A Good Place to Hide : How One French Community Saved Thousands of Lives in World War II

A Good Place to Hide : How One French Community Saved Thousands of Lives in World War II
ISBN: 9781760290290
Publication Date: 26 August 2015

They kept their heads down, they kept their mouths shut and they stuck together to offer sanctuary and shelter to over 3500 Jews in their small villages in the isolated upper reaches of the Loire. This is one of the great modern stories of unknown heroism and courage.

Nobody asked questions, nobody demanded money. Villagers lied, covered up, procrastinated and concealed, but most importantly they welcomed.

This is the story of an isolated community in the upper reaches of the Loire Valley that conspired to save the lives of 3500 Jews under the noses of the Germans and the soldiers of Vichy France. It is the story of a pacifist Protestant pastor who broke laws and defied orders to protect the lives of total strangers. It is the story of an eighteen-year-old Jewish boy from Nice who forged 5000 sets of false identity papers to save other Jews and French Resistance fighters from the Nazi concentration camps. And it is the story of a community of good men and women who offered sanctuary, kindness, solidarity and hospitality to people in desperate need, knowing full well the consequences to themselves.

Powerful and richly told, A Good Place to Hide speaks to the goodness and courage of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

About the Author

Peter Grose is a former journalist, literary agent and publisher. He has published two highly acclaimed books with Allen & Unwin, An Awkward Truth: The bombing of Darwin, February 1942 and A Very Rude Awakening: The night the Japanese midget subs came to Sydney Harbour.