SHOT DOWN! It's said that in a POW camp, only 25 percent of the prisoners are interested in escaping, and only 5 percent are what is known as "dedicated escapers."  John Curnow was one of the 5 percent.  When he lied about his age and joined the Royal Air Force at age 17, John didn't know that the life expectancy of an RAF crewman flying over enemy territory was calculated in weeks, not years.  After his plane exploded, he suddenly found himself riding a parachute down to German-occupied France-the sole survivor among his crewmates.  In the pages of SHOT DOWN you'll experience what it was like to ride in a Lancaster bomber dodging searchlights, flak, and night fighters.  And you'll know how it felt to look down the muzzle of an enemy's rifle and realize you were now a prisoner of war.  John Curnow was as determined as anyone on earth to have and defend freedom.  Time and again he escaped his captors.  But after each escape he found himself held captive again.  After the war, bad habits and a fast-paced life going nowhere held him.  Then one day his arm seemed to be shackled.  When his hand refused to turn off the quartet singing "Lift Up the Trumpet" on the radio, John began to find his way to true, enduring freedom at last.