Czech History

The name "Hus" means "Goose" in Czech, and that is how John Hus was known to his friends. In The Goose Holds the Key, Bill Higgins gives a historical introduction to John Hus, the important Bohemian Reformer martyred in 1415 at the Council of Constance. It is the author's thesis that the life and teaching of Hus holds the key to the future of the modern Czech Republic.

This powerful story is told from the collective perspective of the children who were rescued from Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II, as Hitler's campaign of hatred toward Jews and political dissidents took hold. The narrative starts in 1938 and follows the children as they journey to foster families in England for the duration of the war, return to Prague afterward in an unsuccessful search for their parents, and eventually connect with Nicholas Winton, a British former stockbroker who was instrumental in bringing them to safety.