A Boy in War

by Jan de Groot

When Jan is seven, Nazis attack and take over Holland. At first, not much changes. Soon, though, war starts taking things important things like neighbors and friends, trust and respect, even clothing, fuel and food. Through it all, Jan is still a boy, finding ways to play with friends and paddle his sailing canoe in the canals. But he must also filch food and help protect his father's "guests" from the enemy. Then the enemy takes his father away. Jan and his mother are on the run. They dodge bombs, sleep in haystacks, work for their food... all the while desperately searching for refuge and hoping for normal life―and Pa―to someday, somehow, return. Jan de Groot was born in 1932 in The Hague, Holland, and now lives in Langley, British Columbia. He regularly contributes articles to boating magazines, and he writes for De Krant , a Dutch newspaper distributed throughout the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, World War II

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A local author (from Langley)autobiography. It is about a Dutch resistance/refugee WWII. A good first hand account of the difficulties of war seen from a civilians perspective. It is a recommended read.

[1.1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoirs that include quite a bit of tragedy, a fair amount of travelogue, some reminiscences, and a couple of lighthearted moments from a child's view of WWII in the Netherlands. Definitely worth reading if you come across a copy, the writing is clear, maybe a little spare, but communicates everything you need to set the scene and absorb the atmosphere.

It was written for a younger audience, and the language is kind of stilted at points, but the central narrative of this book is very engrossing for all ages, and the pages pass quickly since Jan tells the story briskly without dwelling on anything in particular. You'll almost wish there was a little more detail at points. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who interested in a first person account of the occupation of Europe, or anyone who's craving a quick non-fiction break.

[Linda Bogaard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 * - It was a title chosen by the Pella Historical Society book club and even though I couldn't attend the discussion I wanted to read it because I am of Dutch heritage and have friends and distant relatives who live there. It was interesting to read about the ordinary citizen's experience during WWII, especially from a young child's point of view. As Americans we don't have experience with a horrible war forced upon us by another country and fought on our land. Was especially interesting as we hear about Russia invading Ukraine in our present day. I have visited various locations mentioned in this memoir and that helped make it even more real to me.

[Liz Neale · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Jan was 7 yrs. old the Nazis attack and took over Holland. This is a story about a boy
and his family and how they survived the War.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Powerful. A story that at times is fun and at times is difficult. I need some time to process.

[Jacqueline]

A very down-to-earth, matter-of-fact book about the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War 2. I enjoyed this account, it gave me a very real sense of what an average citizen went through during the occupation. Besides the stories of food shortages and Nazi oppression, there was also lots of anecdotes about how life changed in little, unexpected ways, and how the author’s family adjusted. There were also numerous anecdotes about life in the Netherlands in general before the occupation.

My husband’s maternal and paternal grandparents all lived through the occupation in the Netherlands, so I have a particular interest in understanding this part of history, and this book was gifted to us to that end.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually fantastic. I'll admit. I was fortunate enough to meet the author and receive a signed copy, but I never read the book for a few years. But I found the story enveloping, well-written and intense. A very good autobiography on the horrors of the Second World War, told of a young boy in Holland. Not France, Germany, Russia, America or Britain. But Holland. Well done, Jan de Groot.

[Megan Daily-Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

we LOVED this book; read it out loud with Thomas and Bay