Poland is being terrorized! Polish citizens hide in their cellars for fourteen hours while the country is being invaded by Germany. This is the beginning of a unique book told from the perspective of those who experienced the war first hand. They include soldiers, Holocaust survivors, terrorized citizens, and war correspondents. Soldiers provide descriptions of battles, Holocaust survivors speak about the cruelties they experience, citizens describe the terror they feel, and war correspondents add their observations. The book is told in chronological order according to datelines of the war stamped on each page. In June, 1940 Paris was captured by German forces followed by Leningrad. German forces surround Leningrad preventing food supplies from entering the city. A Russian interviewed by a journalist tells of how they made shoe soup. They boiled the shoes due to lack of anything else. Stalingrad is the next dateline. The author writes about the weak and hungry Russian citizens. The book delves into the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the battle of Imo Jimo, and the invasion of Manila. It was after the bombing of Pearl Harbor that the United States entered the war. The book covers the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and Emperor Hirohito’s eventual surrender. The statistics and quotes from survivors and journalists are moving. The photos add impact. Throughout the book the reader finds photos of United States’ and foreign soldiers during battles. One photo shows a mass grave of corpses. Another is of an emaciated Jewish boy at Bergen-Belsen Camp. This story is about the stamina, perseverance, and hope of citizens during the invasions of German and Japanese troops. It shows human dignity and resourcefulness and the refusal to let an enemy win. The book contains a glossary and bibliography, and it is an excellent supplement to other class room books about the war. Reviewer: Susan Curry