X TROOP

June 1942. The shad­ow of the Third Reich has fall­en across the Euro­pean con­ti­nent. In des­per­a­tion, Win­ston Churchill and his chief of staff form an unusu­al plan: a new com­man­do unit made up of Jew­ish refugees who have escaped to Britain. The result­ing vol­un­teers are a mot­ley group of intel­lec­tu­als, artists, and ath­letes, most from Ger­many and Aus­tria. Many have been interned as ene­my aliens, and have lost their whole worlds. They will stop at noth­ing to defeat the Nazis. Trained in coun­ter­in­tel­li­gence and advanced com­bat, this top-secret unit becomes known as X Troop. Draw­ing on exten­sive orig­i­nal research, includ­ing inter­views with the last sur­viv­ing mem­bers, Gar­rett fol­lows this unique band of broth­ers from Ger­many to Eng­land and back, to British intern­ment camps, the beach­es of Nor­mandy, the bat­tle­fields of Italy and Hol­land, and the hellscape of Terezin con­cen­tra­tion camp‚ the scene of one of the most dra­mat­ic res­cues of the war. X Troop tells the aston­ish­ing sto­ry of these secret shock troops and their dev­as­tat­ing blows against the Nazis.

Leah Gar­rett is a pro­fes­sor at Hunter Col­lege. Her last book, Young Lions: How Jew­ish Authors Rein­vent­ed the Amer­i­can War Nov­el, won and was short-list­ed for sev­er­al major lit­er­ary awards. She lives in New York City with her hus­band and their two daughters.

You may order X Troop by Leah Garrett from:

• Flashlight Books in Walnut Creek: https://flashlightbooks.handseller.com/home/bookdetailsin/0358172039

• Rakestraw Books in Danville: https://www.rakestrawbooks.com/book/9780358172031

• Mrs. Dalloway's in Berkeley: https://www.mrsdalloways.com/book/9780358172031

• Your preferred bookstore and online retailer

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Sponsors: CCJCC, Congregation B'nai Shalom in partnership with the Jewish Book Council.