[GlenBarrington]

I read this through the Kindle Unlimited program, and this book has paid for this year's KU subscription all by itself. I have cross posted this review to the the book's Amazon's reviews pages.

This is the true story of Giuseppe "Pino" Lella, an overly romantic teen-ager who had lived a relatively privileged upper middle class childhood in Milan. It is a sort of coming of age story that covers the last two years of World War II. It was an odd time for Italy. It was at war with the Allies, but it was also sort of fighting a passive-aggressive war with Germany, who was increasingly becoming an occupying force and not an ally. Italy wanted to lose one war, and win the other, and they really wanted the Americans with whom they felt a kinship, to get to be the ones to liberate them first.

At age 18, all boys were drafted into the Italian Army to be used as cannon fodder for the Germans in Russia or Poland. His parents convince him to join the Organization Todt, which was a German run auxiliary army that pretty much did Germany's 'dirty work' in Italy. He reluctantly does so and inadvertently becomes General Leyers driver.

Leyers, an engineer by training, is Hitler's right hand man in Italy, and reports directly to Hitler. He is responsible for making sure Italy fully supports German war efforts. His methods included slavery, murder, torture, and of course, sending Jews to the concentration camps.

When Pino's uncle learns of this, the uncle reveals that he works for the Italian Resistance, and wants Pino to spy on Leyers.

I won't reveal any more, this true story has to be read to fully understand. It is very well written and very moving. I can't believe this won't be made into a movie at some point. Pino Lella's story is too fantastic, and too compelling for Hollywood to overlook.