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Rating: 
Summary: A testament to an unsung hero
Review: This is a book about an ordinary man who never asked to be thanked. He did what he thought was his duty as a human being and a pacifist. In 1939 Nicholas Winton a Stockbroker from London set about trying to save the doomed children Jewish children of an about to be invaded Czechoslovakia. His efforts saved 669 of them.In 1939 there were some 15,000 Czech Jewish children in existence. By the end of the war in 1945 only 100 or so of these children were left alive plus the 669 that Nicholas Winton had managed to save and get to the UK before the European borders closed down. One of these children was Vera Gissing who co-wrote this book. For a long time she wanted to know who had saved her and eventually she found out. This book is her testament to one man's selfless spirit and his desire to do what he considered was right. In theory Nicholas Winton could be considered a "righteous man" a gentile who helped the Jewish people in their time of need. But Nicholas Winton himself was born Jewish though he did not practice his faith, and nor did his family so he could not be bestowed with this honour (for he was Jewish in the eyes of Jewish law) but he could be recognised and acknowledged by those that he helped save. Vera Gissing has co-written a marvellously engrossing book about one man and his life and times, and it is only as you read each page do you understand what Nicholas Winton did to get those 669 children to safety. This is not a sentimental story, but you should be prepared to invest in a BIG box of tissues, because this story will move you to tears. A wonderful book which like "The Diary of Anne Frank," and "The Colour of Justice," should be on the shelf of every school in the land.
Rating:
Summary: A testament to an unsung hero
Review: This is a book about an ordinary man who never asked to be thanked. He did what he thought was his duty as a human being and a pacifist. In 1939 Nicholas Winton a Stockbroker from London set about trying to save the doomed children Jewish children of an about to be invaded Czechoslovakia. His efforts saved 669 of them. In 1939 there were some 15,000 Czech Jewish children in existence. By the end of the war in 1945 only 100 or so of these children were left alive plus the 669 that Nicholas Winton had managed to save and get to the UK before the European borders closed down. One of these children was Vera Gissing who co-wrote this book. For a long time she wanted to know who had saved her and eventually she found out. This book is her testament to one man's selfless spirit and his desire to do what he considered was right. In theory Nicholas Winton could be considered a "righteous man" a gentile who helped the Jewish people in their time of need. But Nicholas Winton himself was born Jewish though he did not practice his faith, and nor did his family so he could not be bestowed with this honour (for he was Jewish in the eyes of Jewish law) but he could be recognised and acknowledged by those that he helped save. Vera Gissing has co-written a marvellously engrossing book about one man and his life and times, and it is only as you read each page do you understand what Nicholas Winton did to get those 669 children to safety. This is not a sentimental story, but you should be prepared to invest in a BIG box of tissues, because this story will move you to tears. A wonderful book which like "The Diary of Anne Frank," and "The Colour of Justice," should be on the shelf of every school in the land.
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