Alta Halverson Seymour’s book, Toward Morning: A Story of the Hungarian Freedom Fighters, is a fast-paced, small-slice story of a group of family and friends escaping Hungary in the midst of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

The Kirkus Review of this book from March, 1961 says, the “heroic story will interest American teenagers who met it realistically through the headlines of their newspapers only a few years ago.” This was a bit before my time, and I had never heard of this event before. Though over 3,000 Hungarians and Soviet soldiers were killed, and 200,000 Hungarians were forced to flee their country, the revolution was short-lived, like a paragraph in a brief chapter of the entire story of the Cold War. 

It isn’t necessary to understand the politics of the revolution in order to enter into the intensity of the story and appreciate the heroism of the characters. The actual fighting is a brief prelude to the nail-biting escape that is the focus of the tale. 

Janos Nagy and his friends are effective enough in the freedom fighting in Budapest that the Russians are hunting them. These young revolutionaries decide they have become too well-known to be of any more use, so they will have to flee to Austria. The story follows Janos and seven others, friends and family members, who attempt to stay together while avoiding capture by Russian soldiers.  

The story is told mainly from the point of view of Teresa, Janos’s fourteen-year-old sister. Their mother, called Anyuka, and their twelve-year-old brother, Belo, are part of the group. Also with them are Zita, Janos’s fiance, his friends Artur and Ferenc Zelk, brothers, and their uncle Bacsi. 

Eight people traveling together will attract too much attention, so the group splits into twos and threes, with plans to meet at certain points along the journey. On today’s good roads, the trip would be about 165 miles. Our heroes are able to take a train for a large part of that, but much of the rest of the trip has to be accomplished on foot or by hay wagon, sneaking past Russian soldiers on the alert for revolutionaries. The last yards across the border involve crossing a frigid river, by bridge if they can, by swimming if they must. 

As a read-aloud, you may want to get started early in the day. The book is only 122 pages long, but there is no good place to pause. Our heroes are in constant danger, and must stay on the move to avoid capture, and to keep from endangering anyone who might help them. And many people do help. 

At one farm where the group has managed to rendezvous, Bacsi says, “We’ve been here since well before daylight. We mustn’t endanger these good people any longer than absolutely necessary. They’ve already done enough for us—too much.” 

The owner of the farm replies, “So much any patriot would do . . . This is our part—we’re glad to do it.” This is the attitude of several people they meet along the way. Of course, there is danger for anyone caught helping revolutionaries, but it’s what any patriot would do!

Before the group leaves Budapest, the young fighters are wondering where Belo is. Janos says, “Oh, I know where he is all right.” In spite of the tension, weariness, and danger, a little smile broke out on Janos’ face. “That kid! Twelve years old! Somehow, in the face of tanks and soldiers and police and fighting, he scouted around and found us. He’s keeping watch out there for us now. And Budapest is full of kids like him!” 

Belos is only twelve, Teresa is fourteen, but both demonstrate amazing courage. They aren’t fearless, but they do what they have to do, not only to survive, but also to save the lives of others. At the end of the journey, Teresa’s mother warns her that there will still be much waiting, and there will be many adjustments to make in their new life. Teresa replies, “I know. But we’re used to things not being very easy, Anyuka. Now we have at least hope of better things.”

This is where the morning comes in. At least there is hope of better things. People must have hope. 

This is a story of war. Deaths are reported and injuries occur, but there are no graphic descriptions. Imminent danger throughout most of the story could be nerve-wracking, but the ending is quite satisfactory. 

This is a rare book, previously difficult to obtain, but Purple House Press released a new edition in their usual beautiful format. It is also available at Amazon.

You may find more information about this book at biblioguides.com.