My interest in Varian Fry was sparked when I first heard about him in And The Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris by Alan Riding. Such an important hero and yet I had never heard of him. That led me to A Hero of Our Own by Sheila Isenberg, an informative but not very well written biography of Fry; then Fry's own (but abridged) Assignment: Rescue (his original Surrender on Demand is impossible to find for a reasonable price); followed by A Quiet American: The Secret War of Varian Fry, by Andy Marino, a well written biography and the most complete of all three. The biographies all covered his work for the Emergency Rescue Committee, detailed his earlier life, his work with the Committee, as well as all those he worked with and many whom he rescued and how those rescues were brought about, and the sad conclusion of his years afterwards.

This book is the best of them all. It is not a biography of Fry. It is a history of his work, those who worked with him, and many whom he saved. It is more detailed than any of the others, it is well written, and gives the most complete picture of the rescue work that Fry set up and led. ( )

Rosemary Sullivan writes an intriguing account of the elite artists of France who become refugees during its World War II occupation. Sullivan sets the stage of France before and after its occupation and follows the lives of several notable artists and writers including Andre Breton and Victor Serge who become refugees wanted by the Germans for their "subversive" and "anti-German" work. Sullivan very successfully depicts a France that has become a frightening shell of its former self. In this France, artists and refugees have no way to support themselves and take care to sit near the back exit of cafes to be able to escape those who would arrest them simply for voicing their opinions through their art, an activity that had at one time been encouraged in France.

Sullivan then tells the story of Varian Fry who arrives in France on behalf of the Emergency Rescue Committee to rescue the many talented artists that have become refugees. In Fry, the refugees find a source of help and someone to trust. Fry assembles a team of a variety of people from all walks of life who willingly risk their lives to help refugees escape France. Their willingness to help is contrasted sharply with the difficulties they face in persuading the United States and other countries to grant the refugees even something so small as a transit visa, let alone a visitor’s visa, both of which would enable them to escape the dangers of France.

Surprisingly, the actual Villa Air-Bel makes a relatively short appearance but plays a large role in the book. It is a mansion of considerable proportions purchased by the staff of the Emergency Rescue Committee to house a few of its members as well as a few of its clients. The result is a safe, if temporary, refuge from war-time France. The Villa Air-Bel stands in marked contrast to France outside it. Inside, the inhabitants come to life resuming their art, throwing parties, and enjoying wandering the grounds. It is here, as they pick up some semblance of their past lives, that the reader can really appreciate how vibrant this community of artists was and see how much they had lost in the occupation of France.

Sullivan has created a book of history that reads like a novel. She brings to life the historical figures which she focuses on and merely by telling their stories faithfully gives you a reason to hope that the Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee will succeed in saving them from repressive war-time France. This is a remarkable tale of people who put their lives on the line to save others and the effect it had upon them as well as the people who they saved. ( )