The Boys in the Light: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood

It was April 1945 when the men of D-Company met the young waifs Eddie Willner and Mike Swaab. While Second Lieutenant Elmer Hovland and the men under his charge, such as Sammy “Pepsi” DiCola, had recently survived the “Battle of the Bulge”, Eddie and Mike had just escaped another kind of hell, the genocidal persecution of the Nazis. Elmer Hovland was a hard-working young man from Minnesota who won the trust and respect of his fellow soldiers with his solid leadership. Pepsi DiCola was from a tight-knit Italian clan in Massachusetts. DiCola became a cook in the army who provided sustenance and a sympathetic ear to the men. Eddie was from Monchenbgladbach, Germany, and Mike was from Amsterdam, and the young men survived five years of indescribable torment at Auschwitz and other concentration camps. Their resilience led them to this fateful point and a second chance at life.

The Boys in the Light is a touching and riveting story about survival and courage under the most gut-wrenching conditions. Author Nina Willner has written an outstanding book that touches upon the unbreakable bonds forged under fire, and how fate brought these incredible men together, and the impact it had on the men and their families for decades after.