Here are her answers:
Why I wrote a book set in WW2
After my Aunt Sarah, who was well into her nineties,
gave me a brooch with a picture of her younger brother, Fred, set in it, she told me something she must have been holding secret for over fifty years.
Fred had hated the thought of war and wanted to register as a conscientious objector.
But the shame on the family would have been enormous as all the local lads had left for the front. He never did register. Maybe Aunt Sarah persuaded him to join up. I don't know. But within a year he was a prisoner of war and died building the Burma Railway.
I became very interested in conscientious objectors and so I wrote Run Rabbit Run.
While I was writing the book, I didn't surround myself with WW2 items but I did do a lot of research, including the wonderful Whiteway colony in Gloucestershire.
But now I do have some WW2 items, ready for school visits.
One is a baby's gas mask which the mother wore like a back pack.
It's truly scary!
Barabara, thank you for the great answers.
Remember, if you have any questions for Barbara, post them in the Comments section on the post before this one.
You could win a signed copy of Run Rabbit Run
But, hurry! The draw will take place on March 4th.
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6 comments:
How sad that he died so tragically.
That gas mask does look eerie. Poor babies.
Thanks for the heads up about this book, Pat. I will certainly try to get a copy. There are not too many books written about COs, even now. I like Robert Westall's books, but Blitzcat was my favorite.
Your own books look interesting and fun, too.
Such a sad story. The gas mask looks like something from Dr Who
There's something very eerie about gas-masks.
I really enjoy books set in WW2 and would love to read this.
Very sad but the book sounds fascinating - I agree about the gas masks though.
Sounds like a very interesting read. As an historical fiction lover, I'll have to check it out. Thank you for sharing the inspiration behind it. I'm sorry that the real-life story had a sad ending, but I guess things can't always turn out happily.
Becca @ The Bookshelf Muse
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