'Ingrid de Zwarte's The Hunger Winter rejects a version of events based on the role of the Nazi occupier in causing the famine and of Allied food drops in relieving it. Instead, she highlights the role of civil society in making most of the little food available and of extracting crucial concessions from the German authorities. This luminous study is a paean to what human resilience can achieve under adversity.' Cormac Ó Gráda, University College Dublin
Introduction; 1. Historical contexts; 2. Causes of the famine; 3. Effects on mortality, fertility, and health in later life; 4. Central government and food administration; 5. The politics and practices of Allied relief; 6. Coping at household and individual levels; 7. Community strategies; 8. The evacuation of children; Conclusion.