The Cost of Courage

Zusatztext "Charles Kaiser’s  The Cost of Courage  combines a thorough and quite accessible history of Europe’s six-year murderous paroxysm with a deftly told story…[a] stimulating book…[It] documents, through the life of an extraordinary family, one of the 20th century’s most fascinating events—the German occupation of the City of Light. But it is also a subtle history of the complexity of the French Resistance and its legacies. ”  — The Wall Street Journal "In the same manner a young girl's diary once vivified the Holocaust and the fate of 6 million for a postwar audience, Kaiser tells, through the Boulloche family, the story of lives turned complicated by the bizarre realities of Vichy France. At once heroic and heartbreaking, this story leaves an indelible mark."  —Kirkus Reviews  (Starred Review) "[ The Cost of Courage ] is a mix of history, biography and memoir which reads like a nerve-racking thriller."  — The Guardian  (US) "Kaiser reveals the moral ambiguity of resistance when one’s enemy is as ruthless as Nazi Germany...[He] makes the most of the inherent drama in the story he tells, but his touchstone is his relentless search for truth amid the fog of war...brilliant. "  —The Washington Post "Moving...Compelling...a story with the detailed intimacy of a journal and the powerful immediacy of a novel." —The Christian Science Monitor "Dramatic... The Cost of Courage  admirably explores the dynamics of a painful reckoning."  —Newsday "[A]  vivid family portrait that examines four siblings’ heroic contribution to the French resistance of WWII...a riveting paean to unsung war heroes in occupied France." — Publisher's Weekly "[R]emarkable...a story of recovery and resilience... The Cost of Courage  is a poignant reminder that there are many untold stories of World War II, but that those who lived them will soon be gone."  —BookPage "Kaiser has expertly interwoven historical facts about World War II--particularly what the British, Americans and French were doing to fight the Germans--with the personal narratives of the Boulloche family and of some of their closest friends to create a well-rounded, behind-the-scenes portrayal of their wartime lives."  —Shelf Awareness "[Charles Kaiser's] effort has produced a wonderful history, reading like a spy novel while serving as a testament to the efforts of many French men and women in their fight for freedom.  The Cost of Courage  vividly and eloquently recreates the heroism of many through the eyes of one French family."  —Bookreporter.com "[R]iveting... Charles Kaiser captures the devotion the brother and two sisters have for one another and their extended family." — The Missourian "The Cost of Courage  is both a history and a morality tale, the story on one level of the Boulloche family and the risks they both took and did not take to preserve their lives and their integrity. It is also a key chapter in the history of France under German occupation, when some citizens, fired by patriotism, risked all to resist the Nazis—as the nation split between occupied and Vichy, southern France—while others survived by sitting on their hands. Both, in tragic ways, paid the cost of their decisions."  —America Magazine “ The Cost of Courage  is good history, loving biography, excellent reporting. It turns out the cost of courage is beyond the means of most of us.” —Edmund White, author of  Inside a Pearl “Even now, almost three quarters of a century after the second world war, the role played by the French resistance in German occupied and Vichy France is often overlooked. Charles Kaiser has not only unearthed the story of an extraordinary family, but set it against a world in which courage, selflessness and resilience were of greater importance than personal survival...

Product details

• Authors: Charles Kaiser
• Publisher: Other press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.05.2017
• EAN: 9781590518397
• ISBN: 978-1-59051-839-7
• No. of pages: 288
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 210 mm x 20 mm
• Subject: Non-fiction book