The back cover of Ordinary Heroes: Six Stars in the Window states, “If you’re only going to read one book about World War II, this should be that book.” This claim is not a false boast. Without a doubt, Ordinary Heroes is the best book I have read on WWII. I have never read another book or seen a movie on the subject that I have found so enjoyable or accessible. The treatment and chronology of the war, as presented in the story of the six Koski brothers of Ishpeming, Michigan, brings the war to life in ways that not even Ken Burns’ documentary on World War II could achieve.

Author Dan Oja skillfully weaves the story of the Koski brothers into the larger context of the war in the Pacific and Europe, including letters and memorabilia from the Koski family, interviews with soldiers who served with the Koski, and countless historical sources. The hardcover book on its own is a treat, but I highly recommend that readers purchase the e-book which includes links to countless website references and access to hundreds of video clips ranging from family members interviewed about their lives. Memories of the war, even old newscasts, interviews with the Koski brothers and their fellow soldiers about their wartime service, and images from the memorial service of the brother who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

While I do not wish in any way to discredit the enormous research that went into this book, along with Dan Oja’s impressive dedication to telling the story of his uncles, what I enjoyed the most was reading the book in its digital form because it really did the war comes alive for me. The book is available in hardcover or as a digital book on CD or downloadable to a computer. The hardcover purchase includes a CD of the first eight chapters in digital format; If interested, the reader can activate the CD to read the rest of the book in digital format by visiting the author’s website and paying just $ 4.95, a great bargain considering all the additional information included in the digital version. Not only did Dan Oja make the ingenious decision to provide a digital format for the book, but as a seasoned programmer, he created the BookOn digital publishing technology used. Beyond collecting hundreds of relevant WWII video clips to tell the stories of his uncles, he interviewed family members, read and scanned family letters, and made the technology work so that anything about WWII that could interest us was just a click away. . We can go to a website on Hitler’s fascination with Henry Ford or watch a video about the Normandy invasion. I think e-books are not as convenient as the print versions, but Ordinary Heroes: Six Stars in the Window is far from a simplistic e-book. This book is a truly interactive reading experience. It took me twice as long as reading the print version to read the digital book because I was so engrossed that I had to watch all the videos. I also clicked on many of the website links to learn more about such fascinating facts as the letters from Victory Mail soldiers scanned on microfilm to be shipped back to the United States, where they would be reprinted and mailed, saving money. thus the necessary space on ships to carry military supplies. That information at my fingertips on the computer was fantastic. If Ordinary Heroes is a taste of the future of books, I’m ready to jump on board.

As for the information on World War II, I learned many things that I had never heard in other places; for example, Henry Ford had Ford Motor Company plants in Germany, which meant that Ford was basically supplying vehicles to the Germans as well; I found this contradiction astonishing and mind-boggling, especially considering the role of the Ford company in America’s war effort. (My own grandfather worked at the Ford plant in Kingsford, Michigan, making gliders for the war.) It is amazing to know that Hitler had a picture of Henry Ford hanging on his wall because he thought that Ford was an inspiration, a leader of fascism and the anti-Jewish movement in America. While Hitler’s statement could be dismissed as madman, Dan Oja provides links to websites about Ford, the Nazis, and Ford’s anti-Semitism that explore the matter in detail. This story is just one example of the fascinating information included in Ordinary Heroes.

No one who knows about war can help but be moved by the courage of the English during the Battle of Britain, or horrified by the concentration camps, but again, reading Ordinary Heroes, I learned much more about war and humans. endurance. He had no idea how badly the Nazis treated the French, who were levied terrible taxes to support the German government, banned from their former freedoms, and became little more than slaves to the Germans. I was surprised by the videos of English children, even babies, wearing gas masks. I was made to feel the seriousness of the Nazi threat by reading that the British actually had a plan to move the government to Canada if necessary. While I always admired Winston Churchill and knew from his famous speech “We will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the landing grounds, we will fight in the fields and in the streets, we will fight on the hills, he will never surrender”, I did not know he did this statement hoping that the English would have to fight the Germans on the very soil of England. And I admired Churchill’s humor and courage even more when I read that one night at dinner, he said to his wife and pregnant daughter-in-law: “If the Hun comes, I’m counting on each of you taking one before you do.” . to go. “

Finally, let me talk about the real topic of this book: the role of the Koski family in WWII. The Koski family saw six brothers serve in the war. The book’s subtitle, Six Stars in the Window, refers to the flag with six stars, one for each brother in the army, that hung in the family window. Dan Oja provides background on the Koski family of twelve children trying to survive the Great Depression after the death of their mother. We know the family members intimately: Lilly, the eldest daughter who raised her siblings, the father who worked in the mine to feed his children, the six siblings who fought so bravely, and Edna Mae, the youngest daughter and mother. by Dan Oja. . Edna Mae is interviewed in numerous videos throughout the book. Hearing her describe her brothers going to war and seeing her cry in a video filmed sixty years after the event brings the war home in a way that the printed page cannot; Hearing his words and the expressions on his face made me realize how heartbreaking, dramatic, and difficult the experience of World War II was for every American family that saw a son, brother, husband, father, or friend go off to fight.

All I can do is praise Ordinary Heroes. Whether you read the hardcover book or the digital BookOnCD, you won’t be disappointed. In addition, Dan Oja has made a documentary video that is also available on his website. As our WWII Veterans are dying, Ordinary Heroes will help keep their memory alive. This incredibly rich and informative book is the kind of project you would expect a national foundation or museum to produce. That Dan Oja created it himself is truly remarkable. I hope that Ordinary Heroes inspires many more people to preserve their family stories and that the digital technology in this book will continue to be used to create more wonderful interactive digital reading experiences.

“If you’re only going to read one book on WWII, this should be that book.” Ordinary Heroes: Six Stars in the Window is a book that deserves six stars.