When We Were Young and Brave
“Their motto was to be prepared, but nothing could prepare them for war…”
Hazel Gaynor has never disappointed me with her way of picking a lesser known story and brining it to life. Inspired by true facts, When We Were Young and Brave is a heart wrenching and amazing story of human spirit and courage. I could not get over the way I could feel the bonds and comraderies that formed between the students and teachers in this story as they endured brutality, depravity and the struggles of WWII as they were ruled over by the Japanese army.
China, December 1941. Having left an unhappy life in England for a teaching post at a missionary school in northern China, Elspeth Kent is now anxious to return home to help the war effort. But as she prepares to leave China, a terrible twist of fate determines a different path for Elspeth, and those in her charge.
Ten-year-old Nancy Plummer has always felt safe at Chefoo School, protected by her British status. But when Japan declares war on Britain and America, Japanese forces take control of the school and the security and comforts Nancy and her friends are used to are replaced by privation, uncertainty and fear. Now the enemy, and separated from their parents, the children look to their teachers – to Miss Kent and her new Girl Guide patrol especially – to provide a sense of unity and safety.
Faced with the relentless challenges of oppression, the school community must rely on their courage, faith and friendships as they pray for liberation – but worse is to come when they are sent to a distant internment camp where even greater uncertainty and danger await . . .
The story is told from two different points of view. One being from Nancy Plummer, a fun and spunky 10 year old girl determined to stay courageous and true to her friends and others. The other point of view is that of Elspeth Kent, a teacher determined to care for and help her students and Girl Scouts continue to grow in the best environment she can provide. I loved going back and forth between the mind of an adult and young girl as they both experienced their confinement during the war together.
Elspeth and Nancy aren’t the only characters that will worm their way into your heart. Several of the other teachers, support staff and students will have you feeling for them and their struggles while also smiling as they lean on each other through tragedies and as they enjoy the little joys in life that they can find.
The teachers truly went to so many great lengths to keep the children safe and their spirits up as they spent the years imprisoned and basically suffering themselves. I cannot imagine the strength and courage these teachers had to keep up in order to not break down.
Gaynor really brings the reader into the story through her amazing research and knack for details. I became completely immersed in the experiences of both the children and adults. It was as though I was living with them through their internment as prisoners of war. I actually found myself on Google looking up pictures and accounts told by others who where also prisoners of war in China during this time.
Overall, When We Were Young and Brave is a story of hope, strength and resilience. Gaynor writes with depth, sensitivity, realism and authenticity in order to create a story that is beautiful and memorable. I know this story will stay with me for some time as I continue to digest it.
Thank you WilliamMorrow for sending me an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
