France, 1940 – Like every frightened boy in France, Raoud Le Meir dreads the arrival of the rampaging German Army. Rumors of fields drenched in blood, endless caravans of tanks and skies filled with airplanes dropping bombs by the thousands spread like a virus through the French countryside. Days after Hitler enters Paris, a garrison of soldiers appears in Chivegny. Raoud’s father, the mayor, urges neighbors and friends to cooperate and works to maintain an uneasy peace, but Papa cannot quell his desire to fight. Facing relentless German demands, he makes a drastic decision, which leads to his arrest and execution. Without his father, Raoud’s life becomes a series of empty squares on a calendar—until he finds a drunk Nazi passed out in the family barn. Seeing the soldier sprawled on the dusty floor awakens a rage Raoud did not know existed. He steals his rifle, in spite of—or perhaps because of—the consequences. In Occupied France, children fall asleep hungry, courage is as rare as laughter, and a boy with a pilfered German rifle tucked away in his barn prays for the chance to use it. This well-researched novel captures the essence of life during the Occupation and depicts how one family uses the strongest weapons of all—faith and hope—to overcome unimagined cruelty and achieve the unthinkable: "A Tomorrow Worth Living For."