Just The Facts Book Discussion - February 28th, 2019

The snow and cold the night before did not deter nine people from attending the book discussion last night.  Their presence, as always, was much appreciated.

Our book last night was Last Hope Island:  Britain, occupied Europe, and the brotherhood that helped turn the tide of war by Lynne Olson.  After the Nazi onslaught across Europe in 1939 and 1940, most European countries were occupied by German forces.  The German established collaborationist governments or governed directly.  The legitimate governments of these countries fled to Britain where they established governments in exile and worked with the British to continue the war.  They helped the British to establish resistance and sabotage movements in their home countries.  In addition, thousand of citizens of these occupied countries, many of them military or intelligence personnel, also escaped to Britain where they joined their British colleagues in continuing the war.  The Poles, especially, contributed to these efforts, bringing the Enigma machine to British intelligence and providing hundreds of experienced pilots to the Royal Air Force and helping to defeat the Germans in the Battle of Britain.  All of this happened against the backdrop of the political infighting of the Big Three, Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, and the governments in exile.  Britain and the U. S. could not afford to anger the Russians and did not want to abandon their allies, but compromises were necessary to keep the Russians in the war, resulting in the abandonment of eastern European countries.  Everybody seemed to enjoy the book.  It’s a combination of war, politics, heroism and betrayal.  Our conversation was very interesting, covering the role of the underground, the problem of De Gaulle, the BBC, the antagonism of the allies and much more.  It was an interesting evening.

Our next meeting will be on March 28th, 2019.  The book to be discussed, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, is available at the Circulation Desk.  All are welcome.   Be brave everybody.  Spring is coming!