In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry

On August 4, 1940, an unassuming American journalist named Varian Fry made his way to Marseilles, France, carrying in his pockets the names of approximately two hundred artists and intellectuals - all enemies of the new Nazi regime. As a volunteer for the Emergency Rescue Committee, Fry's mission was to help these refugees flee to safety, then return home two weeks later. As more and more people came to him for assistance, however, he realized the situation was far worse than anyone in America had suspected - and his role far greater than he had imagined. He remained in France for over a year, refusing to leave until he was forcibly evicted.

At a time when most Americans ignored the atrocities in Europe, Varian Fry engaged in covert operations, putting himself in great danger, to save strangers in a foreign land. He was instrumental in the rescue of over two thousand refugees, including the novelist Heinrich Mann and the artist Marc Chagall.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Farrar Strauss & Giroux-3pl
Published: 09/02/2008
ISBN: 9780374382049
Pages: 196
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.40h x 7.80w x 0.70d

Review Citations: Booklist 06/01/2008 pg. 93
Kirkus Review - Children 08/01/2008 pg. 820
School Library Journal 09/01/2008 pg. 206
Voice of Youth Advocates 12/01/2008 - Recommended - Hard To Beat
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2008 pg. 86
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 10/01/2008
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2009 pg. 188 - Recommended, Satisfactory

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 125849 / In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry
Reading Level: 7.7 / Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus / Point Value: 8