Martyred Village: Commemorating the 1944 Massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane

We visited France in 09/19 and tried to get off the tour to see this tragic village. I recalled its presence in the opening and closing moments of the tv series " World At War". This book details the war crimes committed against the French citizens there. It then goes into a lengthy history of the evolution of this place as a symbol for all the martyred Frenchmen,innocents and resistance fighters alike. The roles of the survivors, politicians, and preservation historians are related in parallel with the physical deterioration of the site over the past sixty years.It illustrates the process of memory through the generations.

Some reviewers may have missed the point here. As stated quite clearly in the introduction the book answers the question "how and why ,in the aftermath of the war, did this particular story emerge from the myriad possible stories that could be told". That question and many others are answered with great acumen. It is not a book about the specific events that took place on June 10' 1944, and it is not meant to be. There are several other very good books on the specific brutality of that day. The depth of research is evidenced in over sixty seven pages of notes, photographs and other material. The babbling/filler comment lacks any merit at all as this is a great read for anyone who is interested in the subject as outlined in the introduction. This book will enhance your understanding of a very interesting topic.Very deeply researched!

I had never heard of this village until our pastor spoke about Oradour-sur-Glane in a sermon. It prompted my interest. Great book about a horrific incident.

Instead of "merely" presenting a history of this incredible tragedy, the author provided a sort of"follow up" report on how the town was preserved, why it was preserved, what happened tothose involved, especially French soldiers "coerced" (or perhaps not coerced) into participating.Really good!

This book has a sexy title, but little else to catch one's attention. There are a few pages on the Massascre itself and its significance in the War. The rest is all babbling filler for historic preservationists.

super fast delivery, excellent depiction of real story

In 2011, my wife and I "discovered" the burned out village of Oradour-sur-Glane in west central France. The memorial village is about a 30 minute drive northwest of Limoges. If you are planning a trip to France, the town should be considered a "don't miss" on your itinerary. You'll enjoy Limoges as well (porcelain is its claim to fame). After going through the small but extraordinary museum attached to the village and walking through the ruins, the questions of why and how this could happen bothered me.Recently, I found two books on the subject. The first was ORADOUR by Robin Mackness (previously reviewed by me) a British author and entrepreneur. It reads like a spy thriller but is non-fiction. The second was MARTYRED VILLAGE (ISBN 978-0520224834, price varies, trade paperback from the University of California Press) by Sarah Farmer. This is a scholarly history. The two books vary in their theories as to the "why" of the massacre of nearly 650 innocent French citizens 4 days after D-Day invasion of Normandy during WWII (June 10, 1944).Professor Farmer covers the event very briefly at the beginning of the book. Most of "Martyred Village" deals with "how" the rest of France dealt with the tragedy over the next 50 years and how the memorial came into existence. Professor Farmer writes a great deal about national, regional and local memory (Never Forget!) when dealing with a tragedy. Oradour is located in the Limousin region of France (yes, there is a new village adjacent). Professor Farmer puts the story of the massacre in perspective to other regions of France and in a national/international context as well.I urge you in strongest terms to delve into this tragic story and REMEMBER. Start with Professor Farmer's book.GO! BUY! READ!

This is not a bad book by any means, but it is true that it is mostly not a story of a massacre. The Nazi destruction of the town of Oradour is covered at the start, but is clearly not the author's main interest. I wouldn't describe it as 'filler for historic preservationists' as one Amazon reviewer put it, but the event does take back stage.The bulk of the book looks at what happened to the village after the killings, where it quickly became a symbol both for France and the world. Officials sought to freeze the town as it was in June of '44, with considerable success. But how do you preserve destruction? Decaying buildings and cars are not willing to remain stable for decades for our reflection. The struggle to make it so has lessons for preservationists everywhere.Martyred Village is a worthy read as long as the reader is willing to ponder these issues. Anyone looking for a lesson on wartime politics or Nazi brutality in France should look elsewhere.

Fascinating read - I visit France annually and this year we headed to Limoges so a friend lent me this book to read. So glad I did. We visited Oradour-sur-Glane which meant this book had even more significance. the author describes the aftermath of war events (i.e., the complex legal battle to bring justice to the perpetrators) with remarkable clarity and understanding. Anyone with a slight interest in history would benefit from reading it - it shows the complexity of war brilliantly. Needless to say, I have now bought the book. And I wonder if nothing has really changed.

a very informative book