Bright valley of love

This story centres around Gunther, a German boy crippled from rickets during World War I, who is sent to Bethel, a Christian colony near Bielefeld, by his father and grandmother. It tells of his experiences and education, and his relationships with the other children; the emotional strains of entering adulthood; and the unique personalities of the pastors, including one bearded pastor who constantly plays hymns appropriate to the situation on the trumpet he carries around with him. There is a particularly moving episode about the death of Kurt, a severely epileptic child, at Christmas. Near the end is the account of how, during World War II, the leader of the community makes contact with Hitler's personal doctor and, while the community prays, spends hours eloquently giving reasons why the unique and responsive disabled children should be saved from death under the Nazis' economy plans; the doctor is sufficiently moved to exempt the community from extermination. Well worth reading - my only reservation is how many of the minor incidents actually happened - the broader story is true, and Gunther was a real person who the author met, but the conversations are invented. But it's a very moving book and a good, thought-provoking read.