There is one person who has been by my side for my entire writing career and who has made me feel lucky and grateful for twenty years. Catherine Clarke: all of your authors, all the publishers who work with you and people throughout the publishing industry know what a special person you are and I am so lucky to have you in my corner. You have been – as always – an absolute gift throughout this process. Your never-wavering support on every level, your confidence in me and my writing, the way you stand back and let your authors take centre stage – you are simply amazing and I will always feel like I hit the jackpot for having you as my agent.

This book was a new adventure for me and I didn’t know who would be publishing it until it was finished. I want to say a huge thank you to Jane Griffiths, Rachel Denwood, Liese Abrams, Lowri Ribbons, Laura Hough, Sarah Macmillan, Eve Wersocki Morris and all the brilliant people at Simon and Schuster for bringing me and my book onto your team with such passion, vision and commitment. I couldn’t have ended up in a more perfect place.

I could not have written this book or got myself through a gruelling research trip without my wife, Laura, by my side. Laura, you have lived with this book in the background for many years and have provided, as you always do, the most incredible bedrock of support as it came to life. You are my biggest cheerleader, my rock and the other half of everything. Thank you for every single bit of everything you are and for the team that we are together. Your love makes all of it possible.

There have been many others in the background throughout the process of writing this book and, to anyone not mentioned here by name, please know that I am deeply grateful for everyone and everything that has played a part in this journey. I hope the end product lives up to the support it has had along the way.

A list of resources and further reading

The Holocaust Educational Trust (www.het.org.uk) is the leading Holocaust Education organisation in the UK. Their website contains details of their programmes and projects, as well as a wealth of downloadable resources and lesson plans.

The Wiener Holocaust Library (www.wienerlibrary.co.uk) is the oldest Holocaust memorial institution in the UK. It has a Reading Room in Russell Square in London which is open to the public. It runs a programme of talks, lectures, workshops and exhibitions and also has a resource for schools, The Holocaust Explained.

The Anne Frank Trust UK (www.annefrank.org.uk) has a range of educational programmes and travelling exhibitions, focusing on contemporary lessons to be drawn from the life of the teenage diarist.