Author Talk: Nina Willner on "The Boys in the Light"

The Boys in the Light author Nina Willner discusses family and World War II history

Ahead of Memorial Day, join local author Nina Willner at Mary Riley Styles Public Library for a discussion of her book The Boys in the Light: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood.

Combining personal history with archival research, The Boys in the Light chronicles the intertwined journeys of two Jewish boys, including Willner's father, and U.S. Army Company D during World War II. It offers a powerful look at the reality of Nazi Germany as well as the experiences of American soldiers and immigrants.

Bards Alley will have copies available for purchase at the event, which includes a book signing. RSVP for free through the library here:
mrspl.org/event/draft-may-author-talk-nina-willner-31993

ABOUT THE BOOK

At 16, 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, while his mother was sent to her death, and spent the next five years of his life surviving the death camps. Eddie and Mike become brothers, and depend on each other to survive the horrors of the Holocaust. 

Meanwhile in the US, boys only a few years older than Eddie were joining the Army and heading toward their own precarious futures. Once farmers, waiters, and coal miners, they were suddenly army officers and infantrymen, thrust into the brutal conflicts of WWII. Many of these soldiers were immigrants or first-generation Americans who felt compelled to defend the country they had come to call home. But, very few of them were prepared for the dangerous road ahead. 

The soldiers of Company D, led by Elmer Hovland, quickly became battle hardened and weary, constantly questioning whether or not the war was worth it. Eight months in, they got their answer when two emaciated boys stepped out of the woods with 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. Elmer knew there was only one thing to do: rescue the boys and bring them back to life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nina Willner is the author of Forty Autumns, which PW called "a thrilling and relevant read” and which is still being feverishly read by book clubs five years post-publication. Prior to her writing career, Nina was a US Army intelligence officer, who served in Berlin during the Cold War. Following her career in intelligence, Nina worked in Moscow, Minsk, and Prague promoting human rights, children’s causes, and the rule of law for the US Government, nonprofits, and a variety of charities. She has three grown children and currently splits her time between Washington, DC and Istanbul, Turkey. Her father, Eddie Willner, survived the Holocaust, and this is his story.