In Defiance of Hitler The Secret Mission of Varian Fry [Hardcover]

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.

CARLA KILLOUGH MCCLAFFERTY is the author of the acclaimedThe Head Bone's Connected to the Neck Bone: The Weird, Wacky, and Wonderful X-rayand, most recently,Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium, an ALA Best Book, among other honors. She lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Rescue stories bring hope to the Holocuast darkness, and this stirring account of a young New York City journalist who secretly helped over 2000 refugees escape Nazi-occupied France blends exciting adventure with the grim history. Starred, Booklist

The author's clear language makes the chronological story thrilling. She gives useful historical background to the individual saga and provides a lot of wonderful photos . . . . Highly recommended. Starred, Jewish Book World Magazine

Period photographs help to flesh out the story, and an appendix provides brief follow-up biographies of some of the others involved. An interesting read that shines a light on a hitherto little-known figurlS&