To The Bomb And Back Finnish World War Ii Children Tell Their Stories [Hardcover]

Between 1939 and 1945, some 80,000 Finnish children were sent to Sweden, Denmark, and elsewhere, ostensibly to protect them from danger while their nations soldiers fought superior Soviet and German forces. This was the largest of all of World War II childrens transports, and although acknowledged today as a great social-historical mistake, it has received surprisingly little attention. This is the first English-language account of Finlands war children and their experiences, told through the survivors own words. Supported by an extensive introduction, a bibliography of secondary sources, and over two dozen photographs, this book testifies to the often-lifelong traumas endured by youthful survivors of war.

Sue Saffleholds a Senior Instructorship in Virginia Techs Department of English. She is a winner of VTs University Sporn Award for outstanding teaching and was inducted into the institutions Academy of Teaching Excellence. In 20002001 she lived in Helsinki, where she began collecting the stories of Finlands war children. Her articles about them have appeared in the journalChildren and Warand in the collectionChildren: The Invisible Victims of War(2008).

&a fine collection& The book is affecting, to be read a little at a time. You won't forget it afterwards.? Finnish American Cultural Activities.

Over a number of years, Sue Saffle has earned the respect of the war children in Finland and Sweden& to such an extent that she has been able to tap into a great source of social and war history. In addition, for many who contributed to the research, [this book] has the added element of being a form of personal catharsis. This is an excellent book which will add a great deal to the academic study of war children past and present.? Martin Parsons, University of Reading

Illustrations

Foreword
Kai Rosnell