Was God on Vacation? (Third Ed.) (Paperback)

~ Jack van der Geest (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book should be required reading for every student of history, young or old." -- Dr. Charles Thielen, Professor Emeritus of History, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

"This book should be required reading for every student of history, young or old." --Dr. Charles Thielen, Professor Emeritus of History, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Product Description

A World War II autobiography of a Dutch youth during the years 1940-1947. An extraordinary account that follows the author through the invasion of the Netherlands, home life under the Nazis, Buchenwald death camp and escape, the French Underground, D-Day with the American 101st Airborne Division, the liberation of France and service in the Dutch Marines in the Asian campaign. A book that would not have been written if some had not been teaching the Holocaust had not occurred.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 183 pages
• Publisher: Van Der Geest; 3 edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964961520
• ISBN-13: 978-0964961524
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #206,296 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 20th Century Odyssey, January 11, 2001

By	Jon Willcox (Bartlesville, OK) - See all my reviews

Jack van der Geest is what Odysseus, Private Ryan, and Forest Gump all pretend to be. His journey is amazing, his personal struggles staggering, and his contact with history is the stuff legends are made of. WAS GOD ON VACATION is sweeping the classrooms of America, and for good reason. We need heroes, badly.

From Nazi occupation to a concentration camp "medical" lab, from the French underground to D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and the post-war turmoil of South Asia, that this man survived to settle in America (and become an insurance salesman) gives new meaning and value to the American dream so often dismissed as too dull or banal to pass on to our kids.

Jack van der Geest endured World War II, but chose Main Street America, where he has personally re-defined citizenship and civic duty with his life.

Speilberg should have talked to Jack before he began his SAVING PRIVATE RYAN project. The story of this every-day Joe from South Dakota (by way of Holland) dwarfs anything Hollywood could ever contrive.

Don't ever believe the lie that heroes are a thing of the past. New ones are born every day. Just ask Jack van der Geest.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book, May 21, 2002

By	Mary (Brookings, SD) - See all my reviews

Mr. Van Der Geest spoke at my school and I have never heard a more amazing story of courage and faith. This book captures his story of his survival during WW2 and all he accomplished after he escaped the death camp. I would recommend this book to any person young or old because we cannot forget what happened to this man and the thousands of others like him - especially those who were not so blessed as to survive. We cannot forget our history and we must learn from it. This should be a mandatory book to read in highschools everywhere, because it carries a far more important, interesting, heartbreaking, and yet hopegiving story than any other book I certainly ever read. I'm so glad this man had the courage to tell his story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well documented WWII heroic action of one man, November 8, 2000

By	Rene J. Defourneaux "The Winking Fox" (Indianapolis, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book should be read by all high school children of this country. It is a powerful description of the conditions which existed in Europe until May 1945. As an emigrant from France I returned to Europe and was dropped into occupied France as an OSS/SOE agent. Jack's description of the French escape and evasion network is accurate. It is possible that we have known the same people because two of my uncles were involved with an escape route to Switzerland. The French resistance so often was penetrated by the Gestapo that my uncles never revealed their function to the local Maquis. My home town had several Jewish families, except for one, a school friend, all went to the gas chambers. With the help of the local population, all were taken to waiting cattle cars by the local French police, not the Gestapo, and shipped to Germany . I did not return to my home town for forty years. If Jack as a web page I will kink it to mine with pleasure... E-mail: [e-mail]