The Light of Battle

Eisenhower, D-Day, and the Birth of the American Superpower

By: Michel Paradis

Narrated by: Jacques Roy

A 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.

""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, New York Times bestselling author

On 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.

In The Light of Battle, Michel Paradis, acclaimed author of Last Mission to Tokyo, paints a vivid portrait of Dwight Eisenhower 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.

Drawing 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.

With a page-turning pace and an eye for the overlooked, Paradis interweaves the grand arc of history with more human concerns, bringing readers into the private moments that led to Eisenhower’s most pivotal decisions. 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.

An unflinching look at how character is forged, and leadership is learned, The Light of Battle breathes new life into the man who made “the leader of the free world” the mantle of the American presidency.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

An understated hero from Kansas

I like Ike. He was an excellent strategist and performed miracles for the Allies. He was a lonely Man as so many were in that time frame. BUT!! The end result was the crumbling of the NAZI Machine

The level of credible detail

I have read a number of biographies on Eisenhower and Marshall and I was expecting an interesting but somewhat repetitious chronology of the events. Instead it was absorbing and filled with well researched detail that revealed more of Ike than anything I have read without it falling into sensationalism or a politically biased twisting of the saga. Exceptional

Insightful, interesting story

The author’s use of primary sources and ability to steer clear of conjectures was good. As a narrative it hells my interest. I learned a lot and enjoyed the experience.

Evan's Review

The first words that jump out is a leader of leaders. I just don't that any military leader maybe General Marshall come have planned the invasion. I cannot believe the presure he was under in dealing with his field commanders plus the policial leaders. This

The Supreme Commander

What I like about the book is the manny intimate details woven into a coherent, honest timeline of events in the life of one of the greatest soldiers America and the world has ever birthed.

Not a dull moment in the narrative.