The Spiral Shell: A French Village Reveals Its Secrets of Jewish Resistance in World War II - Hardcover

by Sandell Morse (Author)

A French village reveals its hidden secrets of Jewish resistance during World War II.

In Auvillar, France, author Sandell Morse uncovers a story of bravery and rebellion during the Nazi occupation. As she delves into the lives of Jewish families and individuals who risked everything to save innocent refugees, she confronts her own identity and heritage.

The Spiral Shell is a poignant memoir that explores themes of memory, identity, and the complexities of good and evil. For readers of World War II history, Jewish history, and anyone seeking inspiration from stories of resilience, this is a journey of discovery you won't want to miss. Discover the hidden past and find your own connection to the enduring power of the human spirit.

Back Jacket

In this haunting memoir that reflects on the Holocaust and its legacy, award-winning author Sandell Morse discovers stories of bravery and resistance enacted during WWII in southern France. In the course of six years at a writing residency in France, during which she met with survivors and historians, she painstakingly pieces together the puzzle that had been beguiling her over the years: what was the real story of the French Jews under the Vichy government during the Second World War?

Driven by her dogged curiosity and determination to uncover the truth, and with a fossilized shell she'd found in the wall of the Jewish quarter in Paris as a talisman, she seeks deeper meaning and understanding of her own Jewish heritage.

By gradually gaining the trust of those she interviewed, Sandell reconstructs incidents of the civilians' extraordinary courage in resisting the Vichy regime and Nazi occupation.

From the survivors' harrowing tales of escape, ingenious subterfuge, and just plain luck, she learns of a nunnery that was a safe-house for refugees; a rabbi who gave his life to save hundreds of Jewish children; the local gendarme who, endangering his own life, tipped the Resistance off to the upcoming Nazi roundups.

In this year that marks the 80th anniversary of the deportation of thousands of French Jews to Auschwitz, this memoir reflects on a crucial time in our world's history that still reverberates today and provides a moving tribute to those who resisted oppression and fascism.

Author Biography

Sandell Morse's nonfiction has been noted in The Best American Essays series, been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and won the Fourth Genre Steinberg Essay Prize.