This book is based on a real life hero, Pino Lella. It’s set in Milan, Italy in 1943 during World War II and under the rule of Benito Mussolini. Pino is just 17 years old when his home is wiped out by bombs and in an attempt to keep him safe his family sends him away to a boy’s school. After he arrives he is asked by the priest who runs the school to assist in leading Jewish people out of the country safely into Switzerland. He does so and feels a deep sense of pride in being able to help these people escape from persecution.

When he finally returns home at the age of eighteen his parents urge him to join the German army under the Organization Todt, which was responsible for engineering projects during the war, to keep him from having to fight on the front lines. During this time he stops to help a German officer fix his car and impresses him with his knowledge. The officer was General Hans Leyers who was one of the most powerful German soldiers in Italy at the time. Leyers hires Pino on the spot to be his driver and this is where the story really gets good. Pino starts spying for the resistance while driving for Leyers and gains some knowledge of some of the inner workings of the Germans.

The people that Pino meets and the things he witnesses and endures makes this story one of bravery, courage and resilience in the face of incredible turmoil. I’m excited to say that this book will be made into a movie and can’t wait to see Pino’s spectacular life on the big screen.

If you are interested in purchasing Beneath a Scarlet Sky: