When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light under German Occupation
Genre: Non-Fiction, History
First Published: January 2014
Book Description (from Good Reads): On June 14, 1940, German tanks entered a silent and nearly deserted Paris. Eight days later, France accepted a humiliating defeat and foreign occupation. Subsequently, an eerie sense of normalcy settled over the City of Light. Many Parisians keenly adapted themselves to the situation-even allied themselves with their Nazi overlords. At the same time, amidst this darkening gloom of German ruthlessness, shortages, and curfews, a resistance arose. Parisians of all stripes-Jews, immigrants, adolescents, communists, rightists, cultural icons such as Colette, de Beauvoir, Camus and Sartre, as well as police officers, teachers, students, and store owners-rallied around a little known French military officer, Charles de Gaulle.
Thoughts:
The topic itself as very interesting.
I had no previous information about the way France was under the German occupation this being the first book picked up in the subject. It gives interesting information.
It is notable how initially the French, in general, were overly confident about defeating the German army, then when the surrender happened the way they rapidly adjusted to living under their regimen.
Then when it details about the way people were living there, it was almost as if they were in a bubble and nothing really bad happened. I believe that taking only one retelling of history is a bad source I would need to look into for more information. But as far as this book is concerned the people in Paris during this time period, were pretty sheltered and they kind of ignored what was happening to others, they overlooked the atrocities and injustices. Can't honestly say its wrong, because fear is a powerful deterrent.
IT also mentions something I find hard to wrap my mind around when the allies arrive and free Paris, that's when a lot more violence occurs. French start to fight back and even punish their compatriots for acts of betrayal to their country. When in reality everyone was just trying to survive and make the best of the situation they were in. Very unfortunate turn of events.
Unfortunately, it felt like it dragged a lot and it would have been nicer to have more anecdotes of people.... or if not well to have it more concise and short.
I liked the topic a lot and for the overall, it was very interesting but the length of it and the dry writing make it difficult to get through. I understand that non-fiction sometimes feels a bit dry, but still, this one was just a bit too much for me. Nevertheless, this topic is something we all benefit from knowing about.
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