Biography
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Imagine how it would feel to be plucked from your daily life and transported far from home and forced to work in some unknown and terrible place. Imagine being treated with violence, never having enough to eat, living in bestial conditions, and never knowing if you would see your home again. Imagine feeling so completely powerless.
This is what happened to young Frenchman Roland Chopard, who was arrested by the German SS during a brutal roundup in the Lot et Garonne region in May 1944, just before D-Day. This was the start of a period of forced labour during which he was moved to different places, including Dachau, BMW’s Eisenach factory and ultimately Buchenwald.
Roland survived. Many did not. After his return home in 1945, Roland wrote a compelling account of his experiences. It lay, unread, in the family house in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, until it was found by his son Alex some years after Roland’s death in 2006.
This book is based on Roland’s memoir, the family’s own papers, interviews with his daughter Annie, and the memories of others whose relatives were caught in the same roundup as Roland. It is a personal story set in a particular time, nothing more but nothing less.
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
This is a memoir of brutality delivered through the words of Roland Chopard, a young Frenchman caught in the cross hairs of the final stages of WW2 in Europe. There is no easy version of this history and Roland’s statements act as a reminder that authenticity is both powerful and provocative. He stands witness to savagery, speaks plainly and with courage. Roland’s words have significant relevance for today. A worthy read.
This intimate book reveals not only the horror rained down on an ordinary man but also the inner life that enables survival. Whilst it is a study of evil it is also a lesson, timeless, how the ordinary so quickly becomes the extraordinary. The story of how this memoir was rediscovered and the drive to share it with us is in itself compelling. I urge you to read it.
This is an amazing book, the first book I have read from cover to cover, so captivating. It's amazing how Roland managed to survive the atrocities that the enemy put upon them, a testament to Roland's strength of body and soul and his love for his family and the will to return home....so many didn't!! It's accounts like this that make you realise what an easy life we have today and what those poor souls went through just to survive. A must read !! Thank you Roland and of course all involved with getting Roland's memoirs published. Tutty - New Forest Hampshire.
This is an amazing book, the first book I have read from cover to cover, so captivating. It's amazing how Roland managed to survive the atrocities that the enemy put upon them, a testament to Roland's strength of body and soul and his love for his family and the will to return home....so many didn't!! It's accounts like this that make you realise what an easy life we have today and what those poor souls went through just to survive. A must read !! Thank you Roland and of course all involved with getting Roland's memoirs published. Tutty - New Forest Hampshire.
If only... how we can all relate to that, but in this searing story of what happened to one innocent young Frenchman towards the end of WW2, the repercussions were truly horrific. This is a story which needed to be told - and is told with clarity but not sentimentality. A thoughtful, thought provoking book which puts life and liberty into perspective. Highly recommended!
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