Rob Currie wants to help children learn from history that it’s possible, with God’s help, to survive even the most horrible circumstances. A Christian psychologist by profession, the children’s author told the Christian Post that his historical novel Hunger Winter: A World War II Novel (Tyndale House) draws from the events of WWII to offer lessons relevant for today.
“There are some similarities between the pandemic and WWII: Both events are unusual in the scope of both a worldwide phenomenon that affects a lot of people and international relations and so on. I think this is a good time for a book like this because it illustrates in story form that people can make it through hard times, particularly with God’s help.”
Intended for 4th to 6th-grade children, Hunger Winter follows the story of a 13-year-old named Dirk. In late 1944, the Nazis have their sights set on expanding their empire by conquering the Dutch. In response, Dirk’s papa leaves everyone he loves behind to fight with the Resistance. After the Gestapo snatches his older sister, Dirk learns they’ll come for him next.
A knock on the door in the middle of the night catapults Dirk and his 6-year-old sister, Anna, into a frightening journey as Dirk suddenly finds himself solely responsible for protecting her. Together, with only the food they can carry in a small bag, the siblings set out on a desperate journey across the Netherlands to find their grandparents, father, and sister.
Dirk’s greatest challenge comes when he must decide whether to stay in a house targeted for bombardment or request help from a powerful but untrustworthy man―a German officer who deserted.
Currie told the Christian Post out that many Americans—perhaps unknowingly—live by the harmful belief that because bad things happen to someone, they did something to deserve them.
“We think if someone gets really sick or injured or loses their job or experiences some tragedy, it was probably their fault. They should have chosen a different career or they shouldn’t have married that person. If we see our own shortcomings, it brings us down to the level of the hurting person and we see them as someone needing a helping hand.”
Read the whole interview here.
RELATED: Children’s Q&A: Rob Currie (Hunger Winter)
Visit Rob Currie’s Author Page
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/rob-currie/
Hunger Winter
Rob Currie
Tyndale Kids
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