Matej Minac's book on Nicholas Winton

Besides the documentary about Nicholas Winton, by son Matej Minac also wrote a book entitled , 'The Lottery of Nicholas Winton's Life: Following the trail of a unique endeavor to save children, unique in modern history.' In it he describes Nicholas Winton's story, and also sums up the life stories of the children that Winton saved. Nicholas Winton never talked about his activities in Czechoslovakia; not even his wife had any clue that during the war her husband had saved 669 children from the gas chambers. As my son writes, This I couldn't understand. Why didn't he want to talk about it? Why was he pretending that people do this as a matter of course, and that it's utterly common? After all, he's an experienced and intelligent person, and must know that he behaved in a completely exceptional fashion. Thus I was presented with a great mystery, which I wanted to solve at all costs. I couldn't wait to start on the documentary. I was hoping that during my work on the film, I'd find answers to my questions: Why did this person do this in the first place? Why did he keep silent about it for a half century? How did he actually do it? (....) Not even in the Prague of 1939 was he indifferent to the grave situation of endangered Czech and Slovak children. He didn't allow himself to be discouraged by people who reminded him that he had neither the finances nor the time to save the children, and that neither would the Gestapo allow it. What's more, what democratic country would even be willing to accept these children! But they didn't know Winton, whose motto was: 'IT'S IMPOSSIBLE - is not an answer!'