Threading through the events of one war, World War II, is a plain tale of a child evacuee escaping the London blitz and perhaps worse, if the imminence of invasion by gloating shock troops of Nazi elite is taken into account. And we see how children, a nation's heritage, are suddenly remembered by postwar writers. In that context, the story raises questions posed by history. The story's main title is chosen for two reasons. America no longer feels insecurely isolationist. Just less secure. In a world where national boundaries increasingly count for little more than lines on a map, its child population could also suffer evacuation to safer zones if a land war affected the country internally. For nothing now is beyond imagination in terms of terrorism in the name of culture, not a country. The second reason: As a child evacuee to America in a global political climate not unlike the present, the author chose an option. He would avoid the horrors which ultimately proved the lot of Europe's children had Britain not missed being overrun by a whisker. Winston Churchill, hesitated over relinquishing British children to different cultures. Visiting New York three weeks after 'nine-eleven'; aware of the city's spontaneous official and citizen response among numbing scenes, was to return to the London blitz, to the 1940s even the smell was there. This is a story about courage and a family's ultimate triumph.
The author comes from a Welsh family whose origins are in farming, seafaring, and business. His father was a merchant captain and naval reservist who sailed in Atlantic convoys during World War 2. Captain Cheek first went to sea as a cadet in a convoy to Russia in 1944 and his career in the Merchant Navy has taken him to the position of shipmaster. In his own words he has had the thrill and pleasure of commanding 26 merchant ships under eight flags. Resident in Australia for fifteen years he was in Britain when contacted to take command of the ore carrier Tiger Bay. Since his first book he has dedicated his career and reputation to campaign vigorously against the blind eye turned to unseaworthy vessels. Previously published works include magazine articles, short stories, and a weekly feature column in the Sydney Daily Commercial News. He had earlier been a staff journalist with Fairplay Shipping Weekly. He now resides in London and New Zealand.