Book excerpt: Tuesday 8th May 1945, Victory in Europe Day: Germany surrenders unconditionally to Russia and the West, marking the end of Hitler's war. With this surrender comes the end of six years of suffering and austerity across the world – it is the dawn of a new era. The war-weary British people celebrate immediately, casting off their 'make do and mend' attitude. Ten Days in May offers a poignant picture of this time, drawing on first-hand interviews, diaries and memoirs from civilians, servicemen and women from around the world, the famous and the not-so-famous, showing how they truly felt, how they were affected by the war, and how they celebrated VE Day. Russell Miller weaves their stories into a moving narrative of the people's world of war. Filled with humour and tragedy, triumph and sadness, regrets of the past and hopes for the future, Ten Days in May is an inspiring record of one of the great turning points in history.