Publishers Weekly
06/22/2020
In this poignant and unique debut history, Ankeny combines her father’s WWII experiences with the impressions of a young Belgian woman who helped rescue him from Nazi-occupied France. Drafted one month before his college graduation, Dean Tate trained as a B-17 bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Corps after failing the pilot qualifying test by one point. On his fifth mission, Tate’s plane was strafed by a German fighter and caught fire. He bailed out over a village in northern France and was taken in by members of the French Resistance, including 17-year-old Godelieve Van Laere, whose parents agreed to hide the downed airman. Drawing from her father’s journals and letters, Ankeny recreates his journey to safety through an escape network responsible for rescuing more than 100 Allied servicemen. After her father’s death in 2003, Ankeny reached out to Van Laere and traveled to France to meet her and other people whose families rescued Allied airmen. Ankeny fluidly intertwines both sides of the story, and provides necessary historical context. The result is an intimate and inspirational account of ordinary people committing heroic acts under extraordinary circumstances. Agent: Jennifer Weis, Ross Yoon Agency (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Through archival documentation, [Ankeny] paces the story with considerable literary skill, stringing moments of tension throughout. This is a thrilling and masterful telling of brave Resistance members risking all, and a wonderful homage to the author's equally courageous father."—Booklist
"The Girl and the Bombardier is a heart-pounding true story and great read. If any reader wants to revisit the heroism, bravery, and inspiring courage of the 'Greatest Generation,' this is the book for you. It captures the sights, sounds, unrelenting tensions and terror of everyday life in Nazi-occupied Europe. The nerves of steel of the downed American fliers, and the girls, boys, men, and women among the Resistance fighters helping them survive behind enemy lines will linger in your memory long after the last page. These are real people and unforgettable heroes you will want to know and remember."—James Longo, author of Hitler and the Habsburgs
“It was no secret that the chances of surviving a full twenty-five mission tour as a B-17 bombardier were minimal, and on February 8, 1944, Dean Tate’s luck ran out when his Flying Fortress was shot down in flames over northern France. But that wasn’t the end—Tate was one of four men from his aircraft who not only survived but were saved by the French resistance from capture. Tate spent thirty-seven days being sheltered in enemy-occupied France, passed from person to person until he was finally brought back to England by the escape line later known as Shelburn. What makes this book special is that Tate not only kept in touch with his helpers long after the war ended, but also wrote a personal and highly detailed account of his experiences, and it is that account, together with several years of research, that Tate’s daughter has used to such great effect in producing this highly readable true story.” —Keith Janes, author of They Came from Burgundy and Express Delivery
“This epic and captivating book recalls the courageous actions of people of the French Resistance who, in these terrible times, braved every risk and did all they could to allow Lieutenant Dean W. Tate, and so many other liberators fallen from the sky, to join freedom. The Girl and the Bombardier makes it impossible to forget those who united fraternally in fighting oppression and totalitarianism. This beautiful story contributes to the duty of memory and must be passed on to the next generations.” —Dominique Lecomte, President of the Association des Sauveteurs d'Aviateurs Alliés-Oise
“In this poignant and unique debut history, Ankeny combines her father’s WWII experiences with the impressions of a young Belgian woman who helped rescue him from Nazi-occupied France. . . . Ankeny fluidly intertwines both sides of the story, and provides necessary historical context. The result is an intimate and inspirational account of ordinary people committing heroic acts under extraordinary circumstances.”—Publishers Weekly
