Review
"Rees commendably keeps his reader-viewers in touch with a history inexorably receding from living memory."
— Booklist“Rees is vastly well informed about the second world war. His judgments can seldom be faulted...there are many surprises here, and much good detail....The relationship between Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill makes an ugly story, and Rees tells it extraordinarily well.” —Sir Max Hastings, author of
Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945 “A thoughtful and thought-provoking introduction to many of the shadier deals of the Second World War...The real virtue of this book lies in its ability to blend the experience of ordinary people into the narrative of public events...memorable in the extreme.”–Richard Overy,
Literary Review "Readers of this book… are in for a shock…This book illuminates many shady corners of Britain's and America's dealings with Stalin and each other. The famous trust between Churchill and Roosevelt is shown to be far from perfect.”–Peter Lewis,
Daily Mail
“This splendid book centres on the question of how personality affects historical change. The answer is plain: when all account is taken of structural determinants in history, key individuals played roles that were unique and indispensable.”–Ian Kershaw, author of
Hitler, the Germans, and the Final Solution
“Fascinating and engaging...highly readable.” –
Jewish Book World
About the Author
Laurence Rees is the writer and producer of the BBC/PBS television series
World War II Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West. His previous work includes the acclaimed television series and books
The Nazis: A Warning from History, War of the Century, Horror in the East, and
Auschwitz: The Nazis and the "Final Solution," for which he received the British Book Award for History Book of the Year. His other awards include the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award and the Grierson Award. He lives in England.