And The Show Went On, By Alan Riding

Riding's fast-moving, immaculately researched work explores how Paris's vibrant culture, ranging from Samuel Beckett to singer Charles Trenet, fared under Nazi occupation.

Some took the Germans to their bosoms like screen goddess Arletty ("In my bed there are no uniforms") and aging diva Mistinguett ("That's different. That's love").

At the other extreme, American hoofer Josephine Baker won the Médaille de la Résistance. Entrancing and edgy, this history is revealing while also fabulously entertaining.