Overview

1940 Haarlem, Holland. With his hometown occupied by the Nazis during World War II, teenage Johan's seemingly normal family hides secrets that repeatedly put all their lives in grave danger. Everyone in Haarlem is told to 'keep their heads down' and they will endure. But is it enough to merely survive? Hidden in Haarlem takes the reader through tense and harrowing true life tales revealed in ninety-five-year-old Johan's memories. This survivor recounts his family's participation in their deadly games of rebellion against the Third Reich when they joined the Dutch Resistance in courageous acts of sabotage and hiding the persecuted. Things get personal when the Gestapo eventually comes for Johan and his stepbrother. The family's hatred of the Nazis is greater than their fear of them. However, a slight miscalculation in judgment by any of them could mean deportation to concentration camps or immediate execution of the whole family. Heroic choices lead to the loss of innocence, an unexpected wartime romance, and family sacrifices for Holland's liberation from Hitler's terrifying regime.