If you want to understand the role of tea drinking in the British psyche this is the book for you.

Seriously, eminent historian Professor Emeritus Peter Stansky has created a highly readable, well-researched account that draws on personal experiences of the first day of the Blitz. He draws from the working poor, professionals like George Orwell, government documents and the press.

I had seen bombed out areas, even 30 years after the Blitz, heard of people having bomb shelters in their back gardens, and listened to tales of people taking cover when hearing air raid sirens. This book brings you even closer to the action. Peter Stansky takes you to the hearts and minds of those who suffered and those who observed the German bombers and fighters descending over London.

There are analyses of Jewish suffering, media censorship and government preparedness. Stansky positions the Blitz as a terrorist activity, comparing and contrasting it with the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11.

The interesting tidbits - like the fact the government insisted photos of the Blitz showed a standing building - make this book worth reading by both history buffs and the curious consumer.