In 1939, it was not a foregone conclusion that Mussolini would enter World War II on the side of Hitler. This recently discovered diary by Iris Origo (1902-88) provides a vivid account of how Italy's fascist dictator embarked on a course of action that would devastate his country. Though the British-born Origo lived with her Italian husband on a remote Tuscan estate, she was connected with diplomatic circles in Rome, and accordingly mixes the personal and political to give a sense of these dramatic events as they unfolded.

"One of the vital interests of the diary is watching the alert, perspicacious mind of a supremely intelligent person coming alive to the situation around her."—The New Yorker