Read more
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. 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 five years of his life surviving the death camps. 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. The soldiers of Company D, 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.
About the author
Nina Willner is the author of
Forty Autumns, which
Publishers Weekly called “a thrilling and relevant read,” and which is still being feverishly read by book clubs eight years post-publication. Prior to her writing career, Nina was a U.S. Army intelligence officer who served in Berlin during the Cold War. Following her career in intelligence, Nina worked in Moscow, Minsk, Prague, Ottawa, and Istanbul promoting human rights, children’s causes, and the rule of law for the U.S. government, nonprofits, and a variety of charities. She is married, has three grown children, and after a life living abroad, has settled in Washington, DC. Her father, Eddie Willner, survived the Holocaust, and this is his story.
