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The astonishing true story of three fearless female teenage resisters during WWII whose youth and innocence belied their extraordinary daring in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands

"Exhaustively researched and written with both authority and style…history that reads like a novel.”—Stephen Harding, New York Times best-selling author of The Last Battle

May 10, 1940. The Netherlands was swarming with Third Reich troops. In seven days it's entirely occupied by Nazi Germany. Joining a small resistance cell in the Dutch city of Haarlem were three teenage girls: Hannie Schaft, and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen who would soon band together to form a singular female underground squad.

Smart, fiercely political, devoted solely to the cause, and "with nothing to lose but their own lives," Hannie, Truus, and Freddie took terrifying direct action against Nazi targets. That included sheltering fleeing Jews, political dissidents, and Dutch resisters. They sabotaged bridges and railways, and donned disguises to lead children from probable internment in concentration camps to safehouses. They covertly transported weapons and set military facilities ablaze. And they carried out the assassinations of German soldiers and traitors—on public streets and in private traps—with the courage of veteran guerilla fighters and the cunning of seasoned spies.

In telling this true story through the lens of a fearlessly unique trio of freedom fighters, Tim Brady offers a little-known perspective of the Dutch resistance during the war. Of lives under threat; of how these courageous young women became involved in the underground; and of how their dedication evolved into dangerous, life-threatening missions on behalf of Dutch patriots—regardless of the consequences.

Harrowing, emotional, and unforgettable, Three Ordinary Girls finally moves these three icons of resistance into the deserved forefront of world history.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Citadel (February 23, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0806540389
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0806540382
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.27 x 1.05 x 9.3 inches
Reviewer: Peace Now
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent and relevant
Review: This is a very well written, true account of Dutch Resistance against fascist invaders and traitors. These women are heroes to be emulated and honored.

Reviewer: Deb
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: indeed a remarkable story
Review: This was a fascinating story about the resistance in Holland during WWII, that I wish I’d known about before now. (All those high school history classes focused on dates and battles. Sigh.) Learning about these brave young women and the horrors of the war in Holland was both inspiring and heartbreaking. I only wish I’d known all this before my mother-in-law passed away, as she was a teenager in Haarlem during the war. It would have been good to hear what it was like at that time for her and her family.My only problem with the book - and this is why I took away a star - is the writing. The slang he uses - referring to “kids” and “guys” and using expressions like “the hairy eyeball” - seemed jarring and immature. Despite that, it’s well worth reading.

Reviewer: Brandon A. Nordin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fascinating story of 3 young women rising to meet the challenge of German occupation
Review: While this story has been amply documented in Dutch, this book shows the level of dedication, bravery and scruples that resistance required during the German occupation. These 3 teenagers did it all, from covertly distributing anti German leaflets, to assisting Jewish and political fugitives to, ultimately, taking the war to the enemy thru assassination and sabotage.This book focuses on the facts, and is well documented with secondary sources, most written well after the war. It touches on what must of been the enormous psychological strain this must have take over 5 years of occupation. Especially in such a small and settled country as the Netherlands where there were few hinterlands to hide in ( as France has in the maquis).Sadly it also details how the attempt was made, as the war wound down, to rein in and ultimately whitewash the activities of the most active and politicized the these resistance workers in favour of a more hazy view of history that benefits many of those that tended to sit on the sidelines until it was obvious that the Nazis were the losing side.Well worth the read, doesn’t require much besides the basics of WWII - and perhaps a glance at the map to understand the physical distances and geography of the Haarlem/Amsterdam area. Sad to think most of these hero’s have now passed on.

Reviewer: Richard McKenzie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Hard to put down
Review: Really interesting read. Gives a good overview of at least one part of the Dutch Resistance during the war and the challenges they faced.

Reviewer: DJ, Calif.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Hard read
Review: Not what I expected. Delves deeply into the history of the invasion of the Netherlands by Germany in WWII. Spends a lot of the book describing the many underground movements and seems to skip around much of the time. If you want to learn about the history of the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands read this book. I found the book very dry and easy to put down. But, that’s just my opinion.

Reviewer: hill top granny
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Intriguing
Review: A wonderful story of life in the Netherlands during WWII. However, I would have enjoyed the story more if it was told from the three young women who the book was about rather than like a newspaper article.

Reviewer: Mary G. Snell
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Not Really Ordinary Girls
Review: Resistance to the oppression and murdering of Jews and those who helped Jews required unique abilities and traits. As well as resisting the executions and oppression of your fellow citizens. What these three did is not unique to these three. A spell binding story. Moving, angering at times, but always engrossing. Well written. A story everyone should read.

Reviewer: Roni Batzion
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Three young girls take on the Nazis in World War II Holland
Review: This is a story of three committed young women who joined the resistance in Holland. It's an excellent book for teens and adults to introduce them to World War II, if they haven't studied it, the resistance to Nazis in northern Europe, and the clash of ideologies that resulted in the resistance movement in Holland. Many older people today are familiar with the story of the heroic Ten Boom family, whom only Corrie survived Nazi persecution, but not many know the story of other resistance fighters. This is the story of ordinary young people in extremely difficult circumstances who became heroic simply because they stood up against fascism and the horrors of Nazi occupation and genocide. The book should be in every high school library.

Reviewer: Kevin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This is the first book I’ve read about the Dutch Resistance. These ladies fought against a brutal regime and against all the odds. Their patriotism and determination should be an example for all.

Reviewer: Golden Falcon
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I found this book awkwardly written with oddly out of place modern idioms. It failed to conjure up any atmosphere for me.Yes, it had facts aplenty, but I was never "there with them". Never felt their fear and tension.At the end the author mentions a few previous books written about the people involved.Perhaps it would have been better to have left it at that.

Reviewer: AvidReader
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I would have given this book 5 stars except for no mention of what happened to the Dutch collaborators with the germans.it was an interesting book and shows the horror of war.

Reviewer: Krankster
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is amazing in the amount of detail that the author has collected surrounding the activities of these three young individuals during the war years. As in any major conflict, the zealots become the “ occupier’s “ greatest supporters. When the tide starts to turn against the occupiers, — the “ credit grabbers” come out of the woodwork ( and out from under the rocks ) and claim ownership of activities that others have sacrificed so much for.The book reads more like a novel — rather than the true account of history in the making.The truly amazing aspect is that the three individuals where all in their late teens..A splendid read for any history buff,

Reviewer: A Net In Time
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Not quite what I expected I thought it would be a story but it's for a historical account of what was going on with these young ladies. Quite informative.