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Book Details
Abstract
Between 1939 and 1945, some 80,000 Finnish children were sent to Sweden, Denmark, and elsewhere, ostensibly to protect them from danger while their nation’s soldiers fought superior Soviet and German forces. This was the largest of all of World War II children’s transports, and although acknowledged today as “a great social-historical mistake,” it has received surprisingly little attention. This is the first English-language account of Finland’s war children and their experiences, told through the survivors’ own words. Supported by an extensive introduction, a bibliography of secondary sources, and over two dozen photographs, this book testifies to the often-lifelong traumas endured by youthful survivors of war.
Sue Saffle holds a Senior Instructorship in Virginia Tech’s Department of English. She is a winner of VT’s University Sporn Award for outstanding teaching and was inducted into the institution’s Academy of Teaching Excellence. In 2000–2001 she lived in Helsinki, where she began collecting the stories of Finland’s war children. Her articles about them have appeared in the journal Children and War and in the collection Children: The Invisible Victims of War (2008).
“…a fine collection… The book is affecting, to be read a little at a time. You won't forget it afterwards.” · Finnish American Cultural Activities.
“Over a number of years, Sue Saffle has earned the respect of the war children in Finland and Sweden… to such an extent that she has been able to tap into a great source of social and war history. In addition, for many who contributed to the research, [this book] has the added element of being a form of personal catharsis. This is an excellent book which will add a great deal to the academic study of war children past and present.” · Martin Parsons, University of Reading
Table of Contents
Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
---|---|---|---|
To the Bomb and Back | i | ||
Contents | vii | ||
Figures | x | ||
Foreword | xii | ||
Acknowledgments | xiii | ||
Introduction | 1 | ||
1: The Work of Sorrow | 28 | ||
2: Unanswered Questions for a Finnpojke | 34 | ||
3: A Desire to Scream | 39 | ||
4: Horseshoes and Licorice Drops | 42 | ||
5: The Last Summer in Sweden | 51 | ||
6: Farting in Swedish | 55 | ||
7: Sugar Beets and Spettecaka | 59 | ||
8: Dragons in a Handbag | 62 | ||
9: A Good and Bad Hand | 71 | ||
10: The Red Shoes | 78 | ||
11: Bread in a Suitcase | 85 | ||
12: The Lucky Stain | 96 | ||
13: Paper Dolls | 106 | ||
14: The Woman in the Broad-Brimmed Hat | 113 | ||
15: Swedish Toys | 122 | ||
16: Goodbye to the Bombs | 128 | ||
17: Someone’s Daughter | 133 | ||
18: To the Bomb and Back | 142 | ||
19: A Blonde Curly-Haired Girl | 150 | ||
20: Fishing with Ragnar | 152 | ||
Photo Section | 161 | ||
21: Black Birds | 166 | ||
22: Terror of the Dark | 175 | ||
23: Funeral Games | 180 | ||
24: The Woman in Black | 186 | ||
25: Understanding Backwards | 195 | ||
26: A Happier War Child Story | 204 | ||
27: No Easy Choices | 213 | ||
28: God natt, sov Gott | 221 | ||
29: A Lifelong Exile | 225 | ||
30: Take the Bed Down! | 231 | ||
31: Waiting for the Time to Pass | 241 | ||
32: Children’s Prayers | 245 | ||
33: “Send the Little Ones!” | 249 | ||
34: A Tale of Two Sisters | 255 | ||
35: Swedish Fish | 259 | ||
36: Horses in the Kitchen | 268 | ||
37: Rita, not Rauha | 273 | ||
38: Repairing the Clock | 284 | ||
39: Soldier Boy | 294 | ||
Appendix | 310 | ||
Bibliography | 312 | ||
Index | 314 |