One Good Thing

From the New York TimesΓÇôbestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones,an unforgettable story of hardship and hopecourage and resiliencethat follows one young womanΓÇÖs journey through war-torn Italy 1940Emilia Romagna. Lili and Esti have been best friends since meeting at the University of Ferrara; when EstiΓÇÖs son Theo is bornthey become as close as sisters. There is a war being fought across bordersand in ItalyMussoliniΓÇÖs Racial Laws have deemed Lili and Esti descendants of an ΓÇÿinferiorΓÇÖ Jewish racebut life somehow goes onΓÇöuntil Germany invades northern Italyand the friends find themselves in occupied territory. Estiolder and fiercely self-assuredconvinces Lili to flee first to a villa in the countryside to help hide a group of young war orphansthen to a convent in Florencewhere they pose as nuns and forge false identification papers for the Underground. When disaster strikes at the conventa critically wounded Esti asks Lili to take a much bigger step: To go on the run with Theo. Protect him while Esti canΓÇÖt. Terrified to travel on her ownLili sets out on an epic journey south toward Allied territorythrough Nazi-occupied villages and bombed-out citiesdoing everything she can to keep Theo safe. A remarkable tale of friendshipmotherhoodand survivalOne Good Thing is a tender reminder that love for another personeven amidst darkness and uncertaintycan be reason to keep going.