From the Stacks: A historic story of espionage in Nazi-occupied Paris

Combining espionage and history, Alex Kershaw's "Avenue of Spies" tells the suspenseful story of Dr. Sumner Jackson, an American doctor, and his Swiss wife, both of whom worked with a resistance network during the Nazi occupation of Paris. The title refers to Avenue Foch, a street of elegant homes where the Jacksons lived at Number 11. Also on that street were many homes and buildings taken over by the Nazis including Number 84, which served as headquarters for the Paris Gestapo, and Number 31, which was overseen by one of Eichmann's aides whose orders were to deport "all French Jews as soon as possible."

Dr. Jackson served as a surgeon during World War I and received the French Legion of Honor for his heroic work. His wife, Toquette, also worked during that war as a surgical nurse. Both were devoted to public service and appalled by growth of fascism in Europe. The couple and their adolescent son, Philip, decided to remain in Paris after the Nazis invaded the city. The doctor continued his work as chief surgeon of the American Hospital, where he treated battlefield injuries and kept the hospital filled so the Germans wouldn't close it. He also hid injured Allied pilots and POWs in the hospital and helped them acquire false papers, smuggling them out of the city and eventually out of the country. His wife was approached by the leader of a resistance network to use their home as a "drop box" for intelligence to be relayed to de Gaulle's London organization. Since their home was also a medical office, it became a hive of activity with people coming and going at all hours, some for health concerns but many for clandestine purposes.

Paris during the occupation was gray and depressing; streets were crowded with hundreds of German soldiers, Nazi flags were plastered on government buildings, electricity was short, and lines were long for what little food was available. The author noted cats had disappeared from the streets, as they had been cooked and eaten by starving Parisians. The Nazis, of course, dined well - at the Hotel Ritz and in restaurants where fine food was available to them.

The Gestapo, relying on its own intelligence efforts as well as those of collaborators, worked to crush the resistance and its campaign of sabotage, bombings and espionage. As the resistance intensified, the Jackson's activities became more precarious. They were living amidst the "Nazi Triangle" of torture chambers in mansions along their street. Betrayal was inevitable; in 1944, the family was arrested and separated. Toquette spent months in prison and was transported to Ravensbruck concentration camp where she managed to survive despite near starvation and relentless slave labor. Her husband and son also endured brutal treatment at a work camp and later awaited death on a prison ship. Of the ship's 2,750 prisoners, only about 50 survived when it was bombed. Philip was among the survivors; his father was not.

Toquette and Philip were reunited after the war, and Philip testified at the war crimes trial of 14 SS officials, adding an element of closure to their years of wartime hardship.

Acts of quiet bravery like those of the Jacksons are recounted in other World War II non-fiction works such as "A Good Place to Hide," "Village of Secrets" and "A Train in Winter."

Madeline Matson is reference and adult programming librarian at Missouri River Regional Library.