‘Fascinating…full of stories you may not know but which need to be heard’

Priests de la Resistance!
The loose canons who fought Fascism in the twentieth century
The Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie‘A hugely enjoyable, eccentric account of clerical heroism in the face of evil.’ Observer
‘Comedy and tragedy run side by side… Bracing and lively.’ The Times
‘An admiring study of priests and ministers who have put their lives on the line.’ BBC History Magazine
Who says you can’t fight fascism in a cassock?
Wherever fascism has taken root, it has met with resistance. From taking a bullet for a frightened schoolgirl in Alabama to saving Greek Jews from extermination by way of fake IDs, each of the fifteen hard-drinking, chain-smoking clerics featured in this book were willing to risk their lives for what they believed.
Reviews
‘This winter’s best title is Fergus Butler-Gallie’s work on wartime heroics by the clergy.’
‘A timely and uplifting book… An hugely enjoyable if slightly eccentric account of clerical heroism in the face of evil… [Butler-Gallie] achieves an inspiring effect through the sheer cumulative impact of so many brave decisions.’
‘… this book is a gripping story of bravery, derring-do and cunning in the face of Fascism… vividly told tales of 15 people who became caught up in the struggles against Fascism in Europe in the 1930s’
’15 short, engaging essays… The reverend is a good writer with a light touch, and a natural storyteller.’
‘… it is refreshing to read an unashamedly admiring study of priests and ministers who have put their lives on the line… readable and moving.'
‘Here the Reverend Butler-Gallie wittily profiles 15 “loose cannons” who stood up against fascism’.
‘Butler-Gallie serves them and their stories well with background information, a fluent narrative style, and a fine eye for the quirky and telling personal or historical detail.’
'As entertaining as it is erudite, this enthralling anthology presents a cornucopia of quirky, courageous Fascist-fighting clerics.'
‘A field guide to 20th-century priests, monks and nuns from all over the world who were prepared to die for their faith and to die saving others... He proves it true that comedy and tragedy run side by side, and that some of the most unlikely people turn out to be saints and martyrs... Bracing and lively.’
‘Deserves a wide readership. It could be argued that it took allegiance to a higher power than secular Messiahs to support resistance to the most hateful regimes of the 20th Century.’
5* review: ‘a joyful and funny book, about some fascinating, brave and at times eccentric characters, who did what was right because it was right, regardless of the potential personal cost… I was left wanting to know more about all of them.’