Just finished reading Fred Hughes' "Roses from Ashes" in one sitting. And what a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.
Described as a 'memorial brochure', published by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in 2012, and beautifully uncluttered in design, the focus of the book is Sir Barnett Stross and the context of his medical, cultural and political work at home in the Potteries, within Britain and internationally. At £5.99 for forty-nine pages, it is not a snip, but whilst the topic remains a niche one - shame, shame! - it is well worth the money; a fine account which focuses on the doers-of-good rather than the doers-of-evil. It paints a picture of a man for whom launching the Lidice Shall Live campaign was almost a natural reaction and extension of all he did previously and a launch pad for all he achieved after.
Stross's interests were manifold, clearly a man with an encompassing vision of education, health, community and social improvement. Yet the book is not hero worship, rapidly introducing colleagues and supporters and partners whom influenced, collaborated with or were influenced by the central character. There are a number of personal touches , too, from relatives. There's also short, but informative, glimpses into the small Jewish community in Stoke-on-Trent and migrant communities from Central and Eastern Europe.
If you haven't read it, then see if you can get hold of a copy, pour yourself a drink and enjoy a really good read that paints the Stross story on a broad canvas. I haven't met the author, but he appears in the documentary "A Light Across the Sea" in which he provides erudite and concise comments; qualities that are evident in "Roses from Ashes".