Three Ordinary Girls

By Tim Brady,

Book cover of Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins-And WWII Heroes

Book description

“The book's teenage protagonists and their bravery will enthrall young adults, who may find themselves inspired to take up their own causes.” —Washington Post

An astonishing World War II story of a trio of fearless female resisters whose youth and innocence belied their extraordinary daring in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. It…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Three Ordinary Girls as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a history about three young women in the Netherlands who resisted the occupiers by murdering enemy soldiers.

The story told in Three Ordinary Girls about young women who assassinated German soldiers had already been told partially in the memoirs of the survivors.

The story of Hannie Schaft, the ring leader and a student at Amsterdam University at the outset of the war, is now part of the history told to students in Dutch schools.

But author Tim Brady does an admirable job of bringing new perspectives to these heroes by weaving a story that reads like a novel…

From Robert's list on life under Nazi occupation.

I’m always looking out for good books about the Dutch resistance and this did not disappoint. 

I was riveted by this true story of three Dutch teenage girls who joined a resistance group in Haarlem in order to take action against the Nazis and collaborators. What makes this story so compelling is that so few women were involved in active resistance in World War 2, let alone any so young. Not only were they unafraid to use weapons against the enemy, but sabotaged bridges and railways and helped Jewish people, including children, to find safe hiding places. This book reads…

From Imogen's list on acts of resistance in WW2.

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