In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry

by Carla Killough McClafferty

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Holocaust, Biography, Childrens, School

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 2008

Reviews

[Amanda]

In defiance of Hitler: The secret Mission of Varian Fry was a really interesting story. I don’t think we hear about the heroes of WWII enough. We only hear about the horror of concentration camps, which is a very important thing to learn about, but also not the only part of the WWII history. While this book is a little longer and harder to read for children I still thought it would be a great story for them to hear. It would be a nice way to integrate the holocaust into a classroom where you want to avoid a lot of the more gruesome stories. This story gives enough detail so students understand the danger the Jewish society was in at the time while not giving to many gory details. I loved the use of actually images from the time to give the reader a better idea of what was happening. This would be a great example of a non-fiction book to use in an upper elementary classroom.

[Anthony Bracciante]

This is an easy, informative read telling of the rescue work that Varian Fry, an American, engaged in rescuing refugees from Nazi occupied Europe in Marseilles in Vichy France from August 1940 until November 1941. He was instrumental in rescuing over 2000 people including artists Marc Chagall, Max Ernst and Andre Breton; writer Heinrich Mann and his brother Thomas's son Golo; over 200 British soldiers; and several anti-Nazis wanted by the Gestapo. Varian's organization continued to assist refugees after he was expelled from France until it was shut down by Vichy Police on June 2, 1942. For his efforts to help save Jewish people from the Nazis he was the first American to be recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" in 1996 by Yad Yashem.

[Daniel Nash]

**WARNING**
I'm not good at deciding what counts as a spoiler or not, so proceed with caution!





In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry is a stirring story of American bravery and determination to help those in need. Set during World War 2, in the height of the Nazi’s power, Carla Killough McClafferty tells the true story of Varian Fry, a reporter for the Living Age political journal. After witnessing Kristallnacht, the Crystal Night, firsthand, Varian returns to America and thinks about the horrors he witnessed. In 1940, he helped to found the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC), an organization with the goal of smuggling famous individuals wanted by the Nazis out of Germany occupied France. They decide to send Varian, as he was the only one that spoke French and German, out to Marseilles to find and help these famous refugees. Some of those refugees were Hans Sahl, Walter Mehring, Pablo Picasso, Camilla Koffler aka Ylla, Andre Gide, and many other prominent names. Varian arrives in Marseilles and immediately begins to track down refugees on his list. Varian has a deadline, as Hitler plans to send his secret service, the Gestapo, to track down some of the refugees on Varian’s list. Varian quickly finds several of the people on his list, and works to get them out.

World quickly spread of Varian’s efforts, and soon hundreds of refugees lined up outside his hotel door seeking help. He teamed up with several other people, and together they did their best to help as many refugees as they could. Varian hid his illegal smuggling of refugees by covering it with legal refugee help, creating an organization called the American Relief Center (ARC), that would help refugees with money, passports, and visas, working to get as many refugees out of France legally as possible. **SPOILER** A year after arriving in Marseilles, Varian was receiving a lot of pressure from the ERC to leave France, he was only supposed to be there for a month, along with pressure from his wife and the French government. Varian didn’t give in, so the ERC sent a replacement. The replacement, Jay Allen, didn’t care about the refugees as Varian did, and so after some time of fighting, Allen returned to America.

Eventually, Varian was forced out of France by the French government, but not after helping many of the refugees on his list, along with hundreds of other refugees. Once back in America, Varian continued to work to raise awareness of the Nazi’s actions, while his crew continued to work back in France. By the time the war ended, Varian Fry had helped well over 2,000 refugees escape from France. He was awarded France’s highest honor, the Cross Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and the Medal of Valor, Israel’s highest honor. Varian also earned the title of “Righteous Among the Nations”, an accolade that the Jews gave to non-Jews that helped them during the Holocaust. Varian was the first of five Americans to ever receive this honor.

[Landon Humble]

In Defiance of Hitler:The Secret Mission of Varian Fry is about how Varian Fry went to France on a mission to save prominent people from the hands of the Nazis, even though he wasn't necessarily qualified for the job. It tells of how from the minute he arrived in France he made it his duty to save as many of the people on his list as he could, and when he could, he’d help others as well, but it wasn't always an option. He was able to do this work for just over a year, and provide help to thousands in that time.

I really enjoyed the book. I think it's good to see the humanity in Varian and those he interacts with in such a horrible time, and to see how much Varian cared, not only about those on his list, but the ordinary people he helped as well. The part that stands out the most, however, is Varian’s bravery, it had to take a lot of courage for him to stand up to the Nazi’s. Most WW2 stories are sad, and about the ending of lives, but this book shows how Varian accomplished something wonderful out of that.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes history, particularly World War 2, because Varian was quite successful.Varian Fry saved people from the grasps of the Nazi’s, which was a pretty monumental task. The book also gives an inside look as to what France was like when the Nazi’s took over, which is very interesting for anyone who likes WW2.

[Ryan Barthelmess]

I gave this book 4 stars because I found it really interesting and the different things Varian did but I wasn’t blown away by it. The book was about a guy named Varian Fry who was on a mission to help the oppressed people of Europe escape the Nazis and he did whatever it took to make sure it happened even if he was told to leave by the US government because he was angering allies of the US. I would recommend this book to people who like learning about world war 2 and secret missions people went on to help people in need.

[Pat]

Good story about a very interesting man and his work, with which I wasn't familiar. The writing was just average, however, and the author assumed the reader knew nothing at all about WWII, explaining which countries were the Axis and which the Allies, for instance.

[Bert]

A worthwhile book to be read about Varian Fry’s remarkable rescue of over 2000 refugees and Jews from France under the noses of the Germans and Vichy.

[Trudy Dowling]

An enlightening story of someone that stood up against the Nazis and helped people escape at great risk to himself.

[Becky]

Occasionally repetitive and not exactly as engaging as some non-fiction, but incredibly interesting story of a life I didn’t know about.

[Fluxbrarian]

Thirty-two year old American Varian Fry flew to Marseilles in 1940 to help refugees escape Nazi occupied France. He arrived with a list of names of prominent artists, scientists, writers, and musicians to look for and help out of the country, and a plan to return home two weeks later. But once he saw the situation, he stayed over a year until evicted and helped save over 2000 refugees. The narrative is compelling and very accessible, and enough context is provided to understand what is going on. Kirkus points out “McClafferty lists people who aided in the rescue effort without providing sufficient background information about them, and at times the text is somewhere repetitious.” Although these are valid points, they are only minor flaws. Much more bothersome to me was the absence of any maps! The escape routes are integral to the story, and I wish there were some maps to help me picture the journey the refugees had to take. Also, there is a good deal of name dropping, and knowing who those people are does make a difference in getting the full impact of the story. But children are unlikely to be familiar with figures such as Andre Breton, Thomas Mann, and Walter Benjamin, even if short descriptions are given. Starred by Booklist.

[Maureen]

I read this book. It is very well written. It is the story of a man Varian Fry who applys for a job to go to France and help a number of notable people get out of France in 1940. He has a list of people he is to help. Some Jews and some not but mostly Jews. One of the people is Pablo Picasso. Some are artists. He finds after arriving there and setting up an office that there are a number of people that want to come to America but they need the right kind of papers. In order to leave France you needed an exit paper. Of course a passport is required too. Varian Fry is there to help them get the right papers. Sometimes it was required of them to walk over the Pyrenees Mountains. The German police was always there to arrest those who did not have the right papers. One os the people he ended up helping was the Gustav Mahler's daughter and husband. They would be taking his music to America. Some of the art and photos and music that they would be bringing to America was so it could be preserved for later generations. I read this book in one day. Was sorry when it ended. Varian Fry was an incredible man to do the job he was sent to do. It certainly cost him a lot because it changed his life. He lost his first wife and actually his second wife because of all the stress he had to endure.

[Jessica Lee]

This story tells us about Varian Fry, who saved many lives during the Holocaust. He was a volunteer for the Emergency Rescue Committee in Marseilles, France, where he helped chosen refugees flee to safety. He decided to interview refugees and determine who was in the most danger and had to make the hard decisions of who to help. His initial goal was to stay for two weeks to help the refugees, however, after seeing how dire the situation was, he decided to stay as long as he could and remained to help for a year, until he was forcibly removed from France. I loved this book and learning about someone who did as much as he was able to in order to help those who were being threatened by Hitler's evil hand. It was an emotional and touching story and I would absolutely use this in the classroom.

[Kaitlyn]

This true story of Varian Fry was inspiring and enlightening. As a lover of anything World War II, it piqued my interest quickly. Fry was a journalist who joined a group called the Emergency Rescue Committee. He lead an escape mission to extract as many refugees as possible. He quickly realized that the situation was worse than first believed. Fry helped as many people as hehe could and refused to leave until he was removed. Many Americans tried to make his life harder by taking away his papers. This was an inspiring and powerful non-fiction novel that tell of one person who helped make a difference.

[Roberta Westwood]

Enlightening

I was initially drawn to this book because it shed light on the efforts to provide artists an intellectuals with safe passage out of France during WWII, but the reality goes far beyond that. This is the story of one man, sent to Marseille for 1 month, stayed much longer. He built a dedicated ten responsible for saving countless lives, many of them less gifted and without resources. I learned a lot about how hard it was to arrange visas to move between countries, even those neutral in the conflict. Well written and narrated.

[Merica]

I've always been interested in Holocaust literature--both fiction and non-fiction. I am intrigued by the human ability to both love and hate without reason. Varian Fry is an excellent example of a person who chose to care more than was wise; the result was the rescue of more than 2,000 people. This is an excellent account of his efforts, which remains true to the historical records, but sacrifices some of the literary merit as a result. Check out McClafferty's other books!

[Aubrey Hitt]

Again, I am not normally drawn to non-fiction books but I really enjoyed this book and the bravery of the main character. His courage to face countless dangers and save the lives of so many people was inspiring. He stopped at no cost and didn't stop until there was no other choice. I was very interested the entire time and did not have may normal non-fiction attitude of being bored.

[Pollopicu]

Amazing story about Varian Fry's heroic efforts to help many anti-fascist artists, writers, and jews escape from France during WWII. Fry helped about two thousand refugees escape Nazi occupied france.

I'm pissed at Andre Breton. Shame on him.

[Kelley]

Great historical resource for young adults. Explains the background well for those with little knowledge of it. Contains a lot of detail, perhaps more than sufficient for the average reader's attention span, but overall tells a compelling story.

[Deborah]

Varian Fry was an American who predicted the murder of the Jews before the Holocaust really began and became an important part of saving many Jews during the Holocaust. Teens who have an interest in the Resistance, the Holocaust, and standing up for human rights will enjoy this account.

JHS/HS

[Rosy]

Wow... this nonfiction story really shows the difference that one person can make! Mr. Fry was very brave in helping out refugees during WWII. Imagine how much all of us could make if we worked together against the problems that are currently happening around the world.

[Todd]

Check the next issue of The Alan Review for a review of this book!

[Wendy]

Very interesting short history of an American who went to France to help Jewish authors, artists, etc escape from the Nazis during world war 2.

[Alex Baugh]

This is an excellent and informative book about a little known hero during World War II. An extensive review can be found at http://thechildrenswar.blogspot.com

[Melissa]

good...maybe too pedantic for book club

[Charles]

Everyone of us should make the time to read this.

[Stephanie]

Great story of someone who made a difference and helped many people escape France. It's sad to think that if the U.S. would have allowed more Jewish immigrants more lives could have been saved.

[Jimmy]

I like young adult non-fiction books when I need a quick read. I had never heard of Varian Fry and his efforts to rescue Jews from Europe during WWII. People die in this book in an effort to save other lives. There are things in this world more valuable than ourselves. An important lesson to learn.