Nina Willner, author portrait
© Julia Forsman

Nina Willner

Nina Willner is the author of two critically acclaimed nonfiction books, The Boys in the Light, which was named Amazon Editors' #3 Best Book of the Year - Top Nonfiction, and Best History Book of 2025, and Forty Autumns, named a Top 15 Nonfiction Book of 2016 by The CS Monitor. Prior to her writing career, Nina was a US Army intelligence officer who led sensitive missions behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. After a career in intelligence, Nina worked in Moscow, Minsk, Prague, Ottawa and Istanbul promoting human rights, women’s and children’s causes and the rule of law for the US government, nonprofits and a variety of charities. After years living abroad, she now writes narrative nonfiction full time from her home in Washington DC.
The Boys in the Light

Books

The Boys in the Light
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