Winner of De Kleine Cervantes 2023

The author is a researcher for the Dutch National Holocaust Museum

Rosie is a nanny who lives with her parents in Amsterdam-Oost, a lively Jewish neighbourhood. She is in love with her brother’s best friend. Kaat studies law and is a member of the Amsterdam Student Union. She worries about her rich, cold parents in Utrecht, to whom she is a constant disappointment.

When the war breaks out, Rosie faces a difficult choice: will she stay with her family, or will she help the children of the Jews detained in the Hollandsche Schouwburg, a theatre used as a deportation centre by the Nazi occupiers? Kaat comes into contact with a student group, later known as the Utrecht Children’s Committee, through which she meets Josephine.

Each in their own way, the three young women become involved in the smuggling of Jewish children. What follows is a long and dangerous journey that begins at a nursery on the Plantage Middenlaan in Amsterdam.

‘Name No One is an impressive and intriguing book, based on thorough research, that despite its length you finish whilst holding your breath, even as an adult. And that immediately makes you wonder: what would I have done myself?’ – Nederlands Dagblad

‘An impressive story about surviving, grief, hope, courage and friendship, in a smooth writing style for adults, and a must-read for young adults.’ – NBD Biblion