Defying the Nazis The Sharps' war

This compelling PBS production tells the story of Massachusetts-based Unitarian minister Waitstill Sharp and his wife, Martha, who risked their lives to rescue refugees and dissidents in Europe before and after the start of World War II. Although Burns (The Civil War) is listed as codirector, he has said that his role here was primarily in shaping the film in the editing room. Most of the interviews were conducted by Joukowsky, a grandson of the Sharps, who also wrote the 2016 book of the same name. In the making for ten years, this production features Tom Hanks voicing Waitstill Sharp and uses letters, journals, interviews with historians, and conversations with the now adult children whom the Sharps saved to relate the gravity of events. The production quality is top-notch, as one would expect of a PBS presentation. Perhaps as interesting as the role the Sharps played in world history is the effect it had on them as individuals, spouses, and parents. Just as they changed history, history changed them. VERDICT Highly recommended for World War II buffs and general historians.-Rod Bustos, Augusta Univ. Lib., GA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.