In 1935, Varian Fry, an American journalist, went to Germany to determine if reports about the growing mistreatment of Jews were true. While in Berlin, Fry witnessed a mob gathered around Nazi storm troopers vandalizing Jewish-owned stores. “ 'This is a holiday for us,’ a German youth said to Varian.” The experience had a profound effect on Fry. Returning to the United States, he became involved with the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC)—an organization assembled to rescue artists and scientists from Europe before they were taken by the Nazis. The ERC sent Fry to Marseilles, France, with $3,000 and a list of names for rescue. Fry was an unlikely candidate for the mission in many ways, but he made up for it with his passion. Fry’s mission was to assist in the escape of 200 individuals within two weeks, but he quickly discovered the need for more time and more resources. As Fry’s experience unfolds, the author introduces an unforgettable cast of characters who worked with Fry on a complex and secretive scheme to rescue enemies of Hitler. Fry’s actions tie him resolutely to the cause, while his relations across the Atlantic with the ERC and his wife become strained as the months slip by. This mesmerizing history is complemented by photographs as well as comprehensive records of the author’s research. (Age 12 and older)

On August 4, 1940, an unassuming American journalist named Varian Fry made his way to Marseilles, France, carrying in his pockets the names of approximately two hundred artists and intellectuals – all enemies of the new Nazi regime. As a volunteer for the Emergency Rescue Committee, Fry's mission was to help these refugees flee to safety, then return home two weeks later. As more and more people came to him for assistance, however, he realized the situation was far worse than anyone in America had suspected – and his role far greater than he had imagined. He remained in France for over a year, refusing to leave until he was forcibly evicted.

At a time when most Americans ignored the World War II atrocities in Europe, Varian Fry engaged in covert operations, putting himself in great danger, to save strangers in a foreign land. He was instrumental in the rescue of over two thousand refugees, including the novelist Heinrich Mann and the artist Marc Chagall.