David McCullough narrates one of the imspiring stories from World War II, the inspirational messages of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill from their meeting at the White House on Christmas Eve, 1941.
The book also shares the stories behind the songs "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

The DVD records McCullough's presentation at the 2009 Christmas concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The pictures are historical (pages not numbered), and capture the essence of the time and place. ( )

The setting is Christmas Eve 1941. Churchill visited FDR in the White House. Surrounded by Roosevelt's family, and the beautiful lights displayed in Washington, DC near, and in the White House, while far from home, Churchill felt at ease. War raged throughout the world.

This is a story of a Christmas Eve when all bad memories were set aside, and the light of Christmas shone brightly. Both Churchill and FDR gave radio speeches, primarily about hope, about the message of love and peace.

The book contains stories behind the hymns "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" and the sad, poignant song of the longing to be Home For Christmas.

The book contains a DVD with David McCullough telling the story of that very special night. In addition, there are black and white photos of the hope throughout the world. In particular, I found the image of a Christmas tree decorated in the open streets near Ederen, Germany.

This is a book to keep and enjoy each Christmas.

This short book tells of a wartime Christmas meeting between two world leaders. Though the narrative is short, it does contain a message that Christmas is a time of hope and happiness. The author also gives a bit of history on the writing of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The messages given by Roosevelt and Churchill clearly illustrate the struggle between what is happening, a war, and what the world longs for, peace. The photographs included, now vintage but from that time period, add to the charm of the book. ( )

In the Dark Street Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story - McCullough
3 stars

Without the hardbound binding, it would be more appropriate to call this book a souvenir concert program. It was a Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert with narration by David McCullough. The book has several pages of heart warming war time photographs, a few paragraphs of storytelling about the inspiration for two popular Christmas carols, and the text of Churchill and Roosevelt’s Christmas speeches. There is a DVD included with the book. I did not watch it.

This definitely left me wanting more. My Father died on Pearl Harbor Day in 2007. I know how trying it was for my family to celebrate Christmas after such a loss.(We did talk about the historical significance of the day. Dad was 16 when war was declared. He enlisted the following year.) How difficult it must have been for the nation as a whole. Reading the text of those speeches gave me a taste of the shock, dread, and overwhelming patriotism that must have gripped the country. But this was not actually a book. It barely scratched the surface. ( )

Pretty simple story with large print and big pictures. Almost like a short, small-format coffee table book. Shorter than most short stories you'll read.

Pros: Story about the brotherhood of man (as signified by Christmas) giving hope against darkness and evil (the Axis powers of World War II).

Cons: Not very much depth or personal flavor. It's really a story about Churchill's state visit to America when they joined the war, as told by excerpts from the speeches of Churchill and Roosevelt. ( )