Review by Choice Review
Anyone interested in the 1938--39 story of the Kindertransport is likely to benefit significantly from this new study by Craig-Norton (Univ. of Southampton, UK). Focusing on research in the archives of several UK organizations engaged in bringing Jewish refugee children to Britain, she examines "four distinct constituencies: the refugee organizations, the carers, (i.e., British 'foster parents'), the Kinder (as children, not adults), and their parents" (p. 19). The result unwraps complexities beyond those introduced in the Nicholas Winton documentary The Power of Good (2002), such as bureaucratic frustrations, friction between child and caregiver, estrangement from friends and religion, and few trouble-free reunions in instances where parents survived the war. While some Kindertransport stories were certainly trouble-free, Craig-Norton counters a long-held perception of a "'happily-ever-after outcome" for all, which "airbrushed the lost families out of the narrative" (p. 13). Among the book's more fascinating features is its account of "Kindertransportees" from Poland, generally children of Jewish families deported from Germany in October 1938. Neglected in this study, however, are those children whose deportation took them only to Holland--an understudied piece of the Kindertransport saga. That caveat aside, the book is a welcome addition to Holocaust studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --C. Paul Vincent, emeritus, Keene State College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
