War Through Children S Eyes

On September 17, 1939, two weeks after the German invasion of Poland, Soviet troops occupied the eastern half of Poland and swiftly imposed a new political and economic order. Following a plebiscite, in early November the area was annexed to the Ukraine and Belorussia. Beginning in the winter of 1939&–40, Soviet authorities deported over one million Poles, many of them children, to various provinces of the Soviet Union. After the German attack on the USSR in summer 1941, the Polish government in exile in London received permission from its new-found ally to organize military units among the Polish deportees and later to transfer Polish civilians to camps in the British-controlled Middle East. There the children were able to attend Polish-run schools.The 120 essays translated here were selected from compositions written by the students of these schools. What makes these documents unique is the perception of these witnesses: a child's eye view of events no adult would consider worth mentioning. In simple language, filled with misspellings and grammatical errors, the children recorded their experiences, and sometimes their surprisingly mature understanding, of the invasion and the Societ occupation, the deportations eastward, and life in the work camps and kolkhozes. The horrors of life in the USSR were vivid memories; privation, hunger, disease, and death had been so frequent that they became accepted commonplaces. Moreover, as the editors point out in their introductory study, these Polish children were not alone in their suffering. All the nationalities that came under Soviet rule shared their fate.

“A masterpiece” (The Guardian) from the Nobel Prize–winning writer, an oral history of children’s experiences in World War II across Russia NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST For more than three decades, Svetlana Alexievich has been the memory and conscience of the twentieth century. When the Swedish Academy awarded her the Nobel Prize, it cited her for inventing “a new kind of literary genre,” describing her work as “a history of emotions . . . a history of the soul.” Bringing together dozens of voices in her distinctive style, Last Witnesses is Alexievich’s collection of the memories of those who were children during World War II. They had sometimes been soldiers as well as witnesses, and their generation grew up with the trauma of the war deeply embedded—a trauma that would change the course of the Russian nation. Collectively, this symphony of children’s stories, filled with the everyday details of life in combat, reveals an altogether unprecedented view of the war. Alexievich gives voice to those whose memories have been lost in the official narratives, uncovering a powerful, hidden history from the personal and private experiences of individuals. Translated by the renowned Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Last Witnesses is a powerful and poignant account of the central conflict of the twentieth century, a kaleidoscopic portrait of the human side of war. Praise for Last Witnesses “There is a special sort of clear-eyed humility to [Alexievich’s] reporting.”—The Guardian “A bracing reminder of the enduring power of the written word to testify to pain like no other medium. . . . Children survive, they grow up, and they do not forget. They are the first and last witnesses.”—The New Republic “A profound triumph.”—The Big Issue “[Alexievich] excavates and briefly gives prominence to demolished lives and eradicated communities. . . . It is impossible not to turn the page, impossible not to wonder whom we next might meet, impossible not to think differently about children caught in conflict.”—The Washington Post

Capturing the amazing experiences of a special generation, Susan Goodman brings together the dramatic, amusing, poignant and everyday stories from those who grew up during the Second World War.

Personal wartime remembrances by fifteen European children--sons and daughters of Jews, Nazis, collaborators, and resistance fighters.

Imagine if you will, living through World War II in England. The times were traumatic and terrifying. Now imagine that you are seeing the war Through the Eyes of a Child. Author Violet Apted describes what her life was like as a young girl in Ashford Kent in the years 1939 to 1945. Experience her perception of the events, as well as the restrictions placed on her and the effects this had on her life. British children during the war years experienced a vastly different childhood from today. They witnessed the deaths of family and friends, and faced the reality that their own lives were in constant danger. Yet the naivety and boundless innocence of a child weaves its way throughout this heartwarming story. Violet and her childhood friends were never sure if there would be a tomorrow. You will feel this young girl's fears and share her hopes, as she remembers the horrors and dangers that no child should ever have to know. Perhaps if we take Violet's story to heart we can learn from history's mistakes, and no longer will we know War, Through the Eyes of a Child. Violet Apted's mother used to say she was born with a pen in her hand. Now retired, the author lives in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. War, Through the Eyes of a Child is her fourth book. "This is the book I always planned to write." The fifth is underway.

Human rights and the norms of modern warfare -- Humanizing the laws of war -- The implosion of Iraq : "shock and awe," insurgency, and sectarian terror -- The Gaza wars, 2008-2014 : human rights agency and advocacy -- Who's responsible? Justice and accountability -- "Kind-hearted gunmen" : human rights and humanitarian intervention

A first-hand account of the horrors World War II inflicted upon children around the world, based on journals, diaries, and letters.