This book is so moving. Alex Kurzem was five years old when the Nazi's stormed his village. He was able to escape, and he hid in the forest until he was picked up by some Latvian SS soldiers. They made him a squad mascot, even giving him his own little miniature SS uniform. He even wound up being featured in a Nazi propaganda film. He eventually told his adult son, the author of this book, Mark, about his secret wartime life. It is so tragic to imagine having one's whole family and town killed, and then having to perform and serve the same people who murdered so many. I cannot imagine the mental and emotional scars that this experience would inflict on someone. This was just such a good read.