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The Great Escape

The Great Escape
The Great Escape
Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World  
By Kati Marton
This edition: Trade Paperback, 288 pages
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Description

Extravagantly praised by critics and readers, this stunning story by bestselling author Kati Marton tells of the breathtaking journey of nine extraordinary men from Budapest to the New World, what they experienced along their dangerous route, and how they changed America and the world.

They are the scientists Leo Szilard, Edward Teller, Eugene Wigner, and John von Neuman; Arthur Koestler, author of Darkness at Noon; Robert Capa, the first photographer ashore on D-Day; Andre Kertesz, pioneer of modern photojournalism; and iconic filmmakers Alexander Korda and Michael Curtiz.

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Table of Contents

"Kati Marton's wonderful book celebrates what is glorious and eternal in the human condition."

-- Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate and Professor of Humanities, Boston University

"Just when you thought you'd heard all the stories about World War II, along comes The Great Escape, a great read and a long overdue account of the remarkable lives of a small band of greatly gifted Hungarians who made profoundly important contributions to the American effort. Kati Marton tells this astonishing story with grace and passion, a sharp eye for the telling detail and the broad sweep of history."

-- Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation

"Kati Marton captures beautifully the genius and flair, as well as the insecurity and essential loneliness, of nine brilliant Jewish refugees from Hungary. Not only is this great biography, it gives a touching insight into human nature and the wellsprings of creative ambition."

-- Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin

"Hungarians, those men from Mars, escaped west in the years before World War II and gave us great scientists, filmmakers, photographers, and engineers. Kati Marton's lively, engaging group portrait recovers for us the lives and work of the extraordinary men who invented Hollywood and the atomic bomb."

-- Richard Rhodes, author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb

"In this insightful, moving, and deftly researched book, Kati Marton writes about nine Hungarians whose experiences are a prism through which we can see the quest and ultimate triumph of humanity seeking the right to dream and the freedom to create."

-- Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York
"Filled with a number of wonderful anecdotes.... Marton's book makes you want to reread Darkness at Noon and get to Blockbuster to rent Casablanca."
-- Jennifer Hunter, Chicago Sun-Times
"An engrossing book.... Marton does such a good job of introducing her subjects, showing how they persevered through prejudice and personal problems to shape their times, that she leaves the reader wanting to learn more. Highly recommended."
-- Library Journal
"Just when you thought you'd heard all the stories about World War II, along comes The Great Escape, a great read and a long overdue account of the remarkable lives of a small band of greatly gifted Hungarians who made profoundly important contributions to the American effort. Kati Marton tells this astonishing story with grace and passion, a sharp eye for the telling detail and the broad sweep of history."
-- Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation
"A moving account of nine emigrants from Hungary who changed our world and their professions -- a remarkable testament to the intrepid human spirit."
-- Henry Kissinger
"Fascinating!...The story of nine men who grew up in Budapest and were driven from Hungary by fascism, just one step ahead of Hitler's era of terror. They came to the West, especially the United States, and their tremendous achievements changed life for us all."
-- Betty E. Stein, Fort Wayne News Sentinel (Indiana)
Survivor helps author fill in her family history
NJ Jewish News, October 28, 2009
...At MetroWest event, Kati Marton thanks Springfield woman Share | Kati Marton, left, signs books after the event. Kati Marton with Hedy Brasch of Springfield, who knew Marton’s grandparents from their native Hungary ...
Books: From thrillers to politics, we've read a little of everything
Salisbury Post, June 7, 2009
...at Wake Forest University and rabbi at the local temple, talked about Jewish history and the book, 'The Great Escape,' by Kati Marton. The non-fiction work followed several Jewish men from Hungary who were forced to flee their homeland ...
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