The School that Escaped the Nazis: The True Story of the Schoolteacher Who Defied Hitler
Deborah Cadbury speaks about her new book, The School that Escaped the Nazis, the extraordinary true story of German Jewish educator Anna Essinger, who founded a boarding school in Germany. In 1933, with the Nazi threat looming and the permission of all parents, Anna secretly smuggled her school and its children, mostly Jewish, to safety in England under the nose of the gestapo. In 1938-1939, children fleeing the terrors of Nazi Germany through the Kindertransport joined the school and after the war, the school took in child survivors of Nazi concentration camps. Although the school faced many challenges, it was a place of love and security that helped the children rebuild their lives.
The book, extensively researched, is a dramatic human tale featuring moving firsthand testimony from surviving pupils, drawing from letters, diaries, and present-day interviews. It is also the incredible story of one woman’s efforts to save and educate hundreds of children and her refusal to allow her belief in a better world to be overtaken by hatred and violence.
Deborah Cadbury, an award-winning British author, and BBC television producer has received numerous international awards, among them an Emmy. She is the author of ten acclaimed books including Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking, Princes at War, Chocolate Wars, The Dinosaur Hunters, Space Race, The Lost King of France, and Seven Wonders of the Industrial World. She will join us for this conversation from London, England.
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