Compared to Casablanca by the Washington Post; this a page–turning story of a group of resistance workers who secreted downed Allied fighter pilots through France and into safety in Spain during World War II. As war raged against Hitler's Germany; an increasing number of Allied fliers were shot down on missions against Nazi targets in occupied Europe. Many fliers parachuted safely behind enemy lines only to find themselves stranded and hunted down by the Gestapo. The Freedom Line traces the thrilling and true story of Robert Grimes; a 20–year–old American B–17 pilot whose plane was shot down over Belgium on Oct. 20; 1943. Wounded; disoriented; and scared; he was rescued by operatives of the Comet Line; a group of tenacious young women and men from Belgium; France; and Spain who joined forces to rescue the Allied aircrews and take them to safety. And on Christmas Eve 1943; he and a group of fellow Americans faced unexpected sudden danger and tragedy on the border between France and Spain. The road to safety was a treacherous journey by train; by bicycle; and on foot that stretched hundreds of miles across occupied France to the Pyrenees Mountains at the Spanish border. Armed with guile and spirit; the selfless civilian fighters of the Comet Line had risked their lives to create this underground railroad; and by this time in the war; they had saved hundreds of Americans; British; Australians; and other Allied airmen. Based on interviews with the survivors and in–depth archival research; The Freedom Line is the story of a group of friends who chose to act on their own out of a deep respect for liberty and human dignity. Theirs was a courage that presumed to take on a fearfully powerful foe with few defences.
#718761 in Books 2003-03-04 2003-03-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.25 x .97 x 5.50l; #File Name: 0060086661282 pagesHardcover with jacket showing scene from olden days.
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Not the Best OptionBy Dizzy!Had to buy it for a class. It's honestly not a "bad" book; but the author has a lot of trouble trying to decide how she feels about what she's writing; which doesn't translate well. She's supposedly an anthropologist; but she's extremely flighty and doesn't seem to form any really solid conclusion about anything she discusses. She also tells disjointed and unrelated stories in no particular order and seemingly for no particular reason. I guess it's "interesting" but it's certainly not very entertaining or even very informative.I'd give it a miss unless it's your only option for some reason.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. THE FIRST BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT THE WORLD'S LARGEST COMMUNITY OF SPIRITUALISTSBy Steven H ProppJournalist Christine Wicker "is the first reporter to write a book on Lily Dale; a town that refused to co-operate with journalists until a few years ago." She wrote in the first chapter of this 2003 book; "I was a religion reporter ... when I first drove a rental car past the filigree sign that proclaims Lily Dale to be the world's largest community of Spiritualists... For more than a hundred years; people of the Dale have believed they can talk with the dead. They think anybody can. Call them demented; sneer at their gullibility; suspect them of trickery---catch them in it even; lots of people have---but they won't give up what they believe... I wanted to know why this strange little outpost clings to such absurd ideas. I wanted to know who these people are and what makes them tick." (Pg. 1-2)She notes; "Only Spiritualists can buy houses in the 167-acre compound; a stricture that can be enforced because the Lily Dale Assembly is a religious corporation made up of community residents... Lily Dale residents don't own the land their houses sit on. They lease the land from the Assembly. This ensures the Spiritualists will never lose control of Lily Dale; but it also keeps real estate prices depressed." (Pg. 45)She records; "Their beliefs once caused them to be considered freethinkers. Freethinking about religion; which included escape from Christian ideas about original sin and atonement; were important reasons for the original appeal of Spiritualism." (Pg. 47) She interviews a person who "remembers when the Assembly went to court to evict Christian Spiritualists who wanted to start a church of their own." (Pg. 58) Later; she adds; "I noticed that a number of the Spiritualists' adult children were conservative; rather disapproving Christians. I wondered whether the loosey-goosey ways of their parents had sent these children scurrying toward faiths that give them certainties and firm doctrine." (Pg. 119)She observes; "Alcoholism is also a common affliction among mediums... John Slater; known as the dean of American spiritualists in the 1920s; often disappeared for multiple-day binges with his secretary; forcing Lily Dale authorities to pacify his fans with concocted stories of illness and emergency." (Pg. 25) She frankly reports; "Lily Dale... admits everything. There used to be a shocking amount of fraud; perpetuated by bad mediums; and there's still some of it around; the mediums say. It blackens the name of good; honest mediums; and it ought to be stopped. In the 1940s; Lily Dale outlawed all physical mediumship except in classes and private circles." (Pg. 67)This is an absolutely fascinating and utterly unique book; that will be "must reading" for students of religion; Spiritualists; New Age sympathizers; and anyone looking for an engaging book about a little-known culture.12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Our Spiritualist HeritageBy Mark NewboldThough not a spiritualist; I have long been fascinated by the American birth of this religion and its influence on the intellectual and social life of 19th century America. With Christine Wicker's work contributing to our understanding with a fresh assessment of this spiritual heritage through the microcosm of the Lily Dale community. We discover the progressive movements enhanced and energized by those Victorian Spiritualists; for examples; the surprising number of Spiritualists who were active in the abolitionist movement; human rights movements; not just for anglo-saxons but all Americans regardless of race; and perhaps the progenitor in the struggle for the rights of women (no small achievement). For the first time since ancient times; women were perceived as spiritual leaders role models rather than as silent; serving; disenfranchised members of a church congregation. Through mediumship women tasted for the first time a role of respect and leadership within their communities and there was no turning back.This book also serves as a spiritual diary of discovery for the author herself. Her chapter recounting an encounter with the Dalai Lama is extremely profound and moving. Observing the empowerment of women with low self-esteems and extremely difficult lives; that blossom through affiliation with the movement is insightful from a sociological perspective. And the comfort for the bereaved which Spiritualism has offered since its inception is well illustrated in a non-sensational manner.As with all religious/spiritual movements; we see the sublime as well as the ridiculous of human fraility at play with petty politics; back biting; artificial hierarchies; and the desire for power. But at the conclusion of the book one comes away with a sense of the nobility of the human spirit both in this life and just maybe in the next...
