Silent Night

The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce

By: Stanley Weintraub

Narrated by: Edward Holland

In the early months of World War I, on Christmas Eve, men on both sides of the trenches laid down their arms and joined in a spontaneous celebration. Despite orders to continue shooting, the unofficial truce spread across the front lines. Even the participants found what they were doing incredible: Germans placed candlelit Christmas trees on trench parapets, warring soldiers sang carols, and men on both sides shared food parcels from home. They climbed from the trenches to meet in "No Man's Land" where they buried the dead, exchanged gifts, ate and drank together, and even played soccer.

Throughout his narrative, Stanley Weintraub uses the stories of the men who were there, as well as their letters and diaries, to illuminate the fragile truce and bring to life this extraordinary moment in time.©2001 Stanley Weintraub; (P)2001 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Weintraub has brought an obscure and bizarre incident to life with a flair that gives the reader a detailed glimpse of a unique Christmas story."—The Seattle Times

"Deeply moving."—The Boston Globe

"Reveals [Weintraub's] skill as a researcher and deftness as a narrator."—Publishers Weekly

"Weintraub does an excellent job of preserving for posterity this remarkable wartime truce."—The New American

Good book

The Christmas Truce is one of my favorite events in history. This book brought to life new information about it that I never knew. While I've heard better narration, I would recommend this book

Inspiring

Disobey so called authority and you shall now peace. Follow your own conscience and reason and you will know peace.

Incredible Story on a Lesser Known Topic

This is a well researched book on an aspect of WWI that historians have largely forgotten, namely, that love for ones neighbor can spontaneously arise in the most unexpected places. The narrator does a great job, with the various accents. The story is very compelling and should never be forgotten. My only complaint with the story is that it is hard to follow chronologically. The book transitions back and forth between days during the last two weeks of 1914. Other than that, I highly recommend reading this book!

Just okay.

An amazing & fascinating historical event. Well-researched, but the telling of the story is just okay.

Silent Night: a hope and prayer

A. true story of the meaning of Christmas, demonstrating the goodness that dwells in the heart and soul of man. In the last chapter the author posits of what might have happened if the world took the small embers of the Christmas Truce 1914 and carried it's spirit and light to brighten the world with the first and true message of the first Christmas...Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Man!