Bravery: having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty
Since reading And There was Light and Beneath a Scarlet Sky I have thought a lot about what it means to be brave. Jacques and Pino are the main characters in these two books. Both are seventeen year old boys who join the resistance in their countries to fight the nazi’s. Both are determined to help even after learning how much it could cost them, and both have strong faith in God.
I first heard of the book And There Was Light from one of my favorite bloggers (Shawni from 71toes.com). It is the amazing true story of a blind 17 year old boy who leads a big group in the French Resistance. He is later caught and captured and spends over a year in a concentration camp. He survives and wrote this book in the 1960’s about his experience.
Because it was written in the 1960’s the wording is a little different. It took me a little longer to read this one because I had to think more in order to follow it. (Does that make sense?) In the beginning of his book Jacques talks a lot about what it was like to be blind. He portrays being blind in such a positive light that I didn’t at all feel bad for him. His blindness is what allows him to lead hundreds in an underground fight against the Nazi’s, his blindness is what allows him to help the sick in the black of night on a train bound for a concentration camp, and his blindness is ultimately what helps him survive that same concentration camp. It was a huge reminder that God is in the details of our lives and with His help, weak things can become strong.
My neighbor told me about Beneath a Scarlet Sky and I read it in 2 days. I couldn’t put it down and can’t believe that this incredible WWII story hasn’t been told until now. The story follows Pino Lella (I just love his name!) as he helps Jews escape over the French Alps and later becomes a driver for one of Hitler’s top men who doesn’t know that he’s actually in the Italian Resistance.
Pino is so likeable and good and it’s hard to even imagine the things that he went through at the young age of 17. Throughout his story Pino wants to do what is right and constantly pushes the boundaries on his safety in order to help stop the horrors of the Nazi’s. His courage is admirable and without giving it all away, he suffers losses that will haunt him for years to come. While reading this book I saw over and over again how God was watching over this brave young man. One misstep and he could have been dead. Yet, there’s no denying that God’s plan for Pino was to live. Not that Pino was any better than the millions who passed during the war, but for whatever reason, he was meant to live.
Reading their stories made me ponder all the other brave people who gave all in an effort to stop the Nazi’s. What is it about being young that gave them courage beyond measure and what can adults today learn from this? Reading these stories inspired me to be braver and bolder in my own life. I’m not exactly sure what that looks like in 2020 but I hope to figure it out.
