{"product_id":"five-days-that-shocked-the-world-9781839013164","title":"Five Days that Shocked the World","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A gripping account of the last days of World War II... It reads like a thriller, informs like a scholar and is not to be missed.' - Randall Hansen, author of \u003cem\u003eFire and Fury: The Allied Bombing of Germany 1942-45\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn 28 April 1945 Benito Mussolini was dragged from his mistress's bed and executed. Just two days later, surrounded by the Soviet Army, Adolf Hitler put a gun to his head and committed suicide. Living through the pivotal five days that saw the war in Europe draw to an end were a collection of individuals who already were, or would go on to be some of the most recognized faces in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on a wealth of unfamiliar material and first-hand accounts, Nicholas Best tells the compelling tale of those who witnessed the final days of the war in Europe, from Jack Kennedy to Bob Dole, recuperating in an Italian hospital, and Private Henry Kissinger, back on German soil for the first time since his family fled before the war. Racked with depression, Spike Milligan swigged stolen champagne while Audrey Hepburn was starving in Holland. Roman Polanski was playing with grenades in Krakow and a future Pope was on his way home, terrified of being shot for deserting the Wehrmacht.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlending historical discourse with the thoughts and reactions of both famous and ordinary individuals, \u003cem\u003eFive Days that Shocked the World\u003c\/em\u003e is an insightful look at the most dramatic 120 hours in history.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBest, Nicholas:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Nicholas Best grew up in Kenya and was educated there, in England and at Trinity College, Dublin. He served in the Grenadier Guards and worked as a journalist in London before becoming a full time writer. A former literary critic for the Financial Times, he has written more than 20 books, both fiction and non-fiction, and is translated into many languages. He was long-listed in 2010 for the Sunday Times-EFG Bank £30,000 award, the biggest short story prize in the world.","brand":"Lume Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50682277265682,"sku":"9781839013164","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_40b2127a-61f3-45e4-a165-d24ad016689e.jpg?v=1733967401","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/five-days-that-shocked-the-world-9781839013164","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}