A World War II tale about how panic, fear, and xenophobia led to a drastic governmental policy in the U.K. Still, Peter was thrilled to be among this crowd. As the men had been imprisoned because of where they were from and not for who they were or what they had done, Hutchinson contained a dazzling cross section of society. It was happenstance, however, that brought so many brilliant achievers to this camp. Together they made up one of history’s unlikeliest and most extraordinary prison populations. While there were no tuxedos or ball gowns, no champagne flutes or chandeliers for tonight’s show, Peter sat among a constellation of brilliant individuals, luminaries from the worlds of art, fashion, media, and academia; an exceptional audience, even discounting the circumstances.

During war times, countries are liable to institute laws that are seemingly contrary to the country’s ideology. Case in point, the United States in World War II interned thousands of Japanese American citizens without cause or compensation. SIMON PARKIN documents a little-known aspect of British history, the internments of World War II. THE ISLAND OF EXTRAORDINARY CAPTIVES details that story through the eyes and words of several internees.The book is a heavy read and at times goes off on a tangent and becomes confusing which is why I have taken off one half star. It was tough going to finish this book.

As much as I read about this period of time, I'm always finding more that I don't know about places and events and now that I've learned about so many of the amazing men that were kept at this camp, I want to know more about them and their lives before, during, and after this period of time. Once again, a historical book has opened my eyes, so many of these talented and sometimes famous people were German Jews, escaping the Nazis who wanted to eradicate them, only to find themselves prisoners in an interment camp of those who they thought would protect them. In fact, some of these people had escaped the Nazi concentration camps only to find themselves hauled off to British interment camps. All the information can be overwhelming and I plan to read a print version of the book, in the future. A palisade of barbed wire separated and barred the men from the harbor, a perimeter that marked the boundary of what was officially known as “P” camp, or, to the men, simply, “Hutchinson.” Outside the wire fence, a group of locals had gathered. They peered in, hoping to glimpse and understand what was happening, the only obvious clue that tonight’s was a captive audience. Parkin [has an] inimitable capacity to find the human pulse in the underbelly of Britain’s war. . . . [ The Island of Extraordinary Captives is] a reminder that conflict has always been a convenient mask behind which thuggery and xenophobia thrive. Yet, despite the stark injustice it describes, it is a curiously exhilarating read: an example of how individuals can find joy and meaning in the absurd and mundane.” — The Spectator This year’s judging panel was comprised of the chair, Dr Aviva Dautch, Executive Director of Jewish Renaissance, Guggenheim Fellow and National Jewish Book Award winner, George Prochnik, journalist, editor and author, Sarah Shaffi and award winning author Julie Cohen. Bertha Bracey was a woman with a big heart in England. She was a member of the British Quakers, a religious group that practiced pacifism. After World War I, Bertha had assisted German orphans so she was well respected in Germany. Bertha, with a group of like-minded British citizens, helped thousands of orphaned Jewish German and Austrian children and Jewish adults escape from the Nazi-held states to Great Britain. At first, they were welcomed warmly. Then thousands were interned in various camps and facilities around England. Some of those “camps” were as bad as the concentration camps in Nazi-held countries.

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The book is rich in personalities ... Parkin is an excellent writer, sensitive and empathetic, at his best when simply talking with people ... for Parkin, games are a safe place to retreat to from a more complicated, dangerous and unpredictable world." ( Times Literary Supplement) Following the events of Kristallnacht in 1938, Peter Fleischmann evaded the Gestapo’s roundups in Berlin by way of a perilous journey to England on a Kindertransport rescue, an effort sanctioned by the UK government to evacuate minors from Nazi-controlled areas.train. But he could not escape the British police, who came for him in the early hours and shipped him off to Hutchinson Camp on the Isle of Man, under suspicion of being a spy for the very regime he had fled. Extraordinary yet previously untold true story . . . meticulously researched . . . it’s also taut, compelling, and impossible to put down.” — Daily Express