The boys in the light an extraordinary World War II story of survival, faith, and brotherhood

"The extraordinary and inspiring true story of a band of young U.S. soldiers who fought together in World War II and, in the throes of combat, rescued two survivors--one of them the author's father--from Hitler's plot to exterminate the Jews of Europe. The Boys in the Light follows the parallel jour...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Willner, Nina, 1961- (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York, NY : Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2025]
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:"The extraordinary and inspiring true story of a band of young U.S. soldiers who fought together in World War II and, in the throes of combat, rescued two survivors--one of them the author's father--from Hitler's plot to exterminate the Jews of Europe. The Boys in the Light follows the parallel journeys of Company D and Eddie Willner, the author's father, as they experience two sides of World War II. This is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of the bonds forged during war; a must-read for fans of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Erik Larson's The Splendid and the Vile. At sixteen, Eddie Willner was among the millions of European Jews rounded up by Hitler's Nazis. He was forced into slave labor alongside his father and his best friend, Mike, and spent the next three years of his life surviving the death camps, including Auschwitz. Meanwhile, in the United States, boys only a few years older than Eddie were joining the army and heading toward their own precarious futures. Once farmers, factory workers, and coal miners, they were suddenly army officers and infantrymen, thrust into the brutal conflicts of WWII. A company of 3rd Armored Division tankers, led by Elmer Hovland, quickly became battle-hardened and weary, constantly questioning whether the war was worth it. Eight months in, they got their answer when two emaciated boys stepped out of the woods with their tattooed arms raised, Eddie and Mike. Elmer and his soldiers could barely believe their eyes as they finally came face-to-face with the human cost of Hitler's evil. What Elmer did next would change everyone's lives"--
Physical Description:xi, 362 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 24 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-345) and index.
ISBN:9780593471272
059347127X
Author Notes:Nina Willner is the author of two critically acclaimed nonfiction books, The Boys in the Light , which was named Amazon Editors' #3 Best Book of the Year - Top Nonfiction, and Best History Book of 2025, and Forty Autumns , named a Top 15 Nonfiction Book of 2016 by The CS Monitor. Prior to her writing career, Nina was a US Army intelligence officer who led sensitive missions behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. After a career in intelligence, Nina worked in Moscow, Minsk, Prague, Ottawa and Istanbul promoting human rights, women's and children's causes and the rule of law for the US government, nonprofits and a variety of charities. After years living abroad, she now writes narrative nonfiction full time from her home in Washington DC.