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The Forgotten Story of the Holocaust's Most Audacious Rescue Operation
by Roger Moorhouse
The secret history of one of the largest—and least-known—rescue operations of World War II
Between 1940 and 1943, a group of Polish diplomats in Switzerland engaged in a wholly remarkable—and until now, completely unknown—humanitarian operation. In concert with Jewish activists, they masterminded a systematic program of forging passports and identity documents for Latin American countries, which were then smuggled into German-occupied Europe to save the lives of thousands of Jews facing extermination in the Holocaust.
With the international community failing to act, the operation was one of the largest actions to aid Jews of the entire war. The Forgers tells this extraordinary story for the first time. We follow the desperate bids of Jews to obtain these lifesaving documents as the Nazi death machine draws ever closer. And we witness the quiet heroism of a group of ordinary men who decided to do something rather than nothing and saved thousands of lives.
"Immersive… a captivating narrative of heroism and an illuminating account of the international diplomatic response to the Holocaust." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A capable investigation of a little-known aspect of World War II history." ―Kirkus Reviews
"It is the rare historian who can present a tale about the Holocaust that most readers have never heard. Yet that is precisely what Moorhouse has done." —Booklist
"The Forgers is a well-constructed and agreeably concise book with a clear narrative drive and fascinating detail… Moorhouse's most laudable achievement is the light he shines on Lados and his team, who saved at least 2,000 Jews from extermination. Until now, they have not received the recognition they deserve." ―The Times (UK)
"Among the many remarkable aspects of The Forgers is the fact that the prime movers were Poles, many of whom were notorious for antisemitism. [Moorhouse]… does well to highlight that some Poles displayed admirable compassion." ―The Sunday Times (UK)
"Absorbing… deeply researched and well reported." ―The Spectator (UK)
"In this fascinating book Roger Moorhouse shines a light on an extraordinary, audacious and little-known rescue operation." ―The Daily Mail (UK)
This information about The Forgers was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Roger Moorhouse is a visiting professor at the College of Europe in Warsaw. The author of several books on World War II history, including Poland 1939 (winner of the Polish Foreign Ministry History Prize), Berlin at War (shortlisted for the Hessell-Tiltman Prize), and The Devils' Alliance, he lives in the United Kingdom.
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