BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//sebbo.net//ical-generator//EN
NAME:Columbus Metropolitan Library
X-WR-CALNAME:Columbus Metropolitan Library
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:efb2e63a-b376-41eb-86dc-cdb5185e0628
SEQUENCE:0
DTSTAMP:20260726T233615Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260903T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260903T200000
SUMMARY:Nina Willner
LOCATION:Main Library\nMain Library
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Main Library;X-APPLE-RADIU
 S=10;X-TITLE=Main Library:geo:39.9613728,-82.9893821
GEO:39.9613728;-82.9893821
DESCRIPTION:Award-winning nonfiction author Nina Willner joins us with The
  Boys in the Light\, a WWII testament to survival against all odds..\nhttp
 s://columbus.libnet.info/event/16714959
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:<h2><strong>Authors at the Library with </str
 ong></h2>\n<h2><strong>NINA WILLNER</strong></h2>\n<h3><strong>Thursday\, 
 September 3 | 6 p.m.</strong><br /><strong>Auditorium | Main Library | 96 
 S. Grant Ave.</strong></h3>\n<p><strong>5:30 p.m. |</strong>&nbsp\;Seating
  opens\, Book sale by Prologue<br /><strong>6:00 p.m. |</strong> Author Ta
 lk with Nina Willner<br /><strong>6:45 p.m. |</strong> Audience Q&amp\;A<b
 r /><strong>7:00 p.m. |</strong> Book sale and signing</p>\n<p><strong>ABO
 UT THE AUTHOR</strong></p>\n<p><strong>Nina&nbsp\;<span data-markjs="true"
  class="markwcem0e0vf" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="" data-ogsb=""
 >Willner</span></strong>&nbsp\;is the award-winning author of two critical
 ly acclaimed nonfiction books.&nbsp\;<i>The Boys in the Light<em>&nbsp\;</
 em></i>(Dutton/Penguin Random House 2025) was named&nbsp\;Amazon&rsquo\;s 
 #3 Best Book of 2025 &ndash\; Top Nonfiction\,&nbsp\;and&nbsp\;Best Histor
 y Book of the Year\,&nbsp\;received a Kirkus&nbsp\;<em>starred</em><i>&nbs
 p\;</i>review\,&nbsp\;and won the 2026 Christopher Award.&nbsp\;<span data
 -markjs="true" class="markwcem0e0vf" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="
 " data-ogsb="">W</span><span data-markjs="true" class="markwcem0e0vf" data
 -ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="" data-ogsb="">illner</span>'s first book
 &nbsp\;<i>Forty Autumns<em>&nbsp\;</em></i>(HarperCollins Wm Morrow 2016) 
 was&nbsp\;named&nbsp\;a&nbsp\;&ldquo\;Top 15 Nonfiction Book of 2016&rdquo
 \;&nbsp\;by The CS Monitor.&nbsp\;Prior to her writing career\, Nina was a
  US Army intelligence officer who led sensitive missions behind the Iron C
 urtain during the Cold War.&nbsp\;<span>After a career in intelligence\, N
 ina lived in Moscow\, Minsk\, Prague\, Ottawa and Istanbul working on nume
 rous humanitarian missions. After years living abroad\, she now writes nar
 rative nonfiction full time from her home in Washington DC.&nbsp\; &nbsp\;
 </span></p>\n<p><strong>ABOUT THE BOOK</strong></p>\n<p><span data-olk-cop
 y-source="MessageBody">&ldquo\;This beautifully braided story...reveals th
 e best and worst of humanity. A magnificent work of narrative nonfiction\,
  true to the past and essential for the present.&rdquo\;&mdash\;Mitchell Z
 uckoff\,&nbsp\;<i>New York Times&nbsp\;</i>bestselling author of&nbsp\;<i>
 Lost in Shangri-La&nbsp\;</i>and&nbsp\;<i>13 Hours</i><br /><br />An epic 
 true story of the triumph of good over evil.</span><br /><span><br /></spa
 n><i>The Boys in the Light&nbsp\;</i><span>follows the parallel journeys o
 f Company D and Eddie&nbsp\;</span><span data-markjs="true" class="marksjg
 zoqevz" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="" data-ogsb="">Willner</span>
 <span>\, the author&rsquo\;s father\, as they are caught up on two sides o
 f World War II.</span><br /><br /><span>At sixteen\, Eddie&nbsp\;</span><s
 pan data-markjs="true" class="marksjgzoqevz" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" dat
 a-ogsc="" data-ogsb="">Willner</span><span>&nbsp\;was among the millions o
 f European Jews rounded up by Hitler&rsquo\;s Nazis. He was forced into sl
 ave labor alongside his father and his best friend\, Mike\, and spent the 
 next three years of his life surviving the death camps\, including Auschwi
 tz. Meanwhile\, in the United States\, boys only a few years older than Ed
 die were joining the army and heading toward their own precarious futures.
  Once farmers\, factory workers\, and coal miners\, they were suddenly unt
 ested soldiers\, thrust into the brutal conflicts of WWII.</span><br /><br
  /><span>A company of 3rd Armored Division tankers\, led by 23-year-old El
 mer Hovland\, quickly became battle-hardened and weary\, constantly questi
 oning whether the war was worth it. They got their answer when two emaciat
 ed boys stepped out of the woods with their tattooed arms raised.</span><b
 r /><br /><i>The Boys in the Light&nbsp\;</i><span>is a testament to survi
 val against all odds\, the strength of the bonds forged during war and the
  resilience of the human spirit. This extraordinary true story is a must-r
 ead for fans of&nbsp\;</span><i>Unbroken</i><span>&nbsp\;by Laura Hillenbr
 and\,&nbsp\;</span><i>The Boys in the Boat</i><span>&nbsp\;by Daniel James
  Brown\, and Erik Larson&rsquo\;s&nbsp\;</span><i>The Splendid and the Vil
 e.</i></p>\n<p><img src="https://static.libnet.info/frontend-images/events
 /columbus/Authors_at_the_Library/2266094_willner_nina.jpg" width="300" hei
 ght="477" alt="" /><img src="https://static.libnet.info/frontend-images/ev
 ents/columbus/9780593471296.jpg" width="323" height="476" alt="" /></p>\n<
 p><strong>EVENT DETAILS</strong></p>\n<p>The event is free to the public b
 ut due to limited seating registration is requested.</p>\n<p>Nina's books 
 will be sold on site by Prologue Bookshop.</p>\n<p>Parking available in Ma
 in Library's attached garage\, while available.</p>\nhttps://columbus.libn
 et.info/event/16714959
URL;VALUE=URI:https://columbus.libnet.info/event/16714959
ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/columbus/9780593471296.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR