"We Die Alone" by David Howarth

Summary:  During World War II, a group of twelve Norwegians set sail from England under disguise of a fishing boat.  Their goal is to land in German-occupied Norway where they will train local citizens and attempt sabotage on a German base.  When they are betrayed early on, the group is attacked by Germans, and only one man--Jan Baalsrud--manages to get away.  We Die Alone is the true story of Jan's two-month escape to neutral Sweden.  He is aided along the way by individuals, families, and entire villages of Norwegians who risk everything to help one man survive.

Musings: This book was brought to my attention by a New York Times article about Norwegians' Winter Olympic performance ("The Hard and the Soft," David Brooks, 3/1/10).  The book was described there, and in nearly everything I else I read about it, to be a story that seems nearly impossible.  And as many others have said, Jan's journey is so amazing that a movie of the book would seem far-fetched, but it's completely true.

It is an amazing story full of coincidences, chance, close calls, and near-fatal encounters.  But throughout, the resounding feeling is one of human kindness.  Whole towns risked their lives to save Jan--one man--when at any moment German awareness of their actions could mean death.  And, of course, equally amazing is Jan's resolve.  He lives where no person could possibly do so--through being buried, unconscious, in an avalanche while snow blind to surviving for nearly a week without food in a crevice by a rock.  He perseveres through it all and emerges with only the loss of his toes.

This book was published in 1955 by David Howarth, an officer at a navy base from which Jan and his companions sailed.  I loved Howarth's tone throughout the book; I suppose it had a bit of a "quaint" feel to it.  So many stories today are full of sensationalism, but Howarth was determined to focus on the determination of Jan and those who helped him.  In a short chapter Howarth acknowledges what happened to the other members of Jan's crew; those that weren't killed immediately were inhumanely executed, and several others were barbarically tortured.  However, Howarth doesn't go into those grisly details: "The details of these executions are known, but they are not a thing to be written or read about" (67).  Howarth doesn't skim over the truth, even when it's unpleasant, but I appreciated his restraint here.

We Die Alone is a gripping nonfiction read, perfect for people who tend to shy away from the genre thinking it will be boring.  The pace is quick, and I enjoyed the insight into Jan, the people who helped him, and Norwegian life at the time.

On a last note: The cover pictured above is not the cover of the book I read.  I have some annoying dedication to only posting the image of the cover I personally read, but when I picked this book up from the library, I had to laugh at how terribly cheesy the cover was.  I didn't want to use it as the post picture since I was afraid it would turn people off to a great book!  The copy I read appears to be from the original printing (1955), so I don't blame them for what would today be a terrible cover, but I was also shocked by the state of the book.  I love library copies, and most I've borrowed are in great condition, but I have never seen such a dying library book before; I think the yellowing scotch tape and the mystery drink spilled over the inside pages were my favorite part.  I'll be optimistic and say it's worn from many much-loved readings.  Anyway, here's a photo of the copy I read as well (I blocked out the name of the library at bottom). 

***This book qualifies for the Books of the Century reading challenge.