The author of a critically acclaimed book about the harrowing experiences of World War II soldiers and Holocaust survivors is hosting a talk and book signing in Clarendon this weekend.
Arlington resident Nina Willner will pay a visit to the Clarendon Barnes & Noble (2800 Clarendon Blvd) from noon to 2 p.m. this Saturday, June 13, to discuss her narrative nonfiction work, “Boys in the Light.” The book delves into the parallel experiences of her father, Holocaust survivor Eddie Willner, and American soldiers during World War II.
Released last year, “Boys in the Light” received critical acclaim in The New York Times, which described it as “a magnificent work of narrative nonfiction, true to the past and essential for the present.”
According to a summary, Willner’s narrative is “an epic true story of the triumph of good over evil” and “a testament to survival against all odds, the strength of the bonds forged during war and the resilience of the human spirit.”
“[Eddie] was 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, 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 untested soldiers, thrust into the brutal conflicts of WWII.
A company of 3rd Armored Division tankers, led by 23-year-old Elmer Hovland, quickly became battle-hardened and weary, constantly 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 book was named Amazon’s top nonfiction book and the best history book of 2025.
A full-time author, Willner previously served as a U.S. Army intelligence officer during the Cold War and worked to promote human rights causes across cities such as Moscow, Minsk, Prague, Istanbul and Ottawa.
In addition to “Boys in the Light,” Willner is the author of “Forty Autumns,” a historical memoir detailing her family’s 40-year separation from each other by the Berlin Wall — and their reunion after it fell.
Willner’s event is one of many planned at the Clarendon Barnes & Noble this summer. Later this month, the bookstore will host authors Rebecca Morrison (June 14) and Patrick B. Simpson (June 28), in addition to weekly storytime sessions.
Photo via Barnes & Noble/Facebook
