Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The book alternates between the American soldiers’ training and combat experiences and Eddie Willner’s persecution and imprisonment. How did this parallel structure shape your emotional response and overall understanding of the war? Did you find one storyline more compelling than the other? Why?

2. Nina Willner also wrote the bestselling memoir Forty Autumns, which details her family’s division during the Cold War. If you’ve read it, how does The Boys in the Light compare in its approach to weaving personal history with larger historical events? If not, how does this book stand out from other World War II nonfiction you may have read?

3. What moment or relationship in the book was the most memorable for you, and why do you think it had such an impact?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Elmer Hovland’s decision to take in Eddie and Mike, declaring “They’re with us now,” is a pivotal moment of compassion that defies military protocol. Can you think of a time when a small act of kindness, either given or received, had an unexpectedly large impact on you or someone you know? Why was this so significant?

2. Siegfried subjects Eddie to a “stern but loving” form of discipline to prepare him for the hardships he senses are coming. When have you experienced strict mentorship or a rule system? What effect did this have on you, and why?

3. The book portrays a number of close, lifelong friendships, often formed in adversity. How have your friendships been built, and in which ways have these reflected—and/or helped you deal with—life’s difficulties?

4. Pepsi’s role is as the book’s nurturer, both during the war and decades later with Eddie’s family. Which people have offered you physical comfort and support? How did this make you feel, and why?

5. The soldiers’ diverse, cooperative unit comes to represent the American ideal that inspires Eddie and Mike to emigrate after the war. In what ways has your own experience of teamwork been shaped by diversity and inclusion?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The guide details how Nazi Germany used propaganda in schools and media, such as the children’s book comparing Jewish people to a “poisonous mushroom,” to normalize hatred. What does this story reveal about how ideology can be used to dismantle a tolerant society, and what lessons might this hold for us today?

2. The book presents the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a “litmus test” where international apathy gave Hitler a green light for further persecution. How does this portrayal challenge our understanding of the role and responsibility of the global community in confronting injustice?

3. What questions does the book raise about justice and accountability in the aftermath of war, especially considering that many Nazi guards escaped punishment while some scientists were recruited by the Allies?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How did the alternating narrative structure, which juxtaposes the American front with the European concentration camps, heighten the story’s tension and themes? Did this technique affect your reading experience as the two storylines moved closer to their inevitable intersection?

2. Transportation is a recurring motif that carries very different meanings for the characters. How does the book contrast these functions, and how does this support its themes?

3. What is the significance of names and naming in the narrative?

4. How does Willner use Elmer Hovland to explore what it means to be an effective leader in a crisis?

5. In what ways does Nina Willner’s family connection to her account shape your reading of the book? Are there ways in which it seems different from a distanced historical narrative?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. What kind of public memorial would you design to honor both the full story of the Willner family and the profound compassion shown by the men of D Company? What elements would you include to capture the book’s central themes for future generations?

2. Siegfried’s memory and teachings are central to Eddie’s survival. Write a conversation between them, if Siegfried had survived to see the successful life and family Eddie built in America.

3. What headline would you write for a newspaper article about D Company’s rescue of Eddie and Mike, and what would your opening paragraph be to capture the emotional core of the event for readers back home?