After reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I really wanted to learn more about the German occupation of the Channel Islands. This book was the only one I could find in my library system that fit the bill. From the Home Office's confusing policy towards the islands at the beginning of the war (demilitarization without telling the Germans, which led to more than a little confusion and a bombing) to the horror of the Organisation Todt camps on the islands, this investigates the experiences of the islanders and OT laborers on the Channel Islands during World War II. Drawing heavily on interviews with survivors and records released in the early 1990s, this book focuses on both personal experience and political machinations during the occupation and after.

It was definitely not easy reading, especially when it came to the experiences of those in the Organization Todt. The political stuff left my head spinning, and left me a little unsure of my footing. Being unfamiliar with the topic, I didn't know whether or not to agree with the author's take on events, such as whether or not destroying such-and-such a paper was deliberate cover-up. How am I to know? Overall, though, I was more than satisfied with the information I was given and impressed by the many interviews of survivors not only from the Channel Islands but also Russians who worked in the labor camps. Often using large blocks of quotes of survivor's recollection, the personal stories are the most compelling part of this history. ( )