Hugh O'Flaherty is an Irishman who joins the priesthood. With the world being what it was at the time, he also had a somewhat anti-British streak that ran through his blood. When WWII broke out, something more important took over: his need to protect and look after others.
Hugh starts off by visiting prisoner-of-war camps and getting messages out. Eventually, this grows into a vast network of priests, civilians and escapees working together to thwart the Germans in Rome. Eventually, the Germans see how valuable he is to the organization, and they try to capture him on more than one occasion. He remains out of their reach, and saves many lives in the process.
This book in particular is okay, and it does tell Hugh's story, but it also focuses a lot on other aspects of the organization. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but if you're looking for a total focus on Hugh, it's not what you're getting here. I did discover that one of the top men of the organization, Sam Derry, has written a book about this as well, and I plan on reading it for his opinion.
I believe that Hugh O'Flaherty was a genuinely humble and wonderful man. The fame and fables that surrounded him after the war didn't do him any favors apparently, and that's unfortunate. It seems like he just wanted to go about his business of helping people without being bothered. On the other hand, it's a wonderful story that needed to be told, and these men needed to be recognized for their work. Overall, I liked it, but I wish it had focused more on Hugh himself. Good Book!
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