Review of Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance
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Marissa Garzetta
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- Latest Review: Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance by Luis Gil Armendariz
Review of Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance
[Following is a volunteer review of "Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance" by Luis Gil Armendariz.]
Forgotten Heroes of WWII: The French Resistance may very well become a staple of World War II research. Author Luis Gil Armendariz has clearly invested time not only into writing and researching his topic but also into sculpting masses of information into digestible form. Armendariz follows the gripping journeys of four Allied spies, fighting to maintain freedom from Nazi sympathizers. His tale takes us from Mexico to Germany, from the United States to Germany, and envelopes us in a world of espionage, danger, and excitement. Based on a true story, A weaves together historical figures with fictitious ones seamlessly, allowing us to see the robust nature of the French Resistance movement.
As a teacher, I especially appreciate how he takes artistic license to create dialogue between characters when he could just as easily have presented the same information in textbook-like stiffness. Armendariz has a unique vision for his topic, in which the historical figures are reborn as dynamic characters – which if you think about their stories, they must have been such characters. The style of the book made me want to read more as I became invested in these people and their lives. I am confident that anyone who loves WWII historical fiction will seamlessly transition into this nonfiction text with the same passion that they have reading a novel, and those who enjoy historical texts will have a hard time putting this down. I would also recommend Forgotten Heroes to high school ELA or History teachers looking for supplemental texts for a WWII or period piece unit. Although this is not a book that the average teenager would pick up for fun, as required reading Armendariz’s text is written in accessible, captivating language that even unenthusiastic students can understand and discuss.
I also appreciate that Armendariz takes the time to develop the unknown background of well-known institutions. For example, anyone who has seen a spy movie has probably heard of MI6 and probably of MI5, but not many know where they came from or why they were initially necessary. Armendariz touches on subjects such as these, giving the reader a robust understanding of history without his book feeling like a mass of informational text.
The only reason I would not call this a “quick read” is because of its size. Four hundred and sixty-three pages feels fairly weighty in print, so while it is extremely accessible in form, style, and content, your average casual reader might not immediately go for it or stick with reading it. I highly recommend the kindle edition since the digital format is less imposing. It is far easier to use the kindle timer and know you have less than 10 hours left of reading than to have 350 pages glaring at you in a volume.
I have spoken very highly of Armendariz’s style, but the one mark against its readability is that the author has trouble transitioning between thoughts. As one chapter closes and another begins, we jump from country to country seemingly at random, only to discover ten pages later how the first topic connects with the second. We can show the author some leniency in this analysis, since he is covering quite literally the entire globe and jumping between the stories of real people, fictitious people, people whose identities are hidden, and historical figures with whom Armendariz does not have direct ties. He has tackled quite a bit in his book, so it is understandable that the sections may not immediately make sense. Nevertheless, moving on to the next chapter consistently felt a bit choppy, making it difficult to follow the author’s train of thought. However, once you know everything will come together in the end, it is easier to sit back and simply enjoy what I have already described as a delightful read and wait for the author to put the pieces together for you.
It also seemed strange that the three main characters, Herman, Katrina, and Reuben are not introduced until a quarter of the way through the text. Of course, there is a lot of background information before we can get to these three, but it does add to a meandering feeling of the book. Even so, these critiques do not detract from the overall sensational nature of the book.
I rate this book at a very solid 3 out of 4. I love how easy a read this turned out to be and I enjoyed learning about the French Resistance and those who made it a success. The quasi-novel style is original, gripping, and accessible, allowing major characters to keep their oft-overlooked humanity. However, the author’s inability to transition from one idea to the next feels choppy and can leave the reader unnecessarily confused since his close-to-the-vest style is atypical of narrative. However, this book is well-edited, generally easy to understand, and makes its points exceptionally well. I think anyone with an interest in WWII history or period-piece narrative will greatly enjoy Armendariz’s work!
******
Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Forgotten Heroes of WWII: The French Resistance may very well become a staple of World War II research. Author Luis Gil Armendariz has clearly invested time not only into writing and researching his topic but also into sculpting masses of information into digestible form. Armendariz follows the gripping journeys of four Allied spies, fighting to maintain freedom from Nazi sympathizers. His tale takes us from Mexico to Germany, from the United States to Germany, and envelopes us in a world of espionage, danger, and excitement. Based on a true story, A weaves together historical figures with fictitious ones seamlessly, allowing us to see the robust nature of the French Resistance movement.
As a teacher, I especially appreciate how he takes artistic license to create dialogue between characters when he could just as easily have presented the same information in textbook-like stiffness. Armendariz has a unique vision for his topic, in which the historical figures are reborn as dynamic characters – which if you think about their stories, they must have been such characters. The style of the book made me want to read more as I became invested in these people and their lives. I am confident that anyone who loves WWII historical fiction will seamlessly transition into this nonfiction text with the same passion that they have reading a novel, and those who enjoy historical texts will have a hard time putting this down. I would also recommend Forgotten Heroes to high school ELA or History teachers looking for supplemental texts for a WWII or period piece unit. Although this is not a book that the average teenager would pick up for fun, as required reading Armendariz’s text is written in accessible, captivating language that even unenthusiastic students can understand and discuss.
I also appreciate that Armendariz takes the time to develop the unknown background of well-known institutions. For example, anyone who has seen a spy movie has probably heard of MI6 and probably of MI5, but not many know where they came from or why they were initially necessary. Armendariz touches on subjects such as these, giving the reader a robust understanding of history without his book feeling like a mass of informational text.
The only reason I would not call this a “quick read” is because of its size. Four hundred and sixty-three pages feels fairly weighty in print, so while it is extremely accessible in form, style, and content, your average casual reader might not immediately go for it or stick with reading it. I highly recommend the kindle edition since the digital format is less imposing. It is far easier to use the kindle timer and know you have less than 10 hours left of reading than to have 350 pages glaring at you in a volume.
I have spoken very highly of Armendariz’s style, but the one mark against its readability is that the author has trouble transitioning between thoughts. As one chapter closes and another begins, we jump from country to country seemingly at random, only to discover ten pages later how the first topic connects with the second. We can show the author some leniency in this analysis, since he is covering quite literally the entire globe and jumping between the stories of real people, fictitious people, people whose identities are hidden, and historical figures with whom Armendariz does not have direct ties. He has tackled quite a bit in his book, so it is understandable that the sections may not immediately make sense. Nevertheless, moving on to the next chapter consistently felt a bit choppy, making it difficult to follow the author’s train of thought. However, once you know everything will come together in the end, it is easier to sit back and simply enjoy what I have already described as a delightful read and wait for the author to put the pieces together for you.
It also seemed strange that the three main characters, Herman, Katrina, and Reuben are not introduced until a quarter of the way through the text. Of course, there is a lot of background information before we can get to these three, but it does add to a meandering feeling of the book. Even so, these critiques do not detract from the overall sensational nature of the book.
I rate this book at a very solid 3 out of 4. I love how easy a read this turned out to be and I enjoyed learning about the French Resistance and those who made it a success. The quasi-novel style is original, gripping, and accessible, allowing major characters to keep their oft-overlooked humanity. However, the author’s inability to transition from one idea to the next feels choppy and can leave the reader unnecessarily confused since his close-to-the-vest style is atypical of narrative. However, this book is well-edited, generally easy to understand, and makes its points exceptionally well. I think anyone with an interest in WWII history or period-piece narrative will greatly enjoy Armendariz’s work!
******
Forgotten Heroes of wW-II, the French Resistance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
