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A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal
Two women in Nazi-occupied Paris created a daring escape line that rescued dozens of Allied servicemen. With one in a German prison camp, the other wrote a book about it—a memoir that was built on lies. Now the bestselling author of Eighty Days shares their incredible, never-before-told full story.
Etta Shiber and Kitty Bonnefous are the unlikeliest of heroines: two seemingly ordinary women, an American widow and an English divorcée, living quietly together in Paris. Yet during the Nazi occupation, these two friends find themselves unexpectedly plunged into the whirlwind of history. With the help of a French country priest and others, they rescue untold numbers of British and French soldiers trapped behind enemy lines—some of whom they daringly smuggle through Nazi checkpoints in the trunk of their car.
Ultimately the Gestapo captures them both. After eighteen months in prison, Etta, a New Yorker of Jewish descent, is returned to the United States in a prisoner exchange. Back home, hoping to bring attention to her friend Kitty's bravery, Etta publishes a memoir about their work. Paris-Underground becomes a publishing sensation and Etta a celebrity. Meanwhile Kitty spends the rest of the war in solitary confinement in a Nazi prison, entirely unaware of the book that has been written about her – and the deeds that have been claimed in her name.
In researching this story, Matthew Goodman uncovered military records, personal testimonies, and Etta Shiber's own never-before-seen wartime letters. Together they reveal, for the first time, the shocking truth behind Etta's bestselling memoir and the unexpected, far-reaching consequences of its publication. More than just a story of two women's remarkable courage, Paris Undercover is also a vivid, gripping account of deceit, betrayal, and personal redemption.
"Of the countless books written about the French Resistance, Paris Undercover stands out as a true original: a riveting, masterfully researched exposé of the explosive reality behind the story of two women imprisoned by the Nazis for helping Allied soldiers escape from behind enemy lines. When one of the women is released early and publishes a falsehood-filled memoir, this portrait of courage and friendship morphs into a heart-pounding tale of betrayal that is impossible to put down." —Lynne Olson, author of Madame Fourcade's Secret War and Empress of the Nile
"This is an amazing story. It's so surprising and poignant to discover how these two middle-aged women, acting on their own, risked their lives to save Allied soldiers trapped in occupied France. And the consequences of their heroism turn out to be even more extraordinary: dear friends enmeshed in a story of desperate survival—and betrayal." —Sarah Rose, author of D-Day Girls
"Just when it seems there is nothing more to learn about World War II, here comes this vivid story of an intrepid woman and her escape line, made more fascinating and poignant by its tangled afterlife." —Caroline Moorehead, author of Village of Secrets and Mussolini's Daughter
This information about Paris Undercover was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Jessica Hills
Matthew Goodman is the author of two other nonfiction books, The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York and Jewish Food: The World at Table. The recipient of two MacDowell fellowships and one Yaddo fellowship, he has taught creative writing at numerous universities and workshops. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and children.
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