Ordinary people who are often forced to make extraordinary choices

Eyal Press argues in Beautiful Souls that it is ordinary people who are often forced to make extraordinary choices. Press explains early on that the people he documents in his book are average, ordinary, everyday people who more than likely will be very similar to readers. He explains that most often, it is ordinary people in difficult situations who will be faced with the task of making moral choices. To illustrate this in the prologue, he presents the 12 lone German troops who refused to participate in the Jozefow massacre – troops who were average German citizens who found themselves in a situation they wanted no part of.

Press then moves into the core of his book to present a range of ordinary men and woman faced with extraordinary situations and important moral choices. First, Press recounts the efforts of local...