Cruel Crossing Escaping Hitler Across the Pyrenees

"Stourton's richly rewarding research into the wartime journeys across the Pyrenees reminds us of so many dramatic stories of courage, tragedy, endurance and survival."

"Enthralling... a moving retelling of some of the war's most heroic episodes" Sunday Telegraph "Stourton probes [the veterans'] recollections with the sensitivity that characterises his best work as a broadcaster on Radio 4... there is a raw emotion to many of the tales he draws out" Daily Telegraph "Edward Stourton's portrayal of the escape lines across the Pyrenees - the courage and endurance of those involved and above all, the heroism in one man (or woman) risking their life for another - is rich in detail and a remarkable testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. A compelling read." James Holland 20130102 "Heart-breaking and breath-taking, and a vivid tribute both to all those who escaped from France into Spain as well as those who helped them. A thoroughly moving and very readable book." Simon Mawer, author of The Girl Who Fell From The Sky "Escaping the Nazis across the Pyrenean mountain trails became one of the most extraordinary acts of spontaneous resistance of World War Two. In Cruel Crossing, Ed Stourton straps on his backpack and takes to the escape lines himself, reflecting as he treks on the courage and self-sacrifice of the escapers and evaders who went before him - many of them young women, whose remarkable stories are told here often for the first time. Stourton has produced both a compelling history and a unique mountain guide, telling his story with his familiar humour and journalistic verve." Sarah Helm, author of A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Lost Agents of SOE