The Forgotten Names

A Tale of Heroism and Reclaiming Identity in Nazi-Occupied France

De: Mario Escobar

Narrado por: Saskia Maarleveld

In August 1942, French parents were faced with a horrible choice: watch their children die, or abandon them forever. Fifty years later, it becomes one woman’s mission to match the abandoned names with the people they belong to.

Five years after the highly publicized trial of Klaus Barbie, the “Butcher of Lyon,” law student Valérie Portheret began her doctoral research into the 108 children who disappeared from Vénissieux fifty years earlier, children who somehow managed to escape deportation and certain death in the German concentration camps. She soon discovers that their rescue was no unexplainable miracle. It was the result of a coordinated effort by clergy, civilians, the French Resistance, and members of other humanitarian organizations who risked their lives as part of a committee dedicated to saving those most vulnerable innocents.

Theirs was a heroic act without precedent in Nazi-occupied Europe, made possible due to a loophole in the Nazi agenda to deport all Jewish immigrants from the country: a legally recognized exemption for unaccompanied minors. Therefore, to save their children, the Jewish mothers of Vénissieux were asked to make the ultimate sacrifice of abandoning them forever.

Told in dual timelines, The Forgotten Names is a reimagined account of the true stories of the French men and women who have since been named Righteous Among the Nations, the children they rescued, the stifled cries of shattered mothers, and a law student, whose twenty-five-year journey allowed those children to reclaim their heritage and remember their forgotten names.

• World War II historical fiction inspired by true events
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs, a historical timeline, and notes from the author
• Book length: 70,000 words
• Also by author: Auschwitz Lullaby, Children of the Stars, Remember Me, The Librarian of Saint-Malo, The Teacher of Warsaw, The Swiss Nurse

©2024 Mario Escobar (P)2024 Harper Muse

It was based on true events

like would have liked a different ending but it was interesting . maybe I just wanted more

Based on true events

This is one of the better books about the Holocaust. Written very well. Performance was very good as well.

A good listen

The story was great and as I would have like to hear more the restoration of the names but I really enjoyed the book

Well performed

Beautifully orated history of those who chose love and goodness against others who choose great evil!

listened in a day, great lidten.

Thank you for writing this book. I will now go research this story. All of your books a heartfelt.

Amazing book I want to share with others

Based on true events. Restored my faith in humanity. The horrors of WWII and the hearts of humans of many faiths and backgrounds working toward a common goal to save other humans even if risking their own lives.

Heartbreaking and Heartwarming

Heartbreaking and heartwarming to read about an atrocious time of history. I loved reading about the priests who resisted the wrath of the Nazi government and encited their own countrymen to resist enabling that wicked regime.
Sometimes it only takes a small courageous group of people to open the eyes of millions...to truth!

Unique focus on the plight of WWII children

Well written and based on true events. Narration was amazing- what a change of voices!

Fascinating Story

This book, which is based on a true story, highlights the way extreme circumstances bring out the best and the worst in people.