Historical Novel Prize — Strasbourg 2023
Mental d'acier They called him Papa Joe
He is 32, with a wife and children. Alsace has been annexed: he is put into a uniform he never chose and sent 3,000 km from home to fight against his own country. He promised to come back. It will take two escapes, the Carpathians on foot, the Yugoslav Partisans and more than 10,000 km to keep his word.
True story462 pagesEbook €9.99Ships worldwide
Book Fair · Strasbourg 2023
Historical Novel Prize
“The true story of his grandfather; a moving first novel, at once intimate and tackling a subject that matters to the history of Alsace.”
V. Walch · Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace · 25 March 2023
The story
Imagine being torn from everything, and ordered to shoot at your own side.
Papa Joe leaves Catherine and his children for an occupied land he does not know. In a German uniform, he takes part in military operations against his own country, with no certainty of ever seeing his house again.
What follows is not fiction: it is the real route of a 32-year-old man, from the Soviet front to the Balkans. Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Italy. The Danube crossed. The Carpathians on foot, tree bark ground into powder to cheat hunger. The Yugoslav Partisans joined on 18 April 1944. Horror as a daily routine. A man turned into a formidable demolition expert. A railway bridge blown to pieces. Captivity. Two escapes. And, throughout, a will of steel.
“Action, astonishment and realism, scattered with scenes that are terrible, moving, courageous and unyielding.”
Daniel Auber invented none of the essentials — he listened. For years, as a child and then as a teenager, he collected his grandparents' account: their words, their silences, their way of telling it. This book is what remains of that — and what would otherwise have vanished.
10,000 kilometres.
One single promise: to come back.
At the end of hell,
his home was waiting.
Look inside
Open it. Turn the pages.
Four extracts taken from the 462 pages. Drag the book to see it from any angle, open it with a click, go full screen. (The novel is written in French; the extracts below are translated for readers abroad.)
The journey
10,000 kilometres, stage by stage
Scroll: the route lights up as the story unfolds. Hover a stage, or click a marker to find it on the map.
His actions were officially decorated
Courage,
recognised by History.
-
Croix du CombattantWar medal
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Évadés de GuerreWar medal — escaped prisoners
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Diplôme du CombattantOfficial distinction
“Conscripted by force in 1944. Escaped in June 1944 in Italy. Fought with the Yugoslav partisans in Italy. Prisoner in April 1945. Italian and Balkan campaigns.”
“We wish to reward this substantial and historically rich work, devoted to forced conscription… This research into the resistance of forcibly conscripted men in Yugoslavia is not widely known in France.”
R. Seiler, journalist and historian — jury of the Historical Novel Prize, Strasbourg Book Fair 2023
What readers say
“A story worthy of the greatest action films.”
Reviewers, Amazon, Babelio, SimplementPro and NetGalley readers, publishing professionals: here is what they wrote, unedited and in the original French.
Joe était un combattant au mental incroyable… Son vécu est totalement dingue et nous emmène au cœur d'un récit digne des plus grands films d'action !
Book reviewer
Quel livre ! J'ai été très touchée par ce témoignage… Un homme qui s'est servi autant de sa tête que de ses muscles : un Lion, voilà Papa Joe !
Babelio reader ↗
Un texte foisonnant d'épisodes historiques… Ce livre m'a bouleversé et ce n'est pas un livre de plus.
NetGalley & Babelio ↗
C'est un très beau roman… On s'attache très vite à lui… Difficile de ne pas lâcher quelques larmes.
Amazon reader ↗
Papa Joe nous raconte son histoire… Un personnage fort avec un mental hors norme… Un roman génial, un coup de cœur à coup sûr !
Babelio reviewer ↗
Cette histoire résume les mémoires d'un homme enrôlé pour combattre son propre pays, prisonnier et évadé deux fois… Un livre réel, touchant, émouvant.
Book reviewer
Le contexte historique est très bien décrit… On sent que l'auteur s'est beaucoup documenté… Les destins comme celui de Papa Joe méritent d'être racontés.
NetGalley reviewer
Le contexte historique est très bien retranscrit… Mental d'acier est un très bon ouvrage !
Babelio reader ↗
J'ai beaucoup aimé le côté naturel et franc du personnage principal… le style de l'auteur est plein de description et de belles tournures de phrases.
Book reviewer
Nous avons été séduits par l'originalité et la force du récit… Une véritable leçon de Vie, de Courage et d'Amour.
Editorial director
Ce récit raconte l'extraordinaire histoire de Papa Joe… Vous avez su raconter la vie époustouflante de cet homme en mêlant habilement romanesque et réalisme.
Author relations manager
C'est une belle œuvre… Papa Joe était quelqu'un d'extraordinaire… Un vrai héros ! J'ai apprécié l'histoire et me suis attachée à ce grand personnage.
Copy-editor of the novel
Reviews are reproduced exactly as their authors published them.
Get the book
He kept his promise. Find out how.
462 pages, a true story, a will of steel. Pick your format — order it from Amazon or from your own bookshop. The novel is published in French and ships internationally.
Paperback — Amazon
€21.90 incl. VAT
Softcover, 462 pages, easy to carry. The kind of book people borrow and never give back.
- Amazon edition
- Ships across France and worldwide
- Very fast delivery
- ISBN 979-8-884128-70-5
Ebook — Amazon
€9.99 incl. VAT
Read it straight away, on an e-reader, a tablet or a phone. Start the story in two minutes.
- Kindle edition
- Available instantly
- Ideal for a first chapter tonight
- ISBN 979-8-884128-70-5
Paperback — Bookshops & platforms
Everywhere
The book is listed in the standard distribution network. Your bookseller can order it within a few days.
- BoD bookshop
- Cultura, Fnac, Decitre, Eyrolles and more
- SimPlement.pro, through the review-copy service
- Orderable from any bookshop
- ISBN 978-2-322-54019-8
Screen adaptation
The series is already written. It is waiting for its producer.
A 32-year-old man, forced into the enemy's uniform, crosses 10,000 km of Europe at war to get home — and becomes a partisan along the way.
The material is there: a naturally episodic geography, a protagonist an audience cannot let go of, documented action sequences, and a historical angle almost untouched on screen — the resistance of forcibly conscripted Alsatians in the Balkans, described by the prize jury as “not widely known in France”.
Press room
High-resolution images, biography, angles, fact sheet and free review-copy requests.
Producers & agents
Logline, pitch, episode breakdown, characters, comparables and rights availability.
Reviewers & creators
Free review copy from the publisher, from 1,000 followers, in exchange for a review.
The author
Daniel Auber
Born in Strasbourg. Grandson of Papa Joe and Catherine, and only son of Célestine, their third child.
A degree and master's in engineering sciences, a postgraduate diploma in electronics and a PhD in microelectronics: nothing in his background pointed towards writing a 462-page novel. He did it for one reason — so that this story would not be lost.
“Mental d'acier” is his first novel, written in memory of his grandparents. He drew on countless conversations with them, during childhood weekends and holidays, working to preserve the way they spoke and behaved. The words you read are theirs.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we get most
Is “Mental d'acier” a true story?
Yes. The novel is based on a true story: that of the author's grandfather, conscripted by force in annexed Alsace during the Second World War. Daniel Auber drew on countless conversations with his grandparents to reconstruct their journey, the way they spoke and the way they behaved.
What is a “forced conscript”, a “Malgré-nous”?
After the Reich annexed Alsace-Moselle, tens of thousands of young men were forcibly conscripted into the German army. They are known as the Malgré-nous — those who served in spite of themselves. Many were sent to the Eastern Front; large numbers never came back.
What awards have the book and Papa Joe received?
The novel won the Historical Novel Prize at the Strasbourg Book Fair in 2023. Papa Joe himself was awarded the Croix du Combattant, the title of Évadé de Guerre (escaped prisoner of war) and the Diplôme du Combattant.
Where can I buy the book, and at what price?
From Amazon: in paperback at €21.90 and as a Kindle ebook at €9.99. You can also order the paperback from your own bookshop with ISBN 978-2-322-54019-8.
I am a journalist, blogger or creator: can I get a copy?
Yes. Free review copies are offered by the publisher. Requests go to presse@bod.fr, stating: title “Mental d'acier”, author Daniel Auber, ISBN 9782322540198, your full postal address and a link to your outlet or social account (from 1,000 followers), in exchange for a review. Details in the press room.
Are the screen rights available?
For any enquiry about a series or film adaptation, write directly to the author: contact@daniel-auber.fr. A presentation pack is available on request. See the pitch pack.
How long does it take to read 462 pages?
Readers describe a fast-moving story, cut into short sequences. Most finish it over a few evenings; many say they got through it far more quickly than they expected.
Is the book available in English or German?
The novel is currently published in French. Translation rights are available: publishers and agents can write to contact@daniel-auber.fr.
Can I order it from outside France?
Yes. The paperback ships internationally through Amazon and the BoD bookshop, and the Kindle edition is available instantly. Any bookshop can order it with ISBN 978-2-322-54019-8.
Contact
Reviewers, producers, booksellers, readers: write to me.
You will get a quick reply, in English or in French — the author reads every message himself.
contact@daniel-auber.fr
Interviews, book signings, events, festivals, screen and translation rights.
presse@bod.fr — offered to journalists, bloggers and creators (from 1,000 followers) in exchange for a review.
Pitch pack, logline, episode breakdown and rights availability: see the pack or ask by e-mail.
Order through BoD — Books on Demand, ISBN 978-2-322-54019-8. Events and talks possible in Alsace and beyond.