Dark Shadows Hover is the extraordinarily moving saga of one young man's unending bravery in the face of years of constant danger. Author Jordan Steven Sher masterfully weaves this chronicle of adversity, heartbreak and ultimately, triumph. Although Sher terms his work biographical fiction, this novel adheres quite closely to fact after remarkable fact: When World War II began, Moris Albahari was a young Sephardic Jew growing up in a small town in Bosnia. At the age of eleven, Albahari miraculously escaped a Croatian death-camp train. He survived a winter wandering alone in the frozen forests of Yugoslavia, then years as a teenaged courier and photographer with partisan guerrillas fighting against Nazis, Mussolini's Italians and Croatian fascists. Albahari is testament to the fact that the war produced not only unspeakable horror, but also remarkable heroism, even among those barely in their teens. However, Sher crafts this epic in a way to show that individuals like Albahari weren't one-dimensional superman caricatures, but real flesh-and-blood humans, displaying fear and vulnerability, as well as steely resolve and unwavering acts of self-sacrifice. -Matt Miller, retired foreign correspondent

The Holocaust: as Jews, we inherently "Remember the six million" who perished at the hands of the Nazi regime. But what of the individual narratives behind this vast tragedy? It is a rarity to encounter a Holocaust story that embodies equal measures of sorrow and triumph, yet Jordan Steven Sher has gifted readers exactly this. Dark Shadows Hover is a fictionalized account of a Yugoslavian Jewish boy thrust into manhood when his only chance of survival is to join Josip Broz Tito's Partisan resistance. Students of history will find an exceptional guide to understanding both the Holocaust and Yugoslavia's role in World War II. Readers of every stripe will learn about a little-known hero, a boy clinging to his "lucky marble" as tightly as his Jewish faith. Sher provides a rich portrait of Moris Albahari, a humanist and activist who remained loyal to his Bosnian homeland and its diminished Jewish community until his recent death. -Dina Greenberg, author Nermina's Chance

Sher's work of accessible biographical fiction deftly blends historical context and the close imaginings of an extraordinary life to captivate us with Moris Albahari's story. Based on personal interviews conducted by Sher and those conducted by the Shoah Foundation, Albahari's private writings, and historical research on wartime Yugoslavia, Sher draws us into the capricious landscape of the Ustasha state. Sher traces the wider progression of events through Albahari's story, letting us into the everyday moments of the lesser-known experience in Yugoslavia, enriched by the Ladino/Sephardic Jewish world that served as Sher's point of entry. This is the kind of book that will reach the inner world of readers and expand their ability to imagine the life struggles and achievements of another person in their deeply uncertain place and time. It is also suitable for young adult readers, who may wish to savor Albahari's favorite raspberry cookies and remember his life and legacy. -Rebekah Klein-Pejsova, Associate Professor of History, Co-director, Human Rights Program Purdue University