Henri Danon-Boileau, a psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst, was chief resident of the Paris Medical Faculty, chief physician of the medical-psychological university clinic of Sceaux, and an honorary member of the Psychoanalytic Society of Paris. During the Second World War, he joined the resistance as a member the Free French Forces. Editions Odile Jacob published two of his earlier works: De la vieillesse à la mort and Une certaine forme d’obstination (2012).

Henri Danon-Boileau led a life of combat and of commitment. Having grown up listening to stories of the Great War, he would later refuse to accept the capitulation of France to the Nazis. As a young medical student he did everything in his power to join the Free French Forces, commanded by General Charles de Gaulle, who was then in exile in England. For Henri Danon-Boileau there was no other choice than to resist — even if that meant deserting, hiding, travelling across war-torn Europe.
He recounts here his war experiences in the Resistance, from the French capitulation to the Liberation of Paris, from the London Blitz to the battlefields of Normandy.
These are the memoirs of a man who led a fascinating life, an adventurer who sought above all to make himself useful to others and to his country. His convictions never wavered as he faced the most difficult events steadfastly and bravely.

• A highly personal account of a young man’s decision to join the French Resistance.
• An engrossing work that enables the reader to understand and to relive the motivations and aspirations of a young Resistance fighter.
• An inspiring lesson: each obstacle the author encountered only served to strengthen his tenacity and determination.