I just finished The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip Hoose. I started it this morning and literally couldn't put it down. It's the true story of a group of Danish teenagers who were angered by their country's failure to resist German occupation in 1940. They decided to do something about it and committed acts of sabotage against the Germans for months before their arrest. These acts were carried out by boys on bicycles, mostly in broad daylight because they had family curfews. After they were imprisoned, their actions inspired other Danes to acts against the Germans.
This inspiring book almost didn't happen. The author recounts, in the introduction, how he discovered the story while on a bicycle tour through Denmark in 2000. The curator of the museum he was visiting gave him the email address of Knud Pedersen. When he returned home, he emailed Mr. Pedersen, who responded that a contract had been signed with another American writer. Hoose printed out the email, filed it and forgot about it for ten years.
In September 2012, the author found himself between books and looking for another project. As he went through some old files, he found his email exchange with Mr. Pedersen. Not knowing if the older man was still alive, he sent him another email. Pedersen's reply said the other book had not happened and he was now free to work with Hoose, immediately. Within a month, the author was in Copenhagen, where he spent a week interviewing Pedersen. These interviews and countless emails between the two resulted in this book, filled with Knud Pedersen's own voice. It was completed in the fall of 2014 and a delighted Pederen immediately sent it to his children and grandchildren. Sadly, he died only weeks later.
It's amazing that such a powerful story almost didn't make it to book form. World War II seems such a long time ago, and many of those primary sources are already gone. I think it's wonderful that a gifted author had the time to learn and tell this wonderful story.
This inspiring book almost didn't happen. The author recounts, in the introduction, how he discovered the story while on a bicycle tour through Denmark in 2000. The curator of the museum he was visiting gave him the email address of Knud Pedersen. When he returned home, he emailed Mr. Pedersen, who responded that a contract had been signed with another American writer. Hoose printed out the email, filed it and forgot about it for ten years.
In September 2012, the author found himself between books and looking for another project. As he went through some old files, he found his email exchange with Mr. Pedersen. Not knowing if the older man was still alive, he sent him another email. Pedersen's reply said the other book had not happened and he was now free to work with Hoose, immediately. Within a month, the author was in Copenhagen, where he spent a week interviewing Pedersen. These interviews and countless emails between the two resulted in this book, filled with Knud Pedersen's own voice. It was completed in the fall of 2014 and a delighted Pederen immediately sent it to his children and grandchildren. Sadly, he died only weeks later.
It's amazing that such a powerful story almost didn't make it to book form. World War II seems such a long time ago, and many of those primary sources are already gone. I think it's wonderful that a gifted author had the time to learn and tell this wonderful story.