PROLIFIC Somerset author Michael Henderson is back on the bookshelves with his latest book A Harvest of Friendships.

The journalist who lives in Taunton and recently moved to the county from Devon and prior to that he lived in Portland, Oregon for 21 years.

He has worked in 25 countries, written at least 20 books during his time as a journalist and a writer and has first hand experience of the topic of his latest book.

Michael along with his brother, Gerald, were evacuated to Boston for five years. and he uses this plus the experiences of other 3,000-4,000 evacuees and how they survived the war.

The blurb says: “A Harvest of Friendships is the story of the deep and lasting friendships born out of an extraordinary situation in an era unlike any other.

During WWII, thousands of British parents evacuated their children to the United States in order to keep them safe.

How did these British children cope with years of separation from their families?

How did American host families manage? These children experienced an untold variety of family situations and were given an insider’s glimpse into wartime American home life and attitudes.

“A Harvest of Friendships provides a compelling picture of a little-known side of World War II.”

Michael said: “This was in 1940. I do not remember what I felt at the time and treated it like an adventure. I looked at it from a different perspective and the people we stayed with were very generous. I did give us a different life and I am sure it had an effect on me and the way I look at the world.”

In his introduction to the book, Michael writes: “My latest research has brought me in touch with more than a further hundred evacuees....Each has also distinctive and unique features, about which little have been written.”

Further details on how to buy a copy of A Harvest of Friendships’ can be found online at michaelhenderson.org.uk