Review
Margaret L. Rossiter is a professor of history, and her book on the role of women in the French Resistance during World War II reads like a well-researched textbook: the tone is unemotional, the thesis is clearly stated in the preface, the facts are chronologically presented and accompanied by twenty-eight pages of footnotes and twelve pages of bibliography. The subject matter, however, transforms the work from a scholarly documentation of historical facts into a collection of heroic stories. A virtual manual on the workings of the French Resistance from 1940-45, Women in the Resistance is filled with the details of organizing and leading escape lines, clandestinely gathering and transmitting military information, publishing and circulating underground newspapers, sabotaging targets, and fighting in partisan combat. The women who perform these are smart, courageous, strong, and dedicated, ranging in age from teenager to grandmother. Their stories make us wonder - could I have been this strong of spirit and body and mind? How would I have stood up to such a threat to my home and life? This book takes us from the global stage of world history to the inner world of personal courage, carefully documenting both as it shows us how women were propelled into extraordinary action by their determination to defy and defeat Hitler. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Kate Boris-Brown
