Book Review: Paris-Underground

A war-time account of the Resistance in WWII

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as a gift several years ago. I received no compensation for writing this review. Links are not affiliated. 

Growing up, I was fascinated by hearing my grandparents’ stories of the 1930’s and 1940’s. I have read many books about the time period, such as the historical fiction novel Number the Stars and the autobiography The Invisible Thread. I took a World War Two class at Marquette and continued reading more after graduation. Paris-Undergroundwas a gift while I was completing grad school. I was intrigued by the summary: an American widow, living in Paris as the Nazis take over, helping to sneak soldiers out of occupied France. However, the book sat neglected on my shelf for several years due to the demands of grad school and teaching. Finally, this spring I was able to carve out time to read Paris-Underground. I could not put the book down and finished it in less than a week, while still teaching and preparing to move. 

The book begins by introducing you to Etta, the author and narrator. The books begins with the ending: Etta is on a ship sailing away from Europe, a self-declared pawn in the politics of 1942. This book isn’t fiction. Etta and her British friend, Kitty, lived a happy life in Paris. They have a fashionable apartment and grew close some twenty years earlier when Etta and her late husband would spend several weeks at a time in France. When Etta’s husband dies and Kitty is separated from hers, the two friends support each other by moving in together. 

What is remarkable is the short time frame for this book. Etta published her account during the war in 1943. While the opening chapter fills in a few background details of upbringing and events before the war, the main event starts with the Nazi’s arrival into Paris on June 13, 1940. As two expats, Etta and Kitty were involved with the Foyer de Soldat - the French equivalent of the USO. However, they both felt removed from the action in their adopted country. Unfortunately, they are unable to escape to unoccupied France and must return to Paris under Nazi rule. On their return, they encounter a soldier who is in desperate need of help and bears an uncanny resemblance to Etta’s late brother. This chance meeting sparks an underground movement to circumvent the Nazis, helping soldiers escape to England or Spain.

The first half of the book passes quickly, with Kitty flitting about dodging Nazi officers and finding money to support their operation. They strategically sneak soldiers into their apartment, help them gain strength, before releasing them to others to get them across the border. The entire time, even when things seem to be going well, the reader knows that eventually they will be caught, and wonders when that moment will be. 

In the second half of the book, Etta and Kitty are separated. Etta describes her journey under Nazi guard, detailing the poor rations and conditions. From the perspective of a reader in 2021, these details match what we have learned about the Holocaust and Nazi prisons. To a reader in 1943 when the book was published, however, it must have been horrifying to read how poorly their fellow citizens were treated. Etta, though, does not try to shock, merely just inform. She believes herself to just be anybody else - no one special or out of the ordinary.

I recommend this book to everyone to help understand the reality of living under occupied Nazi rule. Excerpts from Paris-Underground should support World War II units in schools, as the first person narrative provides a first hand account not easily available today.