Why did Anna Christake Cornwell write Only the Birds are Free?

She wrote the book to share her wartime experiences with others and to pay homage to the many people who fought and sacrificed themselves for an ideal – an ideal of freedom and justice.

What does she view as the primary lessons of the book?

Important messages communicated through the book are ones of leadership, the positive potentialities and creative energy of adolescents, what can be accomplished and overcome when a person is faced with challenges, and how women can stand with a strong voice against adversity, hardship and obstacles posed by discrimination, poverty and social pressures.

What is the significance of the book title?

The book’s title conveys the idea that in the face of oppression people always keep alive the hope and yearning for freedom.

Why should readers in 2003 be interested in this book and the events and characters it describes?

Our world is not free from tensions undermining peace between and within countries. There is still the necessity to fight for equality and freedom, and to promote social responsibility through concern for the needs and plight of others. This book contributes to the awareness of the pain and suffering of war and the importance of striving for peace. In Only the Birds are Free Cornwell brings the past into the here and now. One laughs and relates, sighs and remembers, gasps and recoils, witnesses and hopes that never, never again… please God, never again.

What are some appropriate uses of this book apart from personal reading?

This memoir can be used in book clubs, discussion groups or classroom presentations. The book speaks to a wide range of themes and is applicable to courses in social studies, literature, philosophy, psychology, leadership, ethics, current events and multicultural studies.

How did the odyssey portrayed in this book impact the future life of Anna? Anna’s early experiences had a profound impact on her view of life and her subsequent relations with people. There are many ways in which the strength and determination that she gained enabled her to cope with the demands and problems she has faced in her life. Anna’s extraordinary adolescence provided her with her entire philosophical outlook. It was in her wartime struggles that the value of tenacity and determination to keep going against all odds was impressed upon her. This value has stayed with her and continued to shape Anna’s life. This truly is the subject for another book, however, to deal with all the complexities and issues in her life to the fullest extent.

Is it really a true story?

Yes.

Why did the author decide to tell the story from her perspective as a girl in the nine to 15 year age range?

The age of the narrator’s voice was not a decision. It was the telling of events and experiences as they happened while Cornwell herself was of that age. During the war she thought of writing a diary, but didn’t have access to either paper or pencils and was never in one place long enough to gather the necessary materials and find time to write. An early title of the book was “The Diary I Never Wrote” and the book truly is the diary that she never got to write during her years in wartime Greece.

What is the significance of the book’s dedication-- “This book is dedicated to the memory of Anne Frank and the children of all the world lost in the war”?

“When I came back to the United States I read The Diary of Anne Frank and was deeply moved by it,” Anna recalls. It resonated with me because I found in her writing and in the person who emerged alive from the pages of her diary someone with whom I shared a great deal. We have the same first name, almost the exact same birthday and, most of all, I found in her writing a soul mate. Although we were not incarcerated in a building during WWII, as she and her family were, we were directly confronted by the Nazi/Fascist oppression. The insights and depth of understanding into human relations and the sensitivity portrayed in the Diary of Anne Frank in many ways are similar to mine. This created in me a strong bond that has lasted throughout my lifetime.

Does the author maintain contact with any of the main characters described?

Yes, actively. She frequently visits Greece and sees her relatives who are still alive. Her aunts and uncles, though, are no longer living.

Was the author active in women’s issues?

Yes, as an undergraduate at CCNY in 1950, Anna and two other women students (Harriet Nack and Else Lowenthal) formed an organizagtion called “Equal Rights for Women.” The purpose was to open the School of Liberal Arts to women. The three students collected signatures from the student body and presented them to the CCNY Administration. Through their efforts, the school eventually did begin to allow women students to enroll for the first time in the School of Liberal Arts.

Is the book available in a Greek language version?

Yes. Anna originally wrote the book in Greek and it was published in 1996 by HARAVYI in Athens, Greece.

Is the author available for speaking engagements and book signings?

Yes. Only the Birds are Free is not only appropriate for personal reading, but for book clubs, courses in social studies, literature, philosophy, psychology, leadership, ethics, current events and multicultural studies.

To contact Dr. Cornwell -Phone: (914) 478-3282, Email: anna@annaccornwell.com.

How can I obtain a copy of the book?

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Also available through Amazon.com

Please use the Contact section of this site to email the author directly with any other questions you may have.