The Children's Front
Marty Parkes
The True Story Of An Orphanage In Wartime France
This story is a true one about an orphanage—Refuge des Petits—in France during World War II. Here, a privileged American man struggled to establish a refuge for desperate children. This shelter provided needy, displaced youngsters with a worthy place in the world—while he found his own.
The Refuge would flourish. It played a leading role in what became known as the Children’s Front. This book is full of inspiring stories of resilience, generosity, and hope from the staff and youngsters who made the Refuge their home in the early 1940s and later.
Marty Parkes
Marty Parkes has published articles in varied publications such as The New York Times, Golf Journal, and Sports Illustrated. He has authored or contributed to six previous books including: Classic Shots, which featured the greatest images from the USGA photo collection; and Disrupter, a profile of Maryville University in St. Louis where he once worked.
Praise for The Children’s Front
“All wars have literally thousands of amazing human stories of those caught in the crossfire of conflict. Marty Parkes brilliantly captures one of those amazing stories. His recounting brings us back to a time when whole nations were uprooted and innocents often paid the price. As that generation passes and memories fade, it is imperative that these stories be captured and passed on. Parkes has done just that.”
“The Children’s Front is a welcome antidote to big-picture histories full of posturing states- men and strutting generals. Marty Parkes’ World War II tale of an orphanage in Vichy France — and of the natty Connecticut man who kept the kids fed, clothed, and loved while moonlighting as an OSS intelligence officer — is history writ small but well. Can a screen version be far behind?”
“In The Children’s Front, Marty Parkes makes a complex historical moment accessible through the story of an early 20th century expatriate, Seymour Houghton, and his dedication to refugee children and orphans in World War II France. Houghton acted on behalf of displaced children much as Edith Wharton did for World War I refugee women, even establishing an orphanage in the same town where Wharton lived: Hyeres. Meticulously researched yet compellingly personal, The Children’s Front illuminates a previously under appreciated wartime narrative.”