As the end of the century approaches, and as American veterans of World War II are dying at the rate of 30,000 per month, Americans are taking another long look at the war which left the earth scourged and shaken and poorer by at least fifty million of its citizens. Two of the films nominated for this year's Oscar in the "Best Picture" category, Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line, are about World War II. Tom Brokaw's new best-selling book, The Greatest Generation, pays tribute to the men and women who brought the United States through those turbulent years.

In Longmont, the Longmont Public Library, the Friends of the Library, and the St. Vrain Education Foundation are currently sponsoring a book discussion group, "In the Company of Heroes: World War II and its Legacy," one of the aims of which is to encourage interaction between members of the war generation and today's high school students. The first book in the four-part series is Stephen Ambrose's The Victors.

Stephen Ambrose has never been a soldier, but his fascination with history has made him one of the most prolific writers on World War II. His previous books include Band of Brothers, D-Day, and Citizen Soldiers, as well as several volumes on Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Victors draws on those works to present a narrative of the war in Europe, from the preparation of the troops who participated in D-Day, June 6, 1944, to the surrender of the Germans on May 7, 1945.

It is not a fast read unless, perhaps, the reader is well acquainted with the players, the geography, and military hierarchy and terminology. I found myself keeping a glossary of names and acronyms and constantly referring to the maps provided. The sheer magnitude of the Allied effort is mind-boggling.

While acknowledging that Eisenhower made some bad strategy decisions during the war, Ambrose believes he was a "brilliant choice" as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. His self-confidence, optimism, and affability inspired the trust of both superiors and subordinates. His "insistence on teamwork and devotion to democracy" eventually led to victory.

Much of the book, however, is devoted to the stories of individual men who served at the front--the citizen soldiers. It was their valor, ingenuity, and unflagging belief in the rightness of their cause that ultimately vanquished Hitler's professional armies.

Ambrose gives six chapters to D-Day itself. It is a brutal, terrifying, heartbreaking story. The Allies carried the day but at enormous expense. In the end, says Ambrose, it was the junior officers who deserve much of the glory. "The exemplary manner in which they had seized their opportunity, their dash, boldness, initiative, teamwork, and tactical skills were outstanding beyond praise."

It is impossible to come away from this book without a deep appreciation for the Allied soldiers who fought in Europe and the staggering sacrifices they made to keep the world free from totalitarianism.

When a pair of stinky, old sneakers falls off a freeway overpass onto Stanley Yelnats' head, he believes it is not just a coincidence and hopes that they will be the key to his inventor father's latest dream--to find a way to recycle old shoes into something useful. A few minutes later, he is arrested for theft. Turns out a famous athlete had donated those smelly sneakers to a homeless shelter to raise money, and Stanley is holding the goods.

Given a choice of jail or Camp Green Lake, there is really no question what he will decide. "Stanley was from a poor family. He had never been to camp before."

The boys who end up at Camp Green Lake aren't paddling canoes and roasting marshmallows around the campfire. They're digging holes under the scorching sun in the dry bed of what was once the largest lake in Texas. Big holes. Five feet wide and five feet deep, one per boy per day. According to the warden--a kind of Cruella DeVille, Texas-style--the activity builds character, but it soon becomes apparent that she has ulterior motives. Turns out Camp Green Lake has some interesting history.

Louis Sachar has won both a National Book Award and the Newbery Medal for this new novel. In a thematic departure from his former books (e.g. Sideways Stories from Wayside School), he has cunningly crafted a tale about how Destiny weaves in and out of lives and generations, crossing oceans and continents, to play out its drama.

You don't believe in Destiny? That's okay. You may still find yourself saying right out loud, as I did after reading the last page, "I love this book!"