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The Last of the Human Freedoms
Protect or betray; life or death? What would you do?
Auschwitz survivor and philosopher Victor Frankl Everything can be taken from a man but one the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. While on one level a collection of moving personal histories of Kiwi airmen saved by the Resistance during World War two, on another it tells of significant and life-changing choices made in times of fear, desperation and hardship . When Kiwi airman John Sanderson was shot down over Laines-aux-Bois in May 1944, an ordinary French family was asked to shelter the wounded airman. they chose to help. tragically, a local doctor called in to treat his wounds made a different choice, betraying them to the Gestapo. While Yvette Patris was eventually released, her husband Emile was transported, and died in Dachau concentration camp. Sanderson survived the war and began a correspondence with Yvette Patris, which lasted for many years, establishing a contact with the author's family which continues today. Based on letters, journals, military records and personal accounts, this inspiring and very different book examines what it means to be human when everything we value, including our liberty, is taken away. While primarily about individual lives and personal choices, this absorbing, illustrated account presents a poignant and compelling view of our humanity, and our history.
Auschwitz survivor and philosopher Victor Frankl Everything can be taken from a man but one the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. While on one level a collection of moving personal histories of Kiwi airmen saved by the Resistance during World War two, on another it tells of significant and life-changing choices made in times of fear, desperation and hardship . When Kiwi airman John Sanderson was shot down over Laines-aux-Bois in May 1944, an ordinary French family was asked to shelter the wounded airman. they chose to help. tragically, a local doctor called in to treat his wounds made a different choice, betraying them to the Gestapo. While Yvette Patris was eventually released, her husband Emile was transported, and died in Dachau concentration camp. Sanderson survived the war and began a correspondence with Yvette Patris, which lasted for many years, establishing a contact with the author's family which continues today. Based on letters, journals, military records and personal accounts, this inspiring and very different book examines what it means to be human when everything we value, including our liberty, is taken away. While primarily about individual lives and personal choices, this absorbing, illustrated account presents a poignant and compelling view of our humanity, and our history.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 26, 2023
This was gonna be a 3 until I reached the diary section, but the inclusion of that bumped it up a star (or half). The book was an interesting topic, but I feel it wasn't quite what was promised, nor was it the best written or laid out. However, I did appreciate how much of the source material was included.
December 12, 2020
Lent by a friend, whose relative (kiwi) is mentioned in the book. A good read, well researched and solidly written - and a reminder that courage in war is something all are obliged to offer.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews