Surviving Invasion in Avenue of Spies
June 1940 marked the beginning of the occupation of Paris by the Germans during World War II and of the terrible war years that followed as Parisians were subject to harsh laws, retaliation, and food shortages that bordered on starvation. The French Resistance fought back and recruited others to join including the American Doctor Sumner Jackson who had stayed behind with his wife Toquette and their son Phillip.The danger was immense and not only did helping the resistance risk all of their lives, but many of the important German officers and officials lived on the Jackson’s block.
Avenue of Spies by Alex Kershaw is the true story of the risks and ultimately the price that Sumner and his family paid to save lives and help defeat the Germans. Kershaw, the author of The Liberator and The Bedford Boys, has written a detailed account about life in Paris during the occupation and the sacrifice of heroes who changed the war and history.
