The Boys in the Light

An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood

By: Nina Willner

The extraordinary and inspiring true story of a band of young U.S. soldiers who fought together in World War II and, in the throes of combat, rescued two survivors—one of them the author’s father—from Hitler’s plot to exterminate the Jews of Europe.

The Boys in the Light follows the parallel journeys of Company D and Eddie Willner, the author’s father, as they experience two sides of World War II. This is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of the bonds forged during war; a must-listen for fans of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile.

At sixteen, 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, and spent the next five years of his life surviving the death camps, including Auschwitz. Meanwhile, in the United States, boys only a few years older than Eddie were joining the army and heading toward their own precarious futures. Once farmers, factory workers, and coal miners, they were suddenly army officers and infantrymen, thrust into the brutal conflicts of WWII.

A company of 3rd Armored Division tankers, led by Elmer Hovland, quickly became battle-hardened and weary, constantly questioning whether the war was worth it. Eight months in, they got their answer when two emaciated boys stepped out of the woods with their 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. What Elmer did next would change everyone’s lives.

©2025 Nina Willner (P)2025 Penguin Audio