In the Shadow of the Führer

This is a first-hand account of a young, non-Jewish girl's experiences growing up in Paris under German occupation. She describes the harsh reality of daily life in Paris during World War II, with bombings, curfews, and hunger, and her gradual awakening to her Jewish classmates' even harsher realities. We learn of her family's flight from Paris as the city fell and their refuge in a rural villa, which was then requisitioned by German officers. She also recounts their return to a captured Paris where her heroic dress designer mother struggled to conquer fear and hunger by swapping silks and satins for cheese with Normandy farmers, despite the risks posed by French and German inspectors. Through Adams's youthful eyes, we also witness Paris's liberation and the days immediately following the liberation.