Dirk van Leenen was born in The Netherlands in 1940, shortly after the German, Nazi, occupation. Possessing a vast trove of information about the occupation, and the Dutch resistance to it, he was persuaded to make a written record for posterity. This is a very valuable contribution to the historical record of that tragic time. The American's Are Coming, is a sequel to his previous book Resistance On A Bicycle, and it picks up with where the previous book ended, following the same characters.
These books are historical novels. The content is factual but sometimes arranged novelistically. Both books are filled with vignettes of life under occupation and the activities of the Dutch resistance. His focus is primarily on the effort to protect Dutch Jews from deportation to death in the concentration camps. While thousands of Jews were murdered thousands were also saved by the efforts of those who resisted.
It appears that these books are self published and, if so, it's a special tribute to van Leenen, that this record is preserved. While both books are largely vignettes loosely tied together, the second half of Americans creates narrative interest as the desperate Dutch anticipate their liberation. The current Russian atrocities in Ukraine are similar to what the Dutch experienced, though for the Dutch it lasted from 5/40 until winter '45, let's hope the Russo/Ukraine war is not that long.
This is not light entertainment but well worth the read.
Takk for alt,
Al
Today's random: We climbed that peak behind Machu Picchu.
No comments:
Post a Comment