrator: Michael David Axtell
  • Category: Europe, France, History
  • Length: 10 hours 5 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: August 13, 2019
  • Language: English
  • (29 ratings)
(29 ratings)
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Sudden Courage Audiobook Summary

The author of the acclaimed When Paris Went Dark, longlisted for the National Book Award, returns to World War II once again to tell the incredible story of the youngest members of the French Resistance–many only teenagers–who waged a hidden war against the Nazi occupiers and their collaborators in Paris and across France.

On June 14, 1940, German tanks rolled into Paris. Eight days later, France accepted a humiliating defeat and foreign occupation. Most citizens adapted and many even allied themselves with the new fascist leadership. Yet others refused to capitulate; in answer to the ruthless violence, shortages, and curfews imposed by the Nazis, a resistance arose. Among this shadow army were Jews, immigrants, communists, workers, writers, police officers, shop owners, including many young people in their teens and twenties.

Ronald Rosbottom tells the riveting story of how those brave and untested youth went from learning about literature to learning the art of sabotage, from figuring out how to solve an equation to how to stealthily avoid patrols, from passing notes to stealing secrets–and even learning how to kill. The standard challenges of adolescence were amplified and distorted.

Sudden Courage brilliantly evokes this dark and uncertain period, from the beginning of the occupation until the last German left French soil. A chronicle of youthful sacrifice and courage in the face of evil, it is a story that holds relevance for our own time, when democratic nations are once again under threat from rising nativism and authoritarianism. Beyond that, it is a riveting investigation about what it means for a young person to come of age under unpredictable and violent circumstances.

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Sudden Courage Audiobook Narrator

Michael David Axtell is the narrator of Sudden Courage audiobook that was written by Ronald C. Rosbottom

Ronald C. Rosbottom is the Winifred L. Arms Professor in the Arts and Humanities and a professor of French, European Studies, and Architectural Studies at Amherst College. Previously he was Dean of the Faculty at Amherst; he is a Chevalier de l’Academie des Palmes Academiques. His previous book, When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944, was longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction. He divides his time between Amherst, Massachusetts, and Paris.

About the Author(s) of Sudden Courage

Ronald C. Rosbottom is the author of Sudden Courage

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Sudden Courage Full Details

Narrator Michael David Axtell
Length 10 hours 5 minutes
Author Ronald C. Rosbottom
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date August 13, 2019
ISBN 9780062917287

Subjects

The publisher of the Sudden Courage is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Europe, France, History

Additional info

The publisher of the Sudden Courage is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062917287.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Justine

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).

Leah

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.

Alisa

April 03, 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.

Jennifer

March 06, 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.

Brendan

December 17, 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.

Francis X DuFour

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!

Tina

October 01, 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!

Christa

May 24, 2020

This is a great book on a little examined subject. I think it would be great for young adult readers.

Tricia

September 09, 2019

This book was so well - researched and fascinating. It's a great follow up to 'When Paris went dark'.

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