Author Description

Throughout history, students and artists have been in the forefront of struggles against tyranny. In Nazi-occupied Holland, Protestants, Catholics, Jews, non-believers, and Communists joined these patriots. Together, they fought Nazi efforts to plunder their county, suppress the people, and send more than 100,000 Dutch Jews to concentration camps. In this riveting narrative, author Barth Hoogstraten tells the stories of eleven ordinary citizens- a sculptor, a young female student, a middle-aged housewife, a banker, and a postal worker-who suddenly found themselves fighting for freedom. They were among the 1,671 Dutch men and women who paid the ultimate price for their heroism. Two were later declared national heroes and posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Hoogstraten, a survivor of the Nazi Occupation, provides rich details of the hardships, terrifying suspense, and sacrifice that characterized life during the Dutch resistance. Interspersed in this personal and spellbinding account, The Resistance Fighters captures the moments of humor, simple beauty, and love that persevered even in the darkest of days.