5:30 p.m. | \;Seating
opens\, Book Giveaway as supplies last \;
6:00 p.m. | Author Talk with Nina Willner
6:45 p.m. | Aud
ience Q&\;A
7:00 p.m. | Book sale and signing
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
\nNina \;Willner \;is the award-winning author of two critically acclaimed nonfiction books. \;The Boys in the Li ght \;(Dutton/Penguin Random House 2025) was named \; Amazon&rsquo\;s #3 Best Book of 2025 &ndash\; Top Nonfiction\, \;and&n bsp\;Best History Book of the Year\, \;received a Kirkus \;sta rred \;review\, \;and won the 2026 Christopher Award.& nbsp\;Willner's first book \;Forty Autumns \;(HarperCollins Wm Morrow 2016) was \;named \;a \;&ldquo\;Top 15 Nonfiction Bo ok of 2016&rdquo\; \;by The CS Monitor. \;Prior to her writing car eer\, Nina was a US Army intelligence officer who led sensitive missions b ehind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. \;After a career in intelligence\, Nina lived in Moscow\, Minsk\, Prague\, Ottawa and Istanbul working on numerous humanitarian missions. After years living abroad\, sh e now writes narrative nonfiction full time from her home in Washington DC . \; \;
\nABOUT THE BOOK
\n&ldquo\;This beautifully braided st
ory...reveals the best and worst of humanity. A magnificent work of narrat
ive nonfiction\, true to the past and essential for the present.&rdquo\;&m
dash\;Mitchell Zuckoff\, \;New York Times \;bestselling aut
hor of \;Lost in Shangri-La \;and \;13 Hours
An epic true story of the triumph of good over evil.
<
span>
The Boys in the Light \;follows the par
allel journeys of Company D and Eddie \;Willner\, the author&rsquo\;s father\, as they are caught u
p on two sides of World War II.
At sixteen\, Eddie
\;Willner \;was amon
g the millions of European Jews rounded up by Hitler&rsquo\;s Nazis. He wa
s 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\, i
ncluding Auschwitz. Meanwhile\, in the United States\, boys only a few yea
rs older than Eddie were joining the army and heading toward their own pre
carious futures. Once farmers\, factory workers\, and coal miners\, they w
ere suddenly untested soldiers\, thrust into the brutal conflicts of WWII.
A company of 3rd Armored Division tankers\, led b
y 23-year-old Elmer Hovland\, quickly became battle-hardened and weary\, c
onstantly questioning whether the war was worth it. They got their answer
when two emaciated boys stepped out of the woods with their tattooed arms
raised.
The Boys in the Light \;is a te
stament to survival against all odds\, the strength of the bonds forged du
ring war and the resilience of the human spirit. This extraordinary true s
tory is a must-read for fans of \;Unbroken \;b
y Laura Hillenbrand\, \;The Boys in the Boat \
;by Daniel James Brown\, and Erik Larson&rsquo\;s \;The Sple
ndid and the Vile.
EVENT DETAILS
\nThe first 50 atte ndees will receive a free copy of the book. Please note t hat you must be present at the event to receive one. Nina's books will als o be sold on site by Prologue Bookshop.
\nThe event is free to the p ublic but due to limited seating registration is requested.
\nParkin g available in Main Library's attached garage\, while available.
\nP resented in collaboration with and funded by the Ohio Holocaust and Genocide Memorial and Education Commis sion. \;
\n