THE HUNTED CHILDREN

by Donald A. Lowrie ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 18, 1963

Of all the stories to emerge from the wretchedness that was World War Two, the most ghastly and the least believable is the record of conditions in European internment camps for refugees, political prisoners, and other ""undesirable elements,"" men, women, and children. This strikingly well-organized account of the tragic situation is the work of a husband-and-wife team; before and during the war they acted as agents of the YMCA, Czech Aid, the Red Cross, and in cooperation with numerous other organizations engaged in the heartbreaking attempt to save as many lives as possible and ease the last days of those who could not be saved. As chairman of the ""Nimes Committee"" for the coordination of relief work among national and international organizations both Christian and Jewish, Donald Lowrie knew as much about camp conditions as anyone who survived the war. He was in close touch with the methods of financing legal and extralegal operations, and personally fought many rounds in the battle for visas, travel permits, and special concessions that had to be wrung from a treacherous Vichy. One chapter title, ""Hiding Six Thousand Children,"" expresses the staggering task of gathering up the fragments of refugee youth (preponderantly, of course, Jewish youth), concealing them, and sustaining them until they could be spirited away or liberated at the close of hostilities. The Hunted Children is unforgettable.

Pub Date: May 18, 1963

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1963

Categories: NONFICTION