They Called Me Renée

‘A slim volume of great power. This part memoir, part tribute is beautifully written and deeply affecting.’ – Clare Mulley * author of Agent Zo, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize *
‘Extraordinary. Heart-rending. Inspirational. A gripping chronicle of true courage, heroism and resistance, in the face of ultimate evil. A triumph.’ – Damien Lewis * author of Zero Six Bravo *
‘A masterclass in resilience. This extraordinary memoir captures the breathless terror of occupied France and the fierce, unyielding courage of a young woman who refused to be broken. This is a luminous portrait of survival and a powerful reminder of the light that can be found in humanity’s darkest hours.’ – Ellie Midwood * bestselling and award-winning author of The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz *
‘An extraordinary true story of courageous survival and fearless resistance against the Nazis. Beautifully written.’ – Robert Verkaik * author of The Traitor of Colditz *
‘Ruth Uzarad’s first-hand account of her journey from a young sheltered daughter of modest shopkeepers in Berlin into the resistance fighter known as Renée Sorell is a gripping and heartbreaking account of courage and coming-of-age. In honest and authentic prose she shares her gripping story. Glimpses into the future, when an older Ruth returns to the old sites, visits with her long lost friends, fellow refugee children and resistance fighters, and rediscovers her past, lends this account a profound layer of compassion and understanding.’ – Gwen Strauss * author of The Nine *
‘What makes They Called Me Renée so moving is the sense of before and after. A lovingly described domestic world is shattered the day in 1938 when the Nazis come to the house to arrest the author’s father and he disappears forever-from one day to the next everything is lost. Survival depends upon strategy and luck. The eighteen-year-old Uzrad makes the terrifying journey from Berlin to Lyon where she joins the French Resistance. She does not think of herself as heroic. This is what you do. You fight back.’ – Rosemary Sullivan * author of The Betrayal of Anne Frank *
‘Unforgettable. A rare coming-of-age story of a young Jewish teenager who fled Nazi Germany and joined the French resistance. ‘Renée’ survived unbelievable hardship and risked all to save the lives of countless Jewish children. Her deeply moving memoir is a powerful testament to human resilience and survival. A must-read!’ – Claire Hubbard-Hall * author of Her Secret Service: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence *

Ruth (Schutz) Uzrad was born in Berlin in 1925, the eldest of three daughters, to a religious Jewish family. During WWII she escaped to Belgium and continued her flight to the south of France, then Spain before finally arriving in Israel in 1945. She passed away in 2015 at the age of 90.

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