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The Art of Resistance: My Four Years in the French Underground
An unforgettable World War II memoir set in Nazi-occupied France and filled with romance and adventure: a former Eastern European Jew remembers his flight from the Holocaust and his extraordinary four years in the French underground. Justus Rosenberg, now 98, has taught literature at Bard College for the past fifty years.
In 1937, as the Nazis gained control and anti-Semitism spread in the Free City of Danzig, a majority German city on the Baltic Sea, sixteen-year-old Justus Rosenberg was sent to Paris to finish his education in safety. Three years later, France fell to the Germans. Alone and in danger, penniless, and cut off from contact with his family in Poland, Justus fled south. A chance meeting led him to Varian Fry, an American journalist in Marseille helping thousands of men and women, including many artists and intellectuals—among them Hannah Arendt, Marc Chagall, Andre Breton, and Max Ernst—escape the Nazis.
With his German background, understanding of French cultural, and fluency in several languages, including English, Justus became an invaluable member of Fry’s refugee network as a spy and scout. The spry blond who looked even younger than his age flourished in the underground, handling counterfeit documents, secret passwords, black market currency, surveying escape routes, and dealing with avaricious gangsters. But when Fry was eventually forced to leave France, Gussie, as he was affectionately known, could not get out. For the next four years, Justus relied on his wits and skills to escape captivity, survive several close calls with death, and continue his fight against the Nazis, working with the French Resistance and later, becoming attached with the United States Army. At the war’s end, Justus emigrated to America, and built a new life.
Justus’ story is a powerful saga of bravery, daring, adventure, and survival with the soul of a spy thriller. Reflecting on his past, Justus sees his life as a confluence of circumstances. As he writes, “I survived the war through a rare combination of good fortune, resourcefulness, optimism, and, most important, the kindness of many good people.”
In 1937, as the Nazis gained control and anti-Semitism spread in the Free City of Danzig, a majority German city on the Baltic Sea, sixteen-year-old Justus Rosenberg was sent to Paris to finish his education in safety. Three years later, France fell to the Germans. Alone and in danger, penniless, and cut off from contact with his family in Poland, Justus fled south. A chance meeting led him to Varian Fry, an American journalist in Marseille helping thousands of men and women, including many artists and intellectuals—among them Hannah Arendt, Marc Chagall, Andre Breton, and Max Ernst—escape the Nazis.
With his German background, understanding of French cultural, and fluency in several languages, including English, Justus became an invaluable member of Fry’s refugee network as a spy and scout. The spry blond who looked even younger than his age flourished in the underground, handling counterfeit documents, secret passwords, black market currency, surveying escape routes, and dealing with avaricious gangsters. But when Fry was eventually forced to leave France, Gussie, as he was affectionately known, could not get out. For the next four years, Justus relied on his wits and skills to escape captivity, survive several close calls with death, and continue his fight against the Nazis, working with the French Resistance and later, becoming attached with the United States Army. At the war’s end, Justus emigrated to America, and built a new life.
Justus’ story is a powerful saga of bravery, daring, adventure, and survival with the soul of a spy thriller. Reflecting on his past, Justus sees his life as a confluence of circumstances. As he writes, “I survived the war through a rare combination of good fortune, resourcefulness, optimism, and, most important, the kindness of many good people.”
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 28, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
November 27, 2019
Dr. Rosenberg, a 98 year old retired university professor, has an amazing story to tell. He went from the free city of Danzig, to the Sorbonne in Paris, to working for the French Resistance, with many amazing adventures along the way. This is a memoir that reads like fiction, a page turner which offers a bonus history lesson. Highly recommended. Thanks to the publisher and to Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this advance copy.
June 22, 2020
The At of Resistance offers an interesting, if somewhat rambling, look into life in World War II France. The author originally traveled to France to attend the Sorbonne, but found himself working to help "decadent" (aka surrealist) artists and left-wing writers escape France to safer locations.
This title lacks the narrative power of novels set in occupied France, but that is clearly a result of its being based in fact, with a goal of recording actual happenings, rather than entertaining readers with imagined happening set in the same locale and time period.
This title lacks the narrative power of novels set in occupied France, but that is clearly a result of its being based in fact, with a goal of recording actual happenings, rather than entertaining readers with imagined happening set in the same locale and time period.
January 1, 2020
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you're going to read any World War II memoir this year make sure it's Justus Rosenberg's The Art of Resistance. Rosenberg is currently a 98 year old retired university professor and his life during the war was something else. In fact, he's a Jewish survivor of the war who has been cut off from his family and has found himself working with the French Resistance during the occupation. His memoir reads like fiction and it's very accessible, but it's not exactly an easy read knowing that he was constantly dealing with and the danger around every corner. Highly recommended for those interested in historical adventure and real life stories that deserve to be more widely known.
If you're going to read any World War II memoir this year make sure it's Justus Rosenberg's The Art of Resistance. Rosenberg is currently a 98 year old retired university professor and his life during the war was something else. In fact, he's a Jewish survivor of the war who has been cut off from his family and has found himself working with the French Resistance during the occupation. His memoir reads like fiction and it's very accessible, but it's not exactly an easy read knowing that he was constantly dealing with and the danger around every corner. Highly recommended for those interested in historical adventure and real life stories that deserve to be more widely known.
March 2, 2022
Resistance stories are so satisfying, and this one is no exception.
An engagingly told, fairly concise* account of Justus Rosenberg's life from the first day of WWII through the liberation. Born in the Free City of Danzig, the author moves to France at the outset of the war, where he eventually joins the French resistance movement. He narrowly escapes internment and death a number of times but tells the story in a straightforward way. We often learn about the degree of danger only after he's left the situation, which is much the way it worked in real life.
One of the things that most stands out to me is the way the author talks about some of the horrible effects of the war, and how disturbing it is regardless of what side the affected people are officially on. It goes beyond politics and sides and brings out the fundamental element of human life.
Also, the epilogue is excellent. So many people in the author's life survived, including his family. And he talks about the importance of allowing free discussion of ideas, even the bad ones.
Overall an enjoyable story.
* There is a longish detour into surrealists and surrealism.
An engagingly told, fairly concise* account of Justus Rosenberg's life from the first day of WWII through the liberation. Born in the Free City of Danzig, the author moves to France at the outset of the war, where he eventually joins the French resistance movement. He narrowly escapes internment and death a number of times but tells the story in a straightforward way. We often learn about the degree of danger only after he's left the situation, which is much the way it worked in real life.
One of the things that most stands out to me is the way the author talks about some of the horrible effects of the war, and how disturbing it is regardless of what side the affected people are officially on. It goes beyond politics and sides and brings out the fundamental element of human life.
Also, the epilogue is excellent. So many people in the author's life survived, including his family. And he talks about the importance of allowing free discussion of ideas, even the bad ones.
Overall an enjoyable story.
* There is a longish detour into surrealists and surrealism.
February 23, 2020
What an engaging, interesting and ultimately moving book. This memoir is very direct and plain, telling the story of Rosenberg's years in France during WWII.
This is another view into the many ways in which people resisted during the war and us quite fascinating. It is told in modesty without great sentiment or emotion and that makes it stand out. An excellent read. I'm glad that, at age 98, Rosenberg wrote this to better inform the world.
This is another view into the many ways in which people resisted during the war and us quite fascinating. It is told in modesty without great sentiment or emotion and that makes it stand out. An excellent read. I'm glad that, at age 98, Rosenberg wrote this to better inform the world.
June 28, 2020
Not bad by any means but every WWII account / biography / memoir I've read has been better. Rosenberg writes with a detached coldness that makes most of the events seem bland, and many of the stories he tells just don't compare to other WWII books.
December 28, 2019
2.5 stars. It was a bit full of bragging, especially his way with women. Dr. Rosenberg is a bit full of himself. Not a very fluid story telling.
March 5, 2020
I don't read a lot of memoirs, mostly because I don't really want to read random people's thoughts about their lives. And this book, unfortunately, lived up to that. The first third of the book was about his younger years, primarily how many women he slept with, how he was more successful with women than his friends, going to Paris for school, and oh, yeah, Nazis. The second third was about him working with a group that wasn't exactly the resistance but they definitely did some illegal things to help a lot of people. The last part was actually about the resistance. I've read books about the resistance and really enjoyed them, but the authors did a lot of research. This one is someone's memories and so it lacks the details that I want. It was interesting, but there was so much more going on that he didn't cover in his book. He didn't even go into many details about his work, and I was really wanting that. I may be done with memoirs.
December 2, 2021
Having read the New York Times obituary of Justus Rosenberg on November 17, 2021, I felt compelled to read his memoir. Born in Danzig (now in Poland) in 1921, he was a teen-ager when the Nazis started really coming into power in the 1930s. Everyone hoped that things would settle down, but it was not the case. In an effort to protect Justus, his parents sent him to Paris to study and to be safer. No doubt, it is what saved him, not that he didn't have to dodge bullets (literally) and many obstacles. He joined the Resistance in southern France after the Nazis invaded the north. His adventures are recounted here in a very easy to read prose. There is also an Epilogue which details what happened to the many people that he crossed paths with. I shed a tear as I finished, thinking of all the horrific things that happened during that awful period. Recommended.
February 15, 2020
It's an interesting and important story, but it's told very clinically and I had a hard time empathizing with the author. Any feelings he had or has seem very remote - he tells us he cares, but the reader doesn't feel it. He also thinks quite highly of himself in a way that I found uncomfortable. It's almost as though he blames the victims of the Shoah for not surviving because they weren't as clever as he was, when truly it was about luck. Plenty of clever people were murdered. Rosenberg's attitude seems perilously close to blaming the victims.
March 7, 2022
Having come across Varian Fry in my reading some months ago, I've taken him up as a special interest. Fry was one of the great unsung heroes of the Second World War. He came to France in 1940, shortly after the Germans occupied France. He came representing the Emergency Rescue Committee that was based in New York. He had some money and a list of two hundred names of artists and writers who were selected because of their grave danger from the Nazis. He arrived in Marseille with no background in rescue work and no idea how to start.
From that beginning, Fry established a working organization that, by the time he left a little more than a year later (being expelled by the Vichy French with no help from the American State Department that also wanted him gone) his ERC had rescued close to 2000 people. Surely he is a person worth reading about.
Rosenberg has taught languages and literature at several American universities, but his own writing is mediocre: there is a sameness to it throughout -- like the clip-clopping of a horse slowly pulling a wagon. Still, what he talks about is interesting. His growing up in Danzig, coming to France, flanerie, etc. But when he came to talk about his time working for Varian Fry, I was shocked. He never once mentions Fry without insulting or demeaning him. This is true within the main part of the book as well as the epilogue where he really lets loose.
Rosenberg was a small player in Fry's ERC. He was hired by Fry to work as an office boy and was never part of the inner circle, never worked with the files mostly worked as a messenger, and thus he had no idea of what was really going on or how and what Fry had organized, nor, apparently the risks Fry was taking. He explains the trip Fry made escorting Franz Werfel and his wife Alma Mahler-Werfel, Henrich Mann and his wife, and Golo Mann, Thomas Mann's son (and Heinrich Mann's nephew) to the border and says he made the trip himself in order to show off to the office in New York. What was Fry's actual concern in making this strange trip? he asks. Maybe he should have read one of the other books on the subject in order to find the answer to that question. The whole episode is a travesty and can only be excused by the fact that Rosenberg's is a memoir and not a history.
In Fry's memoir written in 1945 (I could only find the abridged version) Rosenberg is never mentioned, as far as I recall.
In Villa Air-Bel by Rosemary Sullivan, Sullivan gives not a biography of Fry but a history of the villa where Fry and several of his collaborators and clients lived, in a suburb of Marseille. Sullivan, in her 415-page book, mentions Rosenberg briefly three times, saying that Miriam Davenport met Rosenberg in Toulouse; that she sometimes took him with her when she met with her friend Mary Jane Gold in cafes in Marseille; and that Fry hired him as an office boy.
In the 352-page biography A Quiet American: The Secret War of Varian Fry by Andy Marino (1999), Rosenberg is mentioned twice. Once he is said to be "adopted" by Miriam Davenport and Mary Jane Gold and became office boy; and later that he grew up into a fearless Resistance warrior.
In the 273-page biography A Hero of Our Own by Sheila Isenberg (2001), Rosenberg is mentioned twice: first that he was a friend of Miriam's, was in Marseille, and was trying to emigrate, and that Fry appointed him office boy; and second, that he was at the Villa Air-Bel that first weekend when members of the group moved in.
When reading Rosenberg's memoir, his hatred of Fry jumps out at you. I'm not a Fry scholar, but from my reading of the four other books, I think that all of Rosenberg's accusations and innuendos are incorrect, except that he remained mostly unrecognized. There is no one else mentioned who inspires such dislike. Why such dislike? I can only guess.
Perhaps it is that for all that Rosenberg turned out to work in the Resistance (and won a high honor for it), his first impulse was to escape -- to emigrate. When Paris was invaded, he headed for Bayonne (which he says is on the Mediterranean coast -- surely a slip that his editor missed) hoping to find a ship out, although he says so that he could join the Polish army in London. It is mentioned again in a letter he reproduces that he receives from Miriam after the war where she says that Fry had told her there was nothing they could do to help Rosenberg escape when she pressed him. Anyone reading any of these books would know that Fry suffered greatly for not being able to help more people. But his commitment, as set out by the ERC, was to help artists and writers who, because of their work, were in special danger from the Nazis. There were other organizations who took on other groups, such as labor leaders, politicians, or the The Joint to help Jews.
At the end of Rosenberg's book, he gives some information on many of the people who appear in his memoir, Fry included. Among other nasty things, he says that after the war Fry wrote a self-congratulatory memoir of his time in France. I beg to differ. Although I only managed to find the abridged edition, I saw nothing self-congratulatory in it. It seemed to me a straightforward telling of his story -- the good and the bad. Now Rosenberg's memoir on the other hand ... You'll find plenty of ego there.
From that beginning, Fry established a working organization that, by the time he left a little more than a year later (being expelled by the Vichy French with no help from the American State Department that also wanted him gone) his ERC had rescued close to 2000 people. Surely he is a person worth reading about.
Rosenberg has taught languages and literature at several American universities, but his own writing is mediocre: there is a sameness to it throughout -- like the clip-clopping of a horse slowly pulling a wagon. Still, what he talks about is interesting. His growing up in Danzig, coming to France, flanerie, etc. But when he came to talk about his time working for Varian Fry, I was shocked. He never once mentions Fry without insulting or demeaning him. This is true within the main part of the book as well as the epilogue where he really lets loose.
Rosenberg was a small player in Fry's ERC. He was hired by Fry to work as an office boy and was never part of the inner circle, never worked with the files mostly worked as a messenger, and thus he had no idea of what was really going on or how and what Fry had organized, nor, apparently the risks Fry was taking. He explains the trip Fry made escorting Franz Werfel and his wife Alma Mahler-Werfel, Henrich Mann and his wife, and Golo Mann, Thomas Mann's son (and Heinrich Mann's nephew) to the border and says he made the trip himself in order to show off to the office in New York. What was Fry's actual concern in making this strange trip? he asks. Maybe he should have read one of the other books on the subject in order to find the answer to that question. The whole episode is a travesty and can only be excused by the fact that Rosenberg's is a memoir and not a history.
In Fry's memoir written in 1945 (I could only find the abridged version) Rosenberg is never mentioned, as far as I recall.
In Villa Air-Bel by Rosemary Sullivan, Sullivan gives not a biography of Fry but a history of the villa where Fry and several of his collaborators and clients lived, in a suburb of Marseille. Sullivan, in her 415-page book, mentions Rosenberg briefly three times, saying that Miriam Davenport met Rosenberg in Toulouse; that she sometimes took him with her when she met with her friend Mary Jane Gold in cafes in Marseille; and that Fry hired him as an office boy.
In the 352-page biography A Quiet American: The Secret War of Varian Fry by Andy Marino (1999), Rosenberg is mentioned twice. Once he is said to be "adopted" by Miriam Davenport and Mary Jane Gold and became office boy; and later that he grew up into a fearless Resistance warrior.
In the 273-page biography A Hero of Our Own by Sheila Isenberg (2001), Rosenberg is mentioned twice: first that he was a friend of Miriam's, was in Marseille, and was trying to emigrate, and that Fry appointed him office boy; and second, that he was at the Villa Air-Bel that first weekend when members of the group moved in.
When reading Rosenberg's memoir, his hatred of Fry jumps out at you. I'm not a Fry scholar, but from my reading of the four other books, I think that all of Rosenberg's accusations and innuendos are incorrect, except that he remained mostly unrecognized. There is no one else mentioned who inspires such dislike. Why such dislike? I can only guess.
Perhaps it is that for all that Rosenberg turned out to work in the Resistance (and won a high honor for it), his first impulse was to escape -- to emigrate. When Paris was invaded, he headed for Bayonne (which he says is on the Mediterranean coast -- surely a slip that his editor missed) hoping to find a ship out, although he says so that he could join the Polish army in London. It is mentioned again in a letter he reproduces that he receives from Miriam after the war where she says that Fry had told her there was nothing they could do to help Rosenberg escape when she pressed him. Anyone reading any of these books would know that Fry suffered greatly for not being able to help more people. But his commitment, as set out by the ERC, was to help artists and writers who, because of their work, were in special danger from the Nazis. There were other organizations who took on other groups, such as labor leaders, politicians, or the The Joint to help Jews.
At the end of Rosenberg's book, he gives some information on many of the people who appear in his memoir, Fry included. Among other nasty things, he says that after the war Fry wrote a self-congratulatory memoir of his time in France. I beg to differ. Although I only managed to find the abridged edition, I saw nothing self-congratulatory in it. It seemed to me a straightforward telling of his story -- the good and the bad. Now Rosenberg's memoir on the other hand ... You'll find plenty of ego there.
December 11, 2019
THE ART OF RESISTANCE
This was a terrific memoir. Written by 99 year old Justus Rosenberg, he tells the story of his youth as a Jewish survivor during WWII serving in the French Resistance. Born in the Free City of Danzig, a seaport on the Baltic, Justus is a student at the Sorbonne in France when the war breaks out. Unable to join the regular army in France because of his background, he becomes involved with the French Underground.
Working his way south in Vichy France, he joins up with the American Emergency Rescue Committee in Marseille helping surrealist intellectuals, artists, and writers in their efforts to leave Europe. Later he works as a recruiter for the Resistance in Grenoble and as a guerrilla fighter with the Maquisards. He was briefly attached with the Tank Destroyer Battalion Reconnaissance Company 636 in the American army. He also spends time as a logistics officer with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UN) working after the war with displaced persons and on denazification.
This memoir reads like an adventure story with a terrific amount of historical information provided along the way. The writing is fantastic in that his explanations of situations and events are so simply and clearly described; you get a great understanding of what it means to be part of a resistance. The learning is easy and the story of this young man’s eventful time during WWII is fascinating. Very enjoyable to read.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Justus Rosenberg, and Harper Collins Publishers Inc. for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This was a terrific memoir. Written by 99 year old Justus Rosenberg, he tells the story of his youth as a Jewish survivor during WWII serving in the French Resistance. Born in the Free City of Danzig, a seaport on the Baltic, Justus is a student at the Sorbonne in France when the war breaks out. Unable to join the regular army in France because of his background, he becomes involved with the French Underground.
Working his way south in Vichy France, he joins up with the American Emergency Rescue Committee in Marseille helping surrealist intellectuals, artists, and writers in their efforts to leave Europe. Later he works as a recruiter for the Resistance in Grenoble and as a guerrilla fighter with the Maquisards. He was briefly attached with the Tank Destroyer Battalion Reconnaissance Company 636 in the American army. He also spends time as a logistics officer with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UN) working after the war with displaced persons and on denazification.
This memoir reads like an adventure story with a terrific amount of historical information provided along the way. The writing is fantastic in that his explanations of situations and events are so simply and clearly described; you get a great understanding of what it means to be part of a resistance. The learning is easy and the story of this young man’s eventful time during WWII is fascinating. Very enjoyable to read.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Justus Rosenberg, and Harper Collins Publishers Inc. for the opportunity to read and review this book.
July 19, 2020
The Art Of Resistance was a stunning autobiography by Justus Rosenberg, a man who stumbled into the French Resistance during World War II. After reading A Woman Of No Importance, I’ve been really interested in reading more stories about the people who helped with the resistance because I find their bravery to be very inspiring.
The book read like a spy thriller and told of his amazing life! Here, as a young man, Justus was in Paris when Hitler’s occupation changed the direction of life for French citizens. When he met some friends who recommend him to the resistance, he embarked on a challenging job that proved very rewarding. Justus had a boyish face and blond features, and so he was often ignored by German officials, which proved to be an asset he used to gather information about the Nazi’s movements. He risked his life a number of times, and even had to undergo an unnecessary appendectomy to save his life! I was so impressed by everything he did and how he was able to help so many people.
His interactions with the notable artists and intellects of the time was clearly a source of pride for him. That took up a bit of the book, and wasn’t necessarily my favorite part, but after he helped them escape occupied France, I could see the impact this made on his life.
Every part of this was interesting, especially his part as a Guerrilla fighter in the French countryside. He wrote this book when he was 98, after receiving a Purple Heart, among many other honors. This was a great book that was very interesting to read. He ended it with this poignant words: We need to champion the notion that all human beings are equal and deserve to be treated as such
The book read like a spy thriller and told of his amazing life! Here, as a young man, Justus was in Paris when Hitler’s occupation changed the direction of life for French citizens. When he met some friends who recommend him to the resistance, he embarked on a challenging job that proved very rewarding. Justus had a boyish face and blond features, and so he was often ignored by German officials, which proved to be an asset he used to gather information about the Nazi’s movements. He risked his life a number of times, and even had to undergo an unnecessary appendectomy to save his life! I was so impressed by everything he did and how he was able to help so many people.
His interactions with the notable artists and intellects of the time was clearly a source of pride for him. That took up a bit of the book, and wasn’t necessarily my favorite part, but after he helped them escape occupied France, I could see the impact this made on his life.
Every part of this was interesting, especially his part as a Guerrilla fighter in the French countryside. He wrote this book when he was 98, after receiving a Purple Heart, among many other honors. This was a great book that was very interesting to read. He ended it with this poignant words: We need to champion the notion that all human beings are equal and deserve to be treated as such
January 16, 2021
I wasn't left with entirely positive feelings about this book. I chose to read it because the area of France where I used to live was a Resistance hot-spot, and I was keen to understand more. But somehow, this account never got into the detail of what being in the Resistance really entailed. This non-observant Jewish boy was sent to Paris by his parents when it became clear that staying in Danzig (now Gdansk) was no longer a safe option. He completed his school education and entered the Sorbonne before the German occupation of France really kicked in. When it did, his career as a Resistance worker began, and saw him in various locations, in various roles at different times. His linguistic skills and Aryan appearance stood him in good stead, and he finished the war unscathed, his path to a future in American mapped out.
I realise Rosenberg was very elderly when he wrote this book, but the story seemed to lack telling detail. And though his achievements were many, and deserve to be recognised and celebrated, he did rather spell them out. There's a fuller story here that deserves to be recorded.
I realise Rosenberg was very elderly when he wrote this book, but the story seemed to lack telling detail. And though his achievements were many, and deserve to be recognised and celebrated, he did rather spell them out. There's a fuller story here that deserves to be recorded.
December 23, 2021
❤ If i were rating this memoir with my head It would be 4 stars, but I am giving JR all 5 stars from my ♡. My pantheon of heroes is full of the men and women who resisted Hitler. Most of those heroes from Jean Moulin and Blessed Franz Jägerstädder to Frumka Plotnicka and her sister Hantze did not survive the war, but Justus Rosenberg survived magnificently, as a courier, a spy, a guerilla fighter, and an adjunct member of the US army. Blessed by a God he does not believe in or just blessed by luck and intelligence, this young blond Jewish boy from Danzig ended the war with a degree from the Sorbonne, work with an American resettlement agency in Germany, and, finally, passage to the United States. His resistance work is thrilling, but his memories of his family and many the people he encountered are also vivid and heartfelt. His story would inspire Spielberg. Living to 100 years, Mr. Rosenberg left us on October 30 this year, but he will be remembered as a beloved literature professor, as well as a Holocaust resistance hero. May his memory be a blessing.
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February 29, 2020
I was initially going to give this book 3 stars but the epilogue ended on such a strong and powerful note, I felt compelled to boost the rating to 4 stars.
Justus Rosenburg is one of the very few surviving WWII veteran and Holocaust survivors left. He wrote this book at the age of 98! (He's 99 right now) His ability to be able to recall the events of what happened nearly 80 years ago is really impressive.
I would have preferred more personal accounts rather than chapters that were bogged down by historical details but, again, seeing as Justus wrote the memoir based on events that happened so long ago, I imagine it was difficult to recall certain events and easier to just toss in some historical facts to help jog the memory. I'll let it slide.
Rosenburg's journey and involvement with the French resistance is a story full of impressive and heroic feats.
tl;dr - This was a very interesting memoir about a young Jewish student working for the Resistance during WWII. I definitely learned a lot from this book.
Justus Rosenburg is one of the very few surviving WWII veteran and Holocaust survivors left. He wrote this book at the age of 98! (He's 99 right now) His ability to be able to recall the events of what happened nearly 80 years ago is really impressive.
I would have preferred more personal accounts rather than chapters that were bogged down by historical details but, again, seeing as Justus wrote the memoir based on events that happened so long ago, I imagine it was difficult to recall certain events and easier to just toss in some historical facts to help jog the memory. I'll let it slide.
Rosenburg's journey and involvement with the French resistance is a story full of impressive and heroic feats.
tl;dr - This was a very interesting memoir about a young Jewish student working for the Resistance during WWII. I definitely learned a lot from this book.
February 27, 2020
Justus Rosenberg was a very determined man who was wise beyond his years during World War II. Today, in his upper 90’s, he has an awesome memory with details that are fascinating about his role in the Resistance movement. After reading the introductory pages, I wanted to stay with that storyline, so I jumped ahead to part three where he is hospitalized for appendicitis. I appreciate the education and knowledge about the Resistance groups in southern France.
October 24, 2025
An excellent memoir of a young Polish Jew, living in Danzig as the Nazis came to power in Germany, his relocation to Paris (safety) before the start of the Second World War, and after the fall of France, his experiences as he worked in the French Underground, the U.S. Army, and temporarily with the UNRRA and post-war German reconstruction. Truly a fascinating story.
March 8, 2020
" . . . [w]e need to champion the notion that all human beings are equal and deserve to be treated as such.
"We need to be alert to the dangers and nip them in the bud." Justs Rosenberg, The Art of Resistance, page 273.
So Justus Rosenberg, the blond-haired jewish boy who became an active member of the French Resistance, later an academic, ends his wonderful memoir, giving us the lesson his lifetime as someone fearful but unafraid, extroverted but made cautious by war, compassionate and sensitive in a way that makes his story almost poetic. He promises us more of his life in books to come. I hope he is true to his promise and live long enough to meet that goal. For our sakes.
Many, if not most, memoirs are written, in my opinion, to reinforce an author's fame or to justify a well-known author's next career move. My experience has been, unfortunately, that within the first 50 pages, the brain loses focus, the eyelids become heavy, and thoughts of 'what's for dinner' appear. None of this applies to this gift of a memoir Rosenberg offers here.
Rosenburg is hardly a household word, except to those knowledgeable about the Gaullist Resistance during the Second World War and he has never held political office or been a television news commentator. During his work life, he held professorships in English and foreign languages at Swarthmore and Bard, among other professional credits. In 2017, though, at age 95, Rosenburg was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur, the highest honor awarded by France, for his underground activities with the 636th tank destroyer battalion, an American unit which invaded France with the goal of seizing France and the world's beloved city of Paris back from the Nazis.
But Rosenburg's skills and what he calls the confluence of circumstances permitted him to survive the War when everyone he knew (he was Jewish, living in Danzig) was threatened with extinction as would he have been had he not taken advantage of every opportunity presented him to engage in Resistance. Rosenberg asks what I believe is the most important question about Hitler's unresisted ability to implement the horrors of the Holocaust, a question I have been trying to find certainty about since my days as a college history student 50 years ago:
"What was it about this man (Hitler) that could inspire such hatred?" (page 39). He does not, indeed he cannot, answer this question if my experiences are relevant, but he does show that Hitler, by his theatrics and cult-like appeal reversed German democracy and, unabated and unresisted, carried out atrocities against Jews and Roma that is unimaginable, all under the colour of the fiat laws Hitler imposed and judges Hitler appointed.
The work is a beautiful work of prose and Rosenberg's fondness for people and life shines through.
For example, he describes his first sexual experience with a friend of his mother, in a way I have never read before never once describing the sexual act itself, but as fond memory that seems to grow fonder as age advances. When I read this early in the book (pages 20-23), I recognized instantly that I was about to be treated to some very captivating writing and an extraordinary story. This assumption was reinforced when he wrote about the "flanerie" of Paris, that "attitude of curiosity and open-mindedness--not taking anything for granted. . . . [F]lanerie was not at all about detached observation, for when I lost touch with my own feelings" (page 62). Rosenberg's statements about flanerie describe him, too, I believe. It was his extroversion and his openness to observations that gave him the tools to do his work in the Resistance.
I recommend this book to anyone. People who want to experience or learn what good writing is should study this book for its style, clarity, and purposefulness. Rosenberg, at 98, promises 3 more work. Hurry up, Gussie, I'll be first in line to read them.
"We need to be alert to the dangers and nip them in the bud." Justs Rosenberg, The Art of Resistance, page 273.
So Justus Rosenberg, the blond-haired jewish boy who became an active member of the French Resistance, later an academic, ends his wonderful memoir, giving us the lesson his lifetime as someone fearful but unafraid, extroverted but made cautious by war, compassionate and sensitive in a way that makes his story almost poetic. He promises us more of his life in books to come. I hope he is true to his promise and live long enough to meet that goal. For our sakes.
Many, if not most, memoirs are written, in my opinion, to reinforce an author's fame or to justify a well-known author's next career move. My experience has been, unfortunately, that within the first 50 pages, the brain loses focus, the eyelids become heavy, and thoughts of 'what's for dinner' appear. None of this applies to this gift of a memoir Rosenberg offers here.
Rosenburg is hardly a household word, except to those knowledgeable about the Gaullist Resistance during the Second World War and he has never held political office or been a television news commentator. During his work life, he held professorships in English and foreign languages at Swarthmore and Bard, among other professional credits. In 2017, though, at age 95, Rosenburg was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur, the highest honor awarded by France, for his underground activities with the 636th tank destroyer battalion, an American unit which invaded France with the goal of seizing France and the world's beloved city of Paris back from the Nazis.
But Rosenburg's skills and what he calls the confluence of circumstances permitted him to survive the War when everyone he knew (he was Jewish, living in Danzig) was threatened with extinction as would he have been had he not taken advantage of every opportunity presented him to engage in Resistance. Rosenberg asks what I believe is the most important question about Hitler's unresisted ability to implement the horrors of the Holocaust, a question I have been trying to find certainty about since my days as a college history student 50 years ago:
"What was it about this man (Hitler) that could inspire such hatred?" (page 39). He does not, indeed he cannot, answer this question if my experiences are relevant, but he does show that Hitler, by his theatrics and cult-like appeal reversed German democracy and, unabated and unresisted, carried out atrocities against Jews and Roma that is unimaginable, all under the colour of the fiat laws Hitler imposed and judges Hitler appointed.
The work is a beautiful work of prose and Rosenberg's fondness for people and life shines through.
For example, he describes his first sexual experience with a friend of his mother, in a way I have never read before never once describing the sexual act itself, but as fond memory that seems to grow fonder as age advances. When I read this early in the book (pages 20-23), I recognized instantly that I was about to be treated to some very captivating writing and an extraordinary story. This assumption was reinforced when he wrote about the "flanerie" of Paris, that "attitude of curiosity and open-mindedness--not taking anything for granted. . . . [F]lanerie was not at all about detached observation, for when I lost touch with my own feelings" (page 62). Rosenberg's statements about flanerie describe him, too, I believe. It was his extroversion and his openness to observations that gave him the tools to do his work in the Resistance.
I recommend this book to anyone. People who want to experience or learn what good writing is should study this book for its style, clarity, and purposefulness. Rosenberg, at 98, promises 3 more work. Hurry up, Gussie, I'll be first in line to read them.
December 1, 2019
This memoir is incredible! Brilliantly and beautifully written, a story of a few years that lasts a lifetime. I literally could not put it down, and it followed me in my dreams... (I also did end up reading parts of it in the middle of the night when one of my kids woke me up).
Justus Rosenberg’s journey from Danzig to the US via France and Germany during and after just WW2 is quite simply amazing. He left Danzig to study in Paris (a great decision made by his parents at the time), and after the invasion of France in 1940 ended up in Marseille, then Grenoble, then various areas in the Drôme, before joining a US battalion and then the official refugee aid agency at the time (before it became the UNHCR). He spent time working to help refugees get out of France while being a refugee himself, escaped capture to then join the Résistance proper. I loved reading about his experiences making his way around France, living with Surrealists such as André Breton, working undercover in Grenoble (the city where I grew up), and his days as a flâneur in Paris. I really enjoyed the author’s descriptions of flânerie, descriptions that match my own personal way of discovering a new place I call home as well as old ones. I also loved how his memoir is peppered with his own personal thoughts and interpretations of events and possible future events, memories clear as day to both author and reader all these decades later.
Justus Rosenberg knows his story of survival and resistance is incredible but also knows that it was very much a mix of circumstance, luck, place, time, his observation skills, his quick thinking, his education, and also due to how he looked (young for his age and blond with blue eyes). But to me Justus didn’t just survive, he made the most of his circumstances to help others as much as he could, even when his own situation was pretty dire. He is such as inspiration and I can’t wait to read about more of his life (those FBI files sound very interesting!).
Justus Rosenberg will be 100 years old in 2021. His story is amazing, and in my opinion a must read, both in terms of how we need to remember the past, but also because his life philosophy is something that I think would bring hope to many, and maybe inspire many more to be like him. I am certainly inspired.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this amazing memoir in exchange for an honest review!
Justus Rosenberg’s journey from Danzig to the US via France and Germany during and after just WW2 is quite simply amazing. He left Danzig to study in Paris (a great decision made by his parents at the time), and after the invasion of France in 1940 ended up in Marseille, then Grenoble, then various areas in the Drôme, before joining a US battalion and then the official refugee aid agency at the time (before it became the UNHCR). He spent time working to help refugees get out of France while being a refugee himself, escaped capture to then join the Résistance proper. I loved reading about his experiences making his way around France, living with Surrealists such as André Breton, working undercover in Grenoble (the city where I grew up), and his days as a flâneur in Paris. I really enjoyed the author’s descriptions of flânerie, descriptions that match my own personal way of discovering a new place I call home as well as old ones. I also loved how his memoir is peppered with his own personal thoughts and interpretations of events and possible future events, memories clear as day to both author and reader all these decades later.
Justus Rosenberg knows his story of survival and resistance is incredible but also knows that it was very much a mix of circumstance, luck, place, time, his observation skills, his quick thinking, his education, and also due to how he looked (young for his age and blond with blue eyes). But to me Justus didn’t just survive, he made the most of his circumstances to help others as much as he could, even when his own situation was pretty dire. He is such as inspiration and I can’t wait to read about more of his life (those FBI files sound very interesting!).
Justus Rosenberg will be 100 years old in 2021. His story is amazing, and in my opinion a must read, both in terms of how we need to remember the past, but also because his life philosophy is something that I think would bring hope to many, and maybe inspire many more to be like him. I am certainly inspired.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this amazing memoir in exchange for an honest review!
August 25, 2020
What a captivating true story of a Jewish born teenager/young adult, from Danzig, who is able to escape the horrors so many others faced and instead contribute so positively to the French Resistance using his bravery, quick wit, intelligence, charm, along with the luck of having blonde hair, blue eyes, and looking much younger than his true age.
I was entranced from the beginning, where the author tells about his youth of growing up in Danzig during the turbulent times of Hitler's rise to power. I have never heard of a true story, such as this one, a story the author describes as "a small miracle," but I would say is absolutely miraculous, hiding in plain sight. The author tells his story in a way that is both fast paced and provides so much detail, especially considering these events took place 80 years ago! There is a casualness in his writing, as if his actions were not a big deal, when in fact, they took so much bravery, so much risk, and true heroism. I also really appreciate the author's honesty throughout the book about not believing in an afterlife, a God, or that he was in some way special or saved.
Truly a book everyone should read and can gain a new point of view of a time period that is often written about, but always needs new voices of bravery and truth to remind us of what humanity is capable of, both in the positive and negative. Of the type of people we should strive to be and the type of people we should make sure never come to power again.
I was entranced from the beginning, where the author tells about his youth of growing up in Danzig during the turbulent times of Hitler's rise to power. I have never heard of a true story, such as this one, a story the author describes as "a small miracle," but I would say is absolutely miraculous, hiding in plain sight. The author tells his story in a way that is both fast paced and provides so much detail, especially considering these events took place 80 years ago! There is a casualness in his writing, as if his actions were not a big deal, when in fact, they took so much bravery, so much risk, and true heroism. I also really appreciate the author's honesty throughout the book about not believing in an afterlife, a God, or that he was in some way special or saved.
Truly a book everyone should read and can gain a new point of view of a time period that is often written about, but always needs new voices of bravery and truth to remind us of what humanity is capable of, both in the positive and negative. Of the type of people we should strive to be and the type of people we should make sure never come to power again.
April 27, 2020
This book is exactly as described. It is truly a memoir from a specific time in Justus Rosenberg’s life – when a series of circumstances and his desire to enact change led him from college student to becoming a member of the resistance. I love this format, because it very much feels like sitting around with parents or grandparents and hearing stories from their various experiences. Even in what he seemed to perceive as mundane was a slice of life that someone of my generation living in the US is unlikely to experience.
We meet and become friends with so many of those he encountered along the way. Other students, poets, artists, soldiers, nurses, and farmers all hold a special place in his heart.
Ultimately, while he does come to some conclusions about acts, politics, and particular people – there is an overwhelming sense of compassion and understanding for everything that he endured.
Rob Shapiro is amazing narrating this. Rosenberg travels through many countries and one of is personal accomplishments is having learned several languages. Shapiro handles these accents with fluidity. His voice manages to be poignant and comforting throughout what can sometimes be a harrowing tale.
We meet and become friends with so many of those he encountered along the way. Other students, poets, artists, soldiers, nurses, and farmers all hold a special place in his heart.
Ultimately, while he does come to some conclusions about acts, politics, and particular people – there is an overwhelming sense of compassion and understanding for everything that he endured.
Rob Shapiro is amazing narrating this. Rosenberg travels through many countries and one of is personal accomplishments is having learned several languages. Shapiro handles these accents with fluidity. His voice manages to be poignant and comforting throughout what can sometimes be a harrowing tale.
February 8, 2020
This was such an incredible story! The book sucks you right in, every chapter having its own twist that makes you want to keep reading. I enjoyed this story and the determination and strength this young man had to survive throughout the war was in itself a great feat. He was able to make great things of his long life. What an accomplishment. A true hero.
October 30, 2019
Very well written. I didn't want to put it down.
September 20, 2024
I've read quite a few memoirs written by people who aren't writers. They're all a little on the nose, lacking artistry in their language, and that's fine. I'm here for their life experiences, not the floral language.
But this one is all that, and also painfully self congratulatory.
The story itself should lead the reader to their own conclusions on the author's character and abilities. In this book we are just told, point blank, how incredible he is. Especially with women!
Three stars because the story is generally interesting, if somewhat rambling at points, but overall I wouldn't recommend it.
But this one is all that, and also painfully self congratulatory.
The story itself should lead the reader to their own conclusions on the author's character and abilities. In this book we are just told, point blank, how incredible he is. Especially with women!
Three stars because the story is generally interesting, if somewhat rambling at points, but overall I wouldn't recommend it.
February 15, 2020
The Prologue of this book is the best part of the whole book. Justice Rosenberg had slipped out of one line at a Nazi internment camp and wandered over to a very long time. He found out that it was for prisoners who wanted to see a doctor for their ailments. He thought maybe it would be an easier way to escape! He questioned a young woman who was able to tell him what kind of diseases are so serious that he would have to be admitted. He knew how to heat up a thermometer and he had acting experience to feign pain. It worked. But the next morning, he woke up to find that the doctor had operated on him for appendicitis!
The next part on the one page prologue was even more exciting and surprising. I think I read the Prologue four times!
Unfortunately the rest of the book winds around and around his story. I was very interested in his parents but not so much in his social life with his friends in college. There was much of that in his book and not enough depth about his feeling of not knowing it his parents were still alive. The author has had a very long and meaningful life. I just wish that he had a good writer alongside him to ask questions. His experiences in the French Resistance were amazing but I think more questions from another person at his side would made his experiences much more memorable. His life is amazing but his story meanders.
I received an Advanced Review Copy from the publisher as a win from FirstReads. My thoughts and views are entirely my own.
The next part on the one page prologue was even more exciting and surprising. I think I read the Prologue four times!
Unfortunately the rest of the book winds around and around his story. I was very interested in his parents but not so much in his social life with his friends in college. There was much of that in his book and not enough depth about his feeling of not knowing it his parents were still alive. The author has had a very long and meaningful life. I just wish that he had a good writer alongside him to ask questions. His experiences in the French Resistance were amazing but I think more questions from another person at his side would made his experiences much more memorable. His life is amazing but his story meanders.
I received an Advanced Review Copy from the publisher as a win from FirstReads. My thoughts and views are entirely my own.
November 19, 2023
Parts were interesting, but the book seemed more of a braggimony than much of a record of the Resistance. Not a terrible book, but didn’t learn much new. Except perhaps how smart Justus Rosenberg was.
February 7, 2025
Bit too much focus on the surrealist movement, and some political ideas. But still very enjoyable and made me sob at the end.
February 27, 2025
Great book and insight to a part of WW2 I knew less about. I really enjoyed the perspectives he shared
March 25, 2023
When it comes to any kind of stories with Jews and WWII, it's understandable to brace for a depressing story of some kind, but Justus Rosenberg penned his autobiography just before his 100th birthday, and his story is the stuff of an action film. He escaped to France, joined the resistance, and helped fight for the Allies in many different ways, indirectly and directly.
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