To the Bomb and Back

Sue Saffle holds a Senior Instructorship in Virginia Tech’s Department of English. She is a winner of VT’s University Sporn Award for outstanding teaching and was inducted into the institution’s Academy of Teaching Excellence. In 2000–2001 she lived in Helsinki, where she began collecting the stories of Finland’s war children. Her articles about them have appeared in the journal Children and War and in the collection Children: The Invisible Victims of War (2008).

• IllustrationsForewordKai RosnellIntroduction(Names in quotation marks are pseudonyms chosen by the authors)The Work of Sorrow by Marja Hultin BarronUnanswered Questions for a Finnpojke by Martti Kalervo BroströmA Desire to Scream by “Emmi Eskola”      Horseshoes and Licorice Drops by Juha Hankkila      The Last Summer in Sweden by “Karina Heino”        Farting in Swedish by Veijo Holopainen       Sugar Beets and Spettecaka by Soile Kiema Ilvesoksa           Dragons in a Handbag by Veikko Inkinen        A Good and Bad Hand by Eric Jaakkola     The Red Shoes by Anita Jakobsson         Bread in a Suitcase by Rauni Janser       The Lucky Stain by Rauno Juntunen    Paper Dolls by Sirpa Kaukinen        The Woman in the Broad-Brimmed Hat by Kirsti Kettunen   Swedish Toys by Helena Nyqvist Koivisto       Goodbye to the Bombs by Anne-Maj KorpelaSomeone’s Daughter by “Leena Korpi”          To the Bomb and Back by Eeva Lindgren           A Blonde Curly-haired Girl by Mirja Luoma        Fishing with Ragnar by Pekka/Peter Louhimo      Black Birds by Seppo Mälkki      A Terror of the Dark by Marita Merilahti      Funeral Games by “Eine Miller”         The Woman in Black by Helena Nilsson        Understanding Backwards by Veijo Pönniäinen Paine    A Happier War Child Story by Virve Kaisu Kyllikki Palos      No Easy Choices by Ossi Rahkonen        God natt, sov Gott by Lea Rehula        A Lifelong Exile by Kai Rosnell        “Take the Bed Down!” by Gertrud Rullander           Waiting for the Time to Pass by Irma Saarinen           Children’s Prayers by Kaarina Siilasto          “Send the Little Ones!” by Bodil Nordman Söderberg       A Tale of Two Sisters by Marja Tähtinen     Swedish Fish by Rolf J. E. Tarvala     Horses in the Kitchen by Jorma Törmänen         Rita, not Rauha by “Rita Trent”      Repairing the Clock by Kaj Wanne         Soldier Boy by Norman WesterbergAppendix: A Swedish War Child Administration FormBibliographyIndex

“…a fine collection… The book is affecting, to be read a little at a time. You won't forget it afterwards.” · Finnish American Cultural Activities.“Over a number of years, Sue Saffle has earned the respect of the war children in Finland and Sweden… to such an extent that she has been able to tap into a great source of social and war history. In addition, for many who contributed to the research, [this book] has the added element of being a form of personal catharsis. This is an excellent book which will add a great deal to the academic study of war children past and present.” · Martin Parsons, University of Reading