In May 1941 Lena Mukhina was an ordinary teenage girl, living in Leningrad, worrying about her homework and whether Vova, the boy she liked, liked her. Like a good Soviet schoolgirl, she was also diligently learning German, the language of Russia's Nazi ally. And she was keeping a diary, in which [...]

In May 1941 Lena Mukhina was an ordinary teenage girl, living in Leningrad, worrying about her homework and the boy she liked, and keeping a diary of her hopes and dreams. On June 22, 1941, Hitler declared war on the Soviet Union. Leningrad was besieged. Lena and her family fought to stay alive; the[...]