Media Center: ‘Countrymen’ by Bo Lidegaard
WHO: Bo Lidegaard
WHAT: COUNTRYMEN: The untold story of how Denmark’s Jews escaped the Nazis, of the courage of their fellow Danes–and of the extraordinary role of the SS
WHEN: Published by Knopf September 20, 2013
WHERE: Denmark, 1943.
WHY:
“A tense, inspiring story of the resistance to oppression by a united people.
“One of the few feel-good stories to emerge from the Holocaust was the protection and eventual rescue of the approximately 7,000 Danish Jews by their fellow Gentile Danish citizens, escaping a scheduled roundup by Nazi occupiers.
“As Lidegaard points out, this mass rescue was extraordinary, since the population and governments of other occupied nations rarely protected their fellow Jewish countrymen. Lidegaard uses diaries, letters, and memoirs of the participants to provide a day-to-day narrative that proceeds on two tracks: the Nazi plans for roundup and the Danish plans to defeat it. The Danish government, including the king, had advance notice of the Nazi plan. A policy of delay and obstruction bought time, which allowed ordinary citizens to organize transport of almost all of the Jews to Sweden.”
—Jay Freeman, BOOKLIST
“A fascinating story…passionately argued.
Early on, readers may feel they are being fed a dreamy tale of Danish exceptionalism, but Lidegaard meticulously pieces together the myriad facets to this incredible story.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Impressive…comprehensive.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Media Resources:
About the book | About the author | Read an excerpt | Download the jacket or the author photo
Publicist for this title:
Biz Lindsay | 212-572-2015 | elindsay@randomhouse.com