The War That Saved My Life

Wars between nations causes destruction and the lives of many innocent. In World War II alone 70 to 85 million people died due to genocide, starvation and strategic bombing. What people highlight are the number of people who die but not the struggles that the people who were alive went through.

Wars forcefully ripped families apart and The War That Saved My Life written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley captures a small family torn apart, but in this unique case it comes as a blessing

The story revolves a ten-year-old girl named Ada, who lives in London and was born with a clubfoot. She has never left her apartment. This was because her mother, Mam was humiliated at her daughter’s clubfoot and took all her anger on Ada. During these dark times, the only light in Ada’s life was her mischievous but innocent brother, Jamie. Jamie was allowed to go outside the apartment and even went to school.

One day, he brings home the news that the government was evacuating school students from London to a safer place because of the war. Mam decides to send Jamie but keep Ada. Ada was determined not to get separated from her brother so she escapes with him. The school evacuates the children to Kent. People were required to take these children to their homes and look after them. Because of Ada and Jamie’s shabby appearance no one takes them. In the end the woman who was managing this, Eleanor Thornton who was a rich lady and was helping the evacues, drops them at Susan’s house as Susan did not take any kids in, because she was mourning her friend, Becky’s death.

Ada upon arriving is shocked to discover that she is free to go outside in Susan’s home and also rides Susan’s horse Butter. Susan soon proves to be a caring guardian for the children. At the starting the kids were severely malnourished and Ada’s foot was bleeding. She provides them with proper meals, unlike their real mother, and nurses Ada’s foot. Ada builds a strong friendship with Margaret, Eleanor’s daughter, and with Fred, Eleanor’s servant, who also teaches her to ride the horse, Butter. At the starting of this book the three did not want each other, as time grew they come around to care and love each other.

But this was the time that Mam came to take them back home because an order  from the government came which said the guardians had to pay a sum of money to the people looking after their children. Susan tried to argue that she should keep the children but Mam refused to leave the children. When Ada, Jamie, and Mam reach home, Mam throws Ada’s crutches away because she doesn’t want her daughter to walk. Mam continues to torment the children.

Ada realised that their mother hates them. She only realised this when she saw the care and love Susan gave then so she questioned her mother. Her mother confesses that she never wanted children it was her husband, their dad who wanted them and her dad wanted to fix her foot. After she had Jamie ,her husband dies. She also confesses that she could have cured Ada’s foot when she was an infant but decided not to waste her money.

Ada’s and Jamie’s feelings were thoroughly hurt. So Ada tells her mother that they would leave the house without taking any money from her. Mam was happy to finally not have the burden of looking after her two children.

The next day, the Nazis bombed London. Now we know that Germany bombed London for 57 consecutive nights called the Blitz and this was the first night.

Ada and Jamie narrowly escaped the bombs and were bleeding in a shelter. When they come outside the shelter they find Susan! Turns out Susan decided that she should have kept the children so she climbed the train to reach London.After having tea in London, they set out for Kent.

When they reached Susan’s home the sight was unbelievable. Susan’s home got hit by the bomb and everyone was mourning. Once they saw that the trio did not get hit by the bombs and die they rejoiced.

Susan  was stunned. She realised that if she hadn’t gone after the children she would have died, these children may have been forced into her home but it was their live for each other that saved all their lives.. She looked at the children and thanks the children saying “It’s lucky I went after you. The two of you saved my life”. So this war created a small, happy family Susan, Ada and Jamie