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Last Hope Island

Britain, Occupied Europe, and the Brotherhood That Helped Turn the Tide of War
Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Alameda County Library.
Dec 16, 2019janajensen rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A very good book offering insights to interactions between the leaders of countries and resistance organizations trying to cope with the rising power that was Nazi Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. The author has performed a gigantic effort collecting so much information about these interactions, which are not so well known except among serious students of World War II. Moreover, the author has organized that information in a masterly way. It is a big book, almost 500 pages of narrative without including the extensive notes. Even so, the author kept my attention throughout. Her success in the presentation comes from its focus on the many people, both famous and not, involved in fighting the German aggression that caused so much death and suffering to millions of Europeans. There are many heroes described for us to admire. There are many foibles and stupidities and regrettable necessities revealed in the decisions of even the most distinguished of the many allied leaders. The reader will be inspired by many stories of those who risked everything to oppose the conquering evil, but also dismayed and saddened by decisions and actions of persons whose petty personalities or intellectual blindness to obvious facts caused additional, unnecessary suffering and death to so many. My only complaint about this fine work is the total lack of any maps to complement the narrative. Be prepared to seek out your own maps to properly follow the movement and locations of the people and events.