World War II seen with a 21st-century sensibility.
An enthralling, moving and true story of the Nazi occupation of Greece, it leaves you with a fresh understanding of the indomitability of the human spirit, delivering suspense, surprises, sharp characterizations, insights into human nature and a fascinating historical education along the way. The descriptions of war are frightening, but soldiers of all sides, as well as civilians, are drawn with humanity and compassion. The book opens when Greece is invaded by Mussolini, who calls in his ally, Hitler. Jackboots march through Athens, the swastika rises over the Acropolis, Wehrmacht troops are stationed across the road from the home of a small boy who acquires a ringside view of the coming and going of the Luftwaffe amid tragedy, comedy and terror. When the Allies eventually arrive, their presence turns out to be shockingly different from the liberation that the besieged Greeks had expected. An eye-opening picture of war’s impacts on ordinary people. Throughout it all, the small boy Evangelos slips through the neighborhood like a ghost, watching events from the unique vantage point of an invisible witness. An unforgettable portrait of the potential for heroism dwelling within ordinary people, and an eloquent testimony to the power of human endurance, laughter and the will to survive. Every age group, from young adults up, will find its own layers of meaning.
What People Are Saying
“I know of no better book of its type in English”
… a remarkable book, a child’s eye view of the tragic impact of WWII and the occupation of Greece on a country, a family, and a precocious young boy. Evangelos Louizos is an especially gifted writer who can turn a non-fiction memoir into a story that reads like a can’t-put-it-down novel. His eye for illustrative detail is stunning, recreating a full range of emotions and images that last long after finishing... I know of no better book of its type in English that does as well transporting the reader to this special place and time. I highly recommend it.
—James H. Barron, author of The Greek Connection: The Life of Elias Demetracopoulos & the Untold Story of Watergate
“Fabulous … highly recommended”
… engaging, vivid, by turns moving and amusing … Few people probably realize that Oxfam got its start serving malnourished Greek women and children (and that) 60,000 Greek Jews were killed during the war…. an excellent supplement to any high school or college curriculum. (... I currently teach it alongside "Corelli's Mandolin," set during the same time period, and my students love it.) For WWII buffs, readers who don't think they like reading history, educators, and Greeks or Greek-Americans with grandparents or great-grandparents who lived through the war, this book is highly recommended.
—Dr. Ellen Argyros, Rhetoric Program, Babson College
“Gripping ... a mesmerizing read”
...a gripping 'non-fiction novel' that reads like a fast-paced thriller... a mesmerizing read ... it manages to present a complex, thought-provoking history lesson without ever being either dull or depressing... It succeeds in addressing its several audiences with equal ease and authority largely because of its tight storytelling and its crisp, plain language, devoid of frills.
—NEO Magazine, New York