I valued this book primarily for helping me imagine to some degree just how terrible war can be. The author's scholarship is quite evident and while he paints a detailed picture of the devastation and suffering, he does so without an excessive amount of commentary or emotional appeal. In effect, he lets the story speak for itself. If I have any criticism he does, perhaps, pay too much attention to bringing attention to his goal of debunking glamorized WWII portrayals of film and popular culture, but I found that unnecessary and visited and revisited a little too often. It really didn't need to be stated so frequently. In effect, the reader is going to get it or not. This is not an easy book to read - though only because the subject matter is so powerful.

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