In the Shadows of Paris: The Nazi Concentration Camp that Dimmed the City of Light

French author Anne Sinclair delineates her journey to uncover the truth about her grandfather Leonce Schwartz’s life during a historical period marked by persecution, turmoil, and loss. Well into adulthood, she begins searching relentlessly to lift the curtain. What she discovers is startling: Leonce was visited by the Nazi’s on December 12, 1941 and apprehended and imprisoned with countless other Parisian Jewish elites. Their destination was the Royallieu-Compiegne concentration camp, also known as Frontstalag 122. Many perished there, and the majority of those who remained were transferred to Auschwitz and other death camps. Blessedly, her grandfather narrowly escaped that ominous fate.

In the Shadows of Paris: The Nazi Concentration Camp that Dimmed the City of Light is a poignant memoir and a historically relevant document. Numerous books have been published about the atrocities committed during the Holocaust, especially those that took place in concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Buchenwald. The lesser known camps such as Frontstalag 122 have received less notoriety, though unconscionable degradation, torture, and murder were perpetrated within their walls as well. The revelations Sinclair presents are terribly heartbreaking. She writes with honesty and eloquence, leaving some of the raw details unscripted. Her style is notable and will be well received by many.