while i found this fascinating due to my g-father's participating in the invasion (and subsequent abandonment, bullet wedged into his head, etc), just learning about the insane scope of the dday invasion, the courage of the french resistance, and ultimately the forced courage of young boys who really didn't know what they were doing made this a poignant and relevant read...really, to anyone who's male family members saw this horror, lived to tell, this is a highly informative read. plus, the history of Hitler's sea mountain wall, again the french resistance with their radios and cables and lives on the line, and other positive steps taken to fight the germans, brings to life the horror of the dday invasion.