The Memoirs of André Trocmé

The Pastor Who Rescued Jews

André Trocmé author Patrick Henry translator Mary Anne O’Neil translator Patrick Cabanel editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Plough Publishing House

Publishing:6th Nov '25

£21.99

This title is due to be published on 6th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

The Memoirs of André Trocmé cover

André Trocmé’s personal memoirs reveal the formative experiences that led him to stand up to Nazis, save Jews, and become an international peacemaker.

André Trocmé is famous for his role in saving thousands of Jews from the Nazis as pastor of the village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France, a story celebrated in literature and film. But who was the man behind the legend, and the how did he become an international hero and uncompromising advocate of nonviolence resistance? Appearing in English for the first time, his private memoirs give a colorful and honest account of a person determined to stay true to his faith and convictions, who despite his quirks was ready to stand his ground when world history came knocking.

Written for his children in the 1950s and first published in French in 2020, these memoirs trace André Trocmé’s extraordinary life: a bourgeois childhood; teenage years as a World War I refugee; studies abroad in New York City, where he met his future wife, Magda, and tutored the Rockefeller children; military service in Algeria, which cemented his pacifist stance; postings as a pastor in depressed areas of France; resisting fascism and hiding Jews in Le Chambon; a brief imprisonment and a stint underground; and globetrotting leadership in the International Fellowship of Reconciliation. Trocmé also reveals the impact of personal tragedies: the untimely death of his mother in a car accident for which his father was responsible and, years later, his teenage son’s suicide.

This detailed first-person account from an eyewitness to pivotal moments in history will be of interest not just to scholars of the Holocaust, World War II, and domestic resistance to fascism, but also to those seeking to follow their conscience and the teachings of their faith in trying times.

People who enjoyed Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed and A Good Place to Hide will appreciate reading the story in Trocmé's own words.

A brilliant critical edition of the unpublished memoirs of Trocme. … The text is remarkably honest and transparent, perhaps to the distress of descendants of some of the actors. His descriptions of the Rockefeller family, of American “high society,” as well as of French Protestants provide fascinating insight. … The narrative of the ministry in the industrial north of France provides an intimate view of the difficulties of industrial workers. … The introduction and epilogue by Cabanel frame the volume beautifully, and are important contributions to French social history and the study of French Protestantism. —David Bundy, Religious Studies Review

ISBN: 9781636081595

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

488 pages