1940 was a year of world-changing events: Germany plowed through the Maginot Line and invaded France, trapped Allied troops were evacuated from Dunkirk, and Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as prime minister and prepared Britain to face Germany. At the time, Korda was six years old and lived in England, son of a Hungarian father and a British mother, both well known in the film industry. His parents had very different reactions to the turmoil of 1940, and Korda himself was evacuated to the U.S. Former editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster and the author of books including Clouds of Glory, and Charmed Lives, Korda has put a momentous year into haunting personal perspective with this riveting history/memoir.