Acclaimed journalist Charlie Glass looks to the American expatriate experience of Nazi-occupied Paris to reveal a fascinating forgotten history of the greatest generation. In Americans in Paris, tales of adventure, intrigue, passion, deceit, and survival unfold season by season, from the spring of 1940 to liberation in the summer of 1944, as renowned journalist Charles Glass tells the story of a … Glass tells the story of a remarkable cast of expatriates and their struggles in Nazi Paris. Before the Second World War began, approximately thirty thousand Americans lived in Paris, and when war broke out in 1939 almost five thousand remained. As citizens of a neutral nation, the Americans in Paris believed they had little to fear. They were wrong. Glass’s discovery of letters, diaries, war documents, and police files reveals as never before how Americans were trapped in a web of intrigue, collaboration, and courage.
Artists, writers, scientists, playboys, musicians, cultural mandarins, and ordinary businessmen-all were swept up in extraordinary circumstances and tested as few Americans before or since. Charles Bedaux, a French-born, naturalized American millionaire, determined his alliances as a businessman first, a decision that would ultimately make him an enemy to all. Countess Clara Longworth de Chambrun was torn by family ties to President Roosevelt and the Vichy government, but her fiercest loyalty was to her beloved American Library of Paris. Sylvia Beach attempted to run her famous English-language bookshop, Shakespeare & Company, while helping her Jewish friends and her colleagues in the Resistance. Dr. Sumner Jackson, wartime chief surgeon of the American Hospital in Paris, risked his life aiding Allied soldiers to escape to Britain and resisting the occupier from the first day. These stories and others come together to create a unique portrait of an eccentric, original, diverse American community.
Charles Glass has written an exciting, fast-paced, and elegant account of the moral contradictions faced by Americans in Paris during France’s dangerous occupation years. For four hard years, from the summer of 1940 until U.S. troops liberated Paris in August 1944, Americans were intimately caught up in the city’s fate. Americans in Paris is an unforgettable tale of treachery by some, cowardice by others, and unparalleled bravery by a few.
more
I am a Francophile, a true lover of all things French. Charles Glass is a renowned journalist and his treatment of the life of Americans in Paris prior and during World War II is a wonder. The book is filled with forgotten heroes and amazing acts of heroism. It is meticulously researched and a fascinating read. The book has all the excitement of a first-rate novel.
This is the first book I have run across that shows what happened in Paris just before and then after the Germans arrived. Why has no one written about these days before. Or how did I miss hearing about it or them. Great book. Everyone should read it.
Marvelous description of war-time Paris during Nazi occupation.
I couldn’t get interested in it.
I didn’t really like it. It was way too dry for my taste
It was amazing to learn how many prople remained in a war zone and survived
Way too detailed account of Paris at the beginning and during World War II. More of an overview would have been more helpful. I didn’t need to read the letters about who had what for dinner.
AMERICANS IN PARIS opened up a part of WWII that I had never thought about before. Of course, I knew about diplomats, business people, but ordinary Americans choosing to live in Paris during WWII seemed bizarre.
I knew of course that Europe generally did not have racial strife. Black entertainers flourished especially in Paris, less so in London. but still welcomed to fulfill their talents. What surprised me was the welcoming of the gay/lesbian population. It did strike me that what these people did to survive emotionally was extraordinary if not sad.
My grandmother was lesbian. While she stayed in the USA during WWII, I now, through reading this book, have a better understanding of her as an individual. Fortunately, the US has become far more understanding of individuals for their value and talents than not so very long ago.
A good amount of information on how the wide variety of Americans , some ex pats, some famous authors, artists & well known characters of the time, reacted to the occupation of Paris by the Nazis. Some fled, some resisted in many ways, some collaborated, etc. The text was a little dry & lengthy in places but interesting non the less.
I couldn’t put it away, even when things were hard. Changed my understanding of WWII, and French occupation. I live in Paris, so I know nearly every place spoken about. I loved this journey of reading, I have recommended it to all my friends and family. Excellent to keep history and people alive
A history of Americans in France leading up to and through WWII. Scary & haunting because of the many parallels with today’s political scene with the Trump adminstration
Interesting, fairly accurate historically, although portrays the French “resistance” (such as it was) in a better light than it deserved.
I ordered it in Audio as well as print format. Am still reading it ( listening ) ,am taking my time as I think it is well written enough for me to savor it slowly.
Somewhat interesting and chock full of secondary characters who stayed in Paris during the occupation.
I liked the book but I am obsessed with nazi Germany and I was disappointed with the ending and I didn’t think it was based on real people.
Good story of how Americans did their best to survive being in Paris through the war years. How they kept both the American Hospital and American Library kept going.