So what makes this book different from all the other World War II books that have been published? Well for one thing, this book shows the war through two different perspectives: the world as seen through the eyes of a Nazi soldier and the world as viewed through the senses of a blind French girl.

We've all heard stories about Hitler and his tactics, (heck we even have a presidential candidate similar to him), and we've all heard of the monstrous power of the Nazi regime.  But rarely do we come across a story that shines a light upon the frightened child who hides within the Nazi uniform and whose actions are controlled solely by Fear. To even think that Nazi soldiers possess even a single drop of humanity within them would come off as insane because we believe that the Nazi regime are their own species. In All the Light We Cannot See, we follow an eight-year-old orphan boy named Werner as he grows up to become a Nazi soldier. And no, Werner is no Jesus and by no means is Werner perfect. He does not free the Jews from concentration camps nor does he blow up any  gas chambers. He doesn't really save anybody's lives...well except for this one girl (*smirks*).

You see, Werner, like all other Nazi soldiers, listens and follows orders. He finds and kills those who are against Germany. You may think, oh he's just another run-off-the-mill Nazi, however, Doerr emphasizes Werner's need to connect to his childhood in order to feel sane. In the beginning you see him believe that becoming a Nazi is the ultimate goal and then you see him questioning his own actions and the actions of Nazi Germany as a whole. Humanity is seen in other Nazi characters as well. There is bird-loving Frederick, the German commanding officer von Rumpel who scavenges through a French home only to be reminded of his daughters, and Volkheimer who finds hope in life when he hears Debussy's Clair de Lune on an illegal French radio broadcast. In All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr shows us that Nazis, like all human beings, all have their Gatsby moments of nostalgia, and that no matter what race people associate themselves to, they are all interconnected through technology, nature, and music. The Nazi is pretty much the modern-day Frankenstein-the "monster" who was believed to be uncapable of love and who through fear was reduced to acts of violence. Anthony Doerr beckons readers to rethink their opinions of Nazis. Are they capable of being humane? If not, what does that say about ourselves and our judgement of other people?

When Marie the blind French girl meets Werner for the first time, Doerr wants to show us how easy it was for Marie to become good friends and fall in love with the "enemy" since her sight was taken away. Without her sight she cannot see the Nazi uniform Werner wears and therefore can only judge him by what and how he says things.  

So why should you care about the book? Because it shows us all the light we cannot see, all the light we were taught to not be able to see, and all the light we simply refuse to see in not only Nazi soldiers, but others as well.