Informative book about Americans who stayed in Paris during the occupation by the Germans in WW2. ( )

Very well written, well researched story of various Americans, usually famous or rich or titled who stay or are trapped in Paris during the Nazi occupation. There are many tales of treachery and danger in this absorbing story. Perhaps among the most shocking sideline is the treatment of black Americans by the U.S. military, from refusing to let them serve in integrated units to banning them from participating in General LeClerc’s triumphant liberation march ito Paris, even though they had been serving in integrated Free French units, ( )

I did not really give this book much of a chance. I may have read the first few chapters and these dealt with the experiences of Americans in Paris between 1939 to 1941 or before the United States officially entered the War. I had read When Paris Went Dark last May that dealt with the experiences of Parisians during the Nazi occupation. The early hero during the occupation of Paris was the US Ambassador William Bullitt Jr. who helped transition the city to the victorious German forces without the city being bombed or destroyed. ( )

5631. Americans in Paris Life and Death under Nazi Occupation, by Charles Glass (read 7 Jun 2019) This book, first published in 2009, kind of jerkkily tells of some Americans who stayed in Paris after the Nazis took over France in June 1940. The lives of persons connected with the American Library and the famed book shop Shakespeare and Co. and with the American Hospital are followed through the trials and tribulations they endured while the Nazis were in control of France. Some of the account is of much interest but there are also things related which seemed of less significance at least to me. Some of the things the Ameicans endured were difficult but of course they pale into insignificance compared to what French Jews and persons actively seeking to resist the Nazis underwent. One rejoices when the invasion of the continent finally occurs and the account of the liberation of Paris is good to read. A relative of FDR's was a son-in-law of Pierre Laval, so there is quite a bit about Laval and his behavior, though the fact he was tried and executed after France was liberated is not dwelt on. ( )

Valuable insights on life in occupied Paris during Word war II.
Huge, immense cast of characters makes for some difficult reading at times, but well worth the effort
As is often the case, those who are the real heroes are those you might have heard of. ( )