This is a book full of haunting images that far transcend the boundaries of family history. There are resistance fighters who turn into mass murderers, German troops who rescue innocent hostages slated for execution, entire communities who join the fight against the Communist resistance. There are also unexpected outbreaks of generosity and compassion. As distinguished Yale professor Stathis Kalyvas writes in the foreword, “Don’t be fooled by the small scale of The Ghosts of Plaka Beach, its modest ambition, and the author’s claim that he has not written a history book. This is a rigorous and thoroughly researched a history book as they come; it is also much more insightful than most.”

“Perrakis reveals nuances, grey zones, and uncomfortable truths: of resistance fighters turning into mass criminals; of collaborators driven by revenge rather than ideology; of ordinary people who far from being mere innocent and passive recipients of the surrounding violence are also inactive, if often myopic, agents of war’s violence; but also of unexpected small acts of great courage and compassion. Despite its personal focus and small scale, The Ghosts of Plaka Beach is one of the most insightful books about the Greek Civil War.” --Stathis N. Kalyvas, Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science, Yale University