The diaries of Ruth Ozanne give us a remarkable eyewitness account of daily life throughout the German occupation of Guernsey from 1940 to 1945. At the beginning of the occupation, there is an atmosphere of good-humored defiance on the island. The relatively few German soldiers are on their best behavior and the islanders were bolstered by a stream of optimistic rumors. Life gradually darkens, however, as vastly more arms and troops arrive, supported by Organisation Todt laborers, to make the island part of Hitler"s Atlantic Wall. Luxuries quickly disappear and severe food shortages become part of the struggle to survive. Periodic RAF raids and German artillery shatter the grim peace. The black market thrives while foreign laborers beg for food. There are deportations and many privations. Towards the end, both islanders and occupying army are starving.Through it all, Ruth meticulously records the rumors, the rations, the scandals, the trials and the tribulations of life under the Nazis as she and her friend and housekeeper Florence battle to care for their home, their elderly relatives and "gallant" Garry - Ruth"s Highland Terrier. She writes with a dry wit and her diaries are testament to the resilience, resourcefulness and humanity of Guernsey people in the Second World War.