In this gripping memoir, originally published in 1957, the Dutch author, codename 'Zip', recounts her extraordinary journey.

A young fighter for the resistance during World War II, Zip is captured and held prisoner as part of the 'Night and Fog' unit, political prisoners who wait out the war in a crowded, secret cell. During their long days and nights, each creates a secret embroidery telling the story of their war, including when they are moved from place to place, writing each other's names in morse code out of contraband black thread. Upon liberation, Zip must find her way back to Holland with her three companions, scant belongings, and any food they can 'liberate' or are given by the goodwill of soldiers or villagers along the way.

In cinematic, sweeping prose, Zip reveals all the details of the time, including the camaraderie of fellow political prisoners upon release: the Dutch prisoners of war who have kept their uniforms intact; the French p.o.w.s in threadbare yet debonair getups; the French women resistance fighters who break out in song ('La Marseillaise') to reunite a hungry mob; not to mention the Russian liberators, and the American soldiers.

The world they enter has turned upside down. The jovial spirit and giddiness they share at being free is uplifting and unforgettable.

An adroit, page-turning and heroic tale of humanity - after the darkness, there is so much light. The Walls Came Tumbling Down is a true World War II classic.

About the Author
Henriette Roosenburg (1916-1972), known as 'Zip', was part of the Dutch resistance during World War II, collecting news for the underground press and helping maintain an escape route for crashed Allied pilots. After being arrested in 1944 and condemned to death, she survived internment in a Gestapo prison in Germany before being liberated by the Russian army in May 1945. After the war, she emigrated to the United States, and started to work for Life Magazine. She wrote the first draft of what would later become The Walls Came Tumbling Down for The New Yorker.

Reviews

'You feel the life seeping back into these wasted, emaciated, exhausted friends like spring itself ... You marvel at the capillary action that one caring human being can create in another with simple kindness, but in the end, pure luck, like a blessing, rains down from the heavens.'

-- Susan Salter Reynolds * Los Angeles Times *

'Gripping and beautiful, Roosenburg's memoir is a tale of bravery that will make you care deeply about its protagonists, even make you weep at their ordeal and homecoming. It is one of the unjustly neglected gems of Second World War literature.'

-- James Mustich, author of 1,000 Books To Read Before You Die

'Here is a book full of utterly unselfconscious heroism.'

* The Washington Post *

'I wept - tears of pride - while reading Henriette Roosenburg's The Walls Came Tumbling Down. Pride? Yes, pride that human beings can rise to such heights.'

-- Noel Perrin * Los Angeles Times *

'Scribe has done readers a great service by reprinting the unjustly forgotten The Walls Came Tumbling Down by Henriette Roosenburg, nicknamed 'Zip' for the frequency with which she once secretly criss-crossed Nazi-held borders, narrates the incredible events that follow her liberation from a German prison by the Soviet military with casual simplicity and a touch of humour ... [A] moving, often funny book, despite the circumstances, told by a brave and truly remarkable woman who deserves to be remembered.'

-- Hank Stephenson * Shelf Awareness *

'[A] gripping memoir.'

* Australian Jewish News *

'[R]eading Henriette Roosenburg's gripping memoir of her postwar journey home to Holland from the Waldheim camp in Germany, I feel ... awe at the human courage and indefatigable quest for home that pervades the book ... The tone of this memoir is upbeat, and surprisingly amusing. The joy of freedom and her delight in being able to take independent action after their long captivity pervades each chapter ... Highly recommended.'

-- Lisa Hill * ANZ LitLovers *



Book Information
ISBN 9781913348250
Author Henriette Roosenburg
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Scribe Publications
Publisher Scribe Publications
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 135mm * 22mm