My Father had this Luger... A true story of Hitler's Greece: A true story of Hitler's Greece / Louizos, Evangelos

 "A fresh spotlight on the idea that Germans owe Greeks billions in unpaid war reparations." - Summer book choice, The Greek Star, Chicago and the Boston-based Hellenic Voice.

 "Captivating, with a cinematic feel, and moments that are truly haunting and memorable ... Certain passages are thought provoking while some are downright bone chilling, yet all unforgettable." -Neos Kosmos, Australia

 
 "This well-written book provides us an insight into WWII's origin and meaning...
An example of how the human spirit can survive and endure physical and material deprivation. Mr. Louizos should be commended for honoring his family and the Greek people ... A good addition to The Sword of Zeus Project."-- A. Vavoulis, founder, KFCF-FM Free Speech radio.
 
"An extraordinary account of the Axis occupation of Greece..."-- G. Harocopos, WW2 Historian and resistance fighter.
 
"Reads like a fast-paced thriller... with the visual impact of a movie...   This is a mesmerizing read .- NEO Magazine, New York.

World War 2 seen with a 21st century sensibility. An enthralling, moving and true story of the Nazi occupation of Greece, it reads with the speed of a compelling novel as it sweeps you vividly through the war with unflagging narrative pace. It leaves you with a fresh understanding of the war and of the indomitability of the human spirit. It delivers suspense, endless surprises and twists, sharp characterizations, insights into human nature and the indestructibility of family ties, and a fascinating historical education along the way.  The gripping story is packed with events from hilarious episodes, described with a child's honesty, through poignant moments to profound terror. The rich historical backdrop is painted in often poetic but always crystal-clear and unpretentious prose. The book opens when Greece is invaded by Italy's dictator, Mussolini. The outnumbered Greeks repel the invasion and the boy Evangelos' father is assigned to run a Prisoner of War facility for captured Italians, bringing the child into close contact with the prisoners Mussolini calls in his ally, Hitler. Jackboots march through Athens, the swastika rises over the Acropolis, Wehrmacht troops are stationed across the road from Evangelos' home. He befriends German soldiers and learns to see them not just as soldiers but as men. His rooftop gives him a ringside seat of the coming and going of Luftwaffe planes. What he sees and learns and is made to experience, as the German noose grows tighter, makes him grow up more quickly than he had ever dreamed possible. And when the Allies eventually arrive to replace the Germans, their presence turns out to be shockingly different from the liberation that the besieged Greeks had expected. Every age group, from young adults up, will find its own layers of meaning. Produced under the auspices of a history-as-literature project guided by experts including veteran Reader's Digest editors. "MY FATHER HAD THIS LUGER... is about timeless things that transcend war and which are as relevant today as the years in which the events of this story took place. This is a story of family, community and the ways in which countless small rituals and other shared things give human life its meaning. It is about loyalty and sticking together, about personal triumph, about hope, about the universality of childhood and the importance of imagination. It is about the ability of the human mind to find comedy even amid awful things, and take nourishment from it." - N.J. Slabbert, Literary Director, THE SWORD OF ZEUS PROJECT.