{"product_id":"9780063343993_the-light-of-battle","title":"The Light of Battle","description":"\u003cp\u003eA thrilling new biography of Dwight Eisenhower set in the months leading up to D-Day, when he grew from a well-liked general into one of the singular figures of American history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This is hands-down the most deeply researched, sensitive, intimate, and nuanced portrait of Eisenhower.\" —DAVID KENNEDY, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for History | \"A masterly portrait.\" —General WESLEY CLARK | \"Gorgeously written. The only must-read book to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.\" —ALEX KERSHAW, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author | STARRED reviews from \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly, Kirkus, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn June 6, 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower addressed the thousands of American troops preparing to invade Normandy, exhorting them to embrace the “Great Crusade” they faced. Then, in a fleeting moment alone, he drafted a resignation letter in case the invasion failed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Light of Battle, \u003c\/i\u003eMichel Paradis, acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eLast Mission to Tokyo\u003c\/i\u003e, paints a vivid portrait of Dwight Eisenhower in his role as Supreme Allied Commander as he learns to navigate the crosscurrents of diplomacy, politics, strategy, family, and fame with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance. In a world of giants—Churchill, Roosevelt, De Gaulle, Marshall, MacArthur—it was a barefoot boy from Abilene, Kansas, who would master the art of power and become a modern-day George Washington.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing upon meticulous research and a voluminous body of newly discovered records, letters, diaries, and firsthand accounts from three continents, Paradis brings Eisenhower to life, as a complicated man who craved simplicity, a genial cipher whose smile was a lethal political weapon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith a page-turning pace and an eye for the overlooked, Paradis interweaves the grand arc of World War II history with more human concerns, bringing readers into the private moments that led to Eisenhower’s most pivotal decisions surrounding Operation Overlord. By deftly integrating the personal and the political, he reveals how Eisenhower’s rise both reflected and was integral to America’s rise as a global superpower.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn unflinching look at how character is forged, and leadership is learned, this definitive Dwight D. Eisenhower biography breathes new life into the man who made “the leader of the free world” the mantle of the American presidency.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis deeply researched account reveals the leader behind the legend:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Weight of Command:\u003c\/b\u003e Go inside the room as Eisenhower, with the fate of the free world on his shoulders, drafts a secret resignation letter in case the Normandy Invasion fails.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLeadership in Crisis:\u003c\/b\u003e Witness Eisenhower’s transformation as he learns to outmaneuver the titanic personalities of Churchill, Roosevelt, and de Gaulle to hold the fragile Allied coalition together.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNewly Discovered History:\u003c\/b\u003e Explore a trove of newly unearthed letters, diaries, and firsthand accounts that paint a fresh, intimate, and surprising portrait of the man from Abilene, Kansas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Making of a President:\u003c\/b\u003e Understand the pivotal months that forged Eisenhower’s character, turning a respected general into the figure who would define the American presidency for the modern era.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Michel Paradis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46908541337749,"sku":"9780063343993","price":9.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780063343993_208d162a-abd8-40fe-aa0a-72f7a1aed537.jpg?v=1776889901","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780063343993_the-light-of-battle","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}