The story of one teen’s work spying for the Belgian resistance and French underground during World War II, this is a new edition revised and updated by Holocaust educator Stephen Feinberg.
On May 10, 1940, the German army bombed Brussels, and 15-year-old Roman Catholic Rostad’s life changed forever. After exposure to the horrors of war as a Red Cross volunteer, Rostad, code name Squirrel, became a saboteur in a Nazi-run factory where members of the resistance first contacted her. When fellow resisters went missing, she realized she must leave and join the Free Belgian Army in England. Heading toward Portugal, where she’d board a ship to England, she delivered intelligence, documents, and small arms. Just before crossing the border into Spain, however, news of a Spanish bounty on resisters forced her to remain in France, where she spent the rest of the war. The memoir covers the entirety of Rostad’s life, including her marriage to an American GI, immigration to the U.S., and commitment to educating people about the horrors of the Holocaust. Unfortunately, her account tends toward flat summary, and the authors display a preference for dwelling on happier times, providing more richly detailed anecdotes from Rostad’s Depression-era childhood than from her wartime efforts. Lengthy quotations and explanations of historical context slow the narrative. Nevertheless, given the dearth of teen literature spotlighting the resistance, this work represents a valuable resource for initiates seeking firsthand information.
Denise Rostad (seated second from right), Kim Rostad (seated far left), and Darryle Clott (standing in center) were guest speakers in Mr. Nelson's Advanced World Literature class on Wednesday, 12/6/23. One of the units in Mr. Nelson's Advanced World Literature class every year is Holocaust Literature. One of the memoires they read is Squirrel Is Alive: A Teenager in the Belgium Resistance and French Underground by Mary Rostad with Susan T. Hessel. This story details the experiences of Mary Rostad as she fought in the Belgium Resistance and French Underground during WWII. Denise and Kim Rostad are two of Mary's children and Darryle Clott was a close friend of Mary's and was instrumental in having Mary's story first published in 2012. Mary sadly passed away in 2011, but was able to read a rough draft of her story before she passed. Darryle Clott is also a nationally recognized Holocaust educator who, along with Viterbo University, is responsible for annually bringing many Holocaust survivors to speak at Viterbo University and coordinates an annual "Teaching the Holocaust" workshop at Viterbo University to mentor area teachers in properly and effectively teaching the Holocaust. Mr. Nelson has taught Mary's book every year in his AP Language and Composition course and his Advanced World Literature course at Westby Area High School since its first publication in 2011. Denise and Kim Rostad and Darryle Clott have visited Mr. Nelson's classes frequently to share their life experiences with Mary and her husband Allen Rostad with the students and attendees to enrich the education and lives of all those who hear them speak and have read Mary's story.
