Three Ordinary Girls

 Three Ordinary Girls, written by Tim Brady, really makes you think about how you would react in the face of adversity.  This book shows you how people reacted to the invasion of their country and the threat to their citizens. This book details how three Dutch teenagers became spies, saboteurs and though at first felt shooting someone in cold blood was unthinkable, in the end they became Nazi assassins. What would you do if faced with similar circumstances? This book shows the bravery and fearlessness of these girls and others, could we be as courageous?

This is a recounting of three Dutch teenagers who stepped up and joined the resistance movement in Holland, as the Germans invaded their country.  Two sisters, Truus and Freddie Oversteegen grew up in a socialist home with a mother whose passion was politics and progressive thought.  Hannie Schaft, was at college studying when she decided to take action to help her Jewish friends avoid capture. 

By the end of WWII, these three girls would be notorious for having taken direct action against the Nazis from their homes in the city of Haarlem. This is a fascinating look at the how these ordinary Dutch girls performed extraordinary acts of selfless courage to slow the Nazi’s Final Solution.

It is again interesting to see what was happening in another country during the war.  How the Dutch people in the Netherlands responded to the invasion from Germany.  This country did not have an issue with their Jewish neighbors and so were more than willing to assist and hide them.  

This story of Truus, Freddie and Hannie is taking place as Anne Frank and her family are first in hiding and then discovered in Amsterdam.  I think if they had known Anne and her family they would have tried to help them.  These young women risked their lives to protect people in their country from the Nazis.