The Hidden Children of France, 1940-1945: Stories of Survival

Bailly, a consultant, researcher, and former professor of linguistics who was a hidden child in France, compiles the stories of 18 former "hidden children" (including her own story) who were saved by French citizens from the Holocaust and deportation during Nazi occupation. The survivors (Jewish children from France and Belgium) describe their lives before, during, and after the war; separation from parents, some who were deported to concentration camps; how their experiences differed according to their ages; and how their adult lives were affected. The book was translated from the French version Traques, Caches, Vivants: Des Enfants juifs en France, 1950-1945 (2004) by Becker-Theye (modern languages, U. of Maine Hutchinson Center). There is no index. An imprint of State University of New York Press. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Danielle Bailly is one of the surviving “hidden children.” She was Professor of Linguistics at Paris Diderot University until 1998. Since then she has worked as a consultant and researcher.

Betty Becker-Theye is Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Humanities at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and Adjunct Professor of Modern Languages at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center. She is the author of The Seducer as Mythic Figure in Richardson, Laclos, and Kierkegaard.