The secret history of the Blitz: how we behaved during our darkest days and created modern Britain

2015 is the 75th anniversary of the the Blitz of 1940-41.

It is one of the most iconic periods in modern British history - and one of the most misunderstood.

The 'Blitz spirit' is celebrated by some, whereas others dismiss it as a myth.

Joshua Levine's biography rejects the tired arguments and reveals the human truth: the Blitz was a time of extremes of experience and behaviour.

People were pulling together and helping strangers, but they were also breaking rules and exploiting each other.

Life during wartime, the author reveals, was complex and messy and real.