‘The pacing and personal voice of Ruth makes for a gripping, focused story where the stakes are high. If you loved The Nightingale, you will love They called me Renee.’ Heather Morris, internationally bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz
‘Extraordinary… a luminous portrait of survival and a powerful reminder of the light that can be found in humanity’s darkest hours’ Ellie Midwood, bestselling and award-winning author of The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz
‘Beautifully written and deeply affecting’ Clare Mulley, author of Agent Zo, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize
‘Extraordinary. Heart-rending. Inspirational. A gripping chronicle of true courage, heroism and resistance, in the face of ultimate evil. A triumph.’ Damien Lewis, author of Zero Six Bravo
‘An extraordinary true story of courageous survival and fearless resistance against the Nazis. Beautifully written.’ Robert Verkaik, author of The Traitor of Colditz
‘A gripping and heartbreaking account of courage and coming-of-age. In honest and authentic prose she shares her gripping story.’ Gwen Strauss, author of The Nine
In 1939, fourteen-year-old Ruth Uzrad is living with her mother and two sisters in Berlin. Her father has been taken in the night by the Gestapo and all around them, Jewish friends and neighbours are attempting to flee. Having become separated from the sisters she was trying to save, Ruth braves a new path as part of the underground French resistance.
With a fervour to fight the forces that tore her family apart, Ruth assumes a new identity: Renée. She impersonates a Gestapo member to save a baby from capture, is questioned by Nazis whilst delivering forged identification documents and smuggles Jewish children across the border into Switzerland. And as she continually risks being discovered, the promise of being reunited with her family slips further and further away.
Written by Ruth, originally for her grandchildren, They Called Me Renée is the rare and precious memoir of an
underground Jewish resistance fighter. A powerful testament to courage and conviction, it is the extraordinary true story of a girl trying to save herself, her family, and her community.
***
Previously published with the title Resistance Girl Renée
‘Extraordinary… a luminous portrait of survival and a powerful reminder of the light that can be found in humanity’s darkest hours’ Ellie Midwood, bestselling and award-winning author of The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz
‘Beautifully written and deeply affecting’ Clare Mulley, author of Agent Zo, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize
‘Extraordinary. Heart-rending. Inspirational. A gripping chronicle of true courage, heroism and resistance, in the face of ultimate evil. A triumph.’ Damien Lewis, author of Zero Six Bravo
‘An extraordinary true story of courageous survival and fearless resistance against the Nazis. Beautifully written.’ Robert Verkaik, author of The Traitor of Colditz
‘A gripping and heartbreaking account of courage and coming-of-age. In honest and authentic prose she shares her gripping story.’ Gwen Strauss, author of The Nine
In 1939, fourteen-year-old Ruth Uzrad is living with her mother and two sisters in Berlin. Her father has been taken in the night by the Gestapo and all around them, Jewish friends and neighbours are attempting to flee. Having become separated from the sisters she was trying to save, Ruth braves a new path as part of the underground French resistance.
With a fervour to fight the forces that tore her family apart, Ruth assumes a new identity: Renée. She impersonates a Gestapo member to save a baby from capture, is questioned by Nazis whilst delivering forged identification documents and smuggles Jewish children across the border into Switzerland. And as she continually risks being discovered, the promise of being reunited with her family slips further and further away.
Written by Ruth, originally for her grandchildren, They Called Me Renée is the rare and precious memoir of an
underground Jewish resistance fighter. A powerful testament to courage and conviction, it is the extraordinary true story of a girl trying to save herself, her family, and her community.
***
Previously published with the title Resistance Girl Renée
Reviews
'Ruth Uzarad's first-hand account of her journey from a young sheltered daughter of modest shopkeepers in Berlin into the resistance fighter known as Renée Sorell is a gripping and heartbreaking account of courage and coming-of-age. In honest and authentic prose she shares her gripping story. Glimpses into the future, when an older Ruth returns to the old sites, visits with her long lost friends, fellow refugee children and resistance fighters, and rediscovers her past, lends this account a profound layer of compassion and understanding.'
'Unforgettable. A rare coming-of-age story of a young Jewish teenager who fled Nazi Germany and joined the French resistance. 'Renée' survived unbelievable hardship and risked all to save the lives of countless Jewish children. Her deeply moving memoir is a powerful testament to human resilience and survival. A must-read!'
'A slim volume of great power. This part memoir, part tribute is beautifully written and deeply affecting.'
'What makes They Called Me Renée so moving is the sense of before and after. A lovingly described domestic world is shattered the day in 1938 when the Nazis come to the house to arrest the author's father and he disappears forever-from one day to the next everything is lost. Survival depends upon strategy and luck. The eighteen-year-old Uzrad makes the terrifying journey from Berlin to Lyon where she joins the French Resistance. She does not think of herself as heroic. This is what you do. You fight back.'
'A masterclass in resilience. This extraordinary memoir captures the breathless terror of occupied France and the fierce, unyielding courage of a young woman who refused to be broken. This is a luminous portrait of survival and a powerful reminder of the light that can be found in humanity's darkest hours.'
'An extraordinary true story of courageous survival and fearless resistance against the Nazis. Beautifully written.'
'Extraordinary. Heart-rending. Inspirational. A gripping chronicle of true courage, heroism and resistance, in the face of ultimate evil. A triumph.'
'They Called Me Renee is an incredible story of an ordinary young woman who survived an extraordinary period of history. A story of how identity changed for the purpose of survival can alter the person you were born to be, giving you the courage and resilience to become not only a survivor, but someone who goes on to make a difference in their community and their world in general...The pacing and personal voice of Ruth makes for a gripping, focused story where the stakes are high. If you loved The Nightingale, you will love They Called Me Renee. A wonderful true story which I believe will still be read generations from now, by all ages, cultures, and genders.'