Cathedral Late Afternoon: Notes From the Cold War by Bob Lavner

This is a compelling historical fiction novel about a young man whose life is profoundly altered by the darkness and danger of the Cold War. If this were the 21st century, Aaron Rivera wouldn't be a soldier. He isn't the military type, prefers reading history to making it. But this isn't the 21st century. It's 1958 and young men like Aaron from Brooklyn are conscripted all the time, trained to kill or be killed and shipped to places they never heard of – like Schweinfurt, Germany, minutes from the nuclear-mined Cold War border, where the barracks still bear their World War II Nazi décor. With memories of that war still fresh, how can another, surely far worse catastrophe be contemplated? How can Aaron, who is Jewish, train with soldiers of the new German army, attend a reunion of the old German army, and be smitten with an art-loving German young woman? These questions lie heavy in the young man's mind as he navigates his way through love and conflict in this fascinating Cold War tale