The book gives a good account on behavior of different personalities; soldiers, generals and politicians and how they behave in a given scenario of certain win or a setback. How they readjust and motivate people around them, inspire them to do more than they are capable of;

"If you don't succeed, I don't want to see you alive," he advised "I see no point in surviving defeat, and I am sure that if all of you enter in to battle with equal resolution, we shall conquer, and live long, and gain more glory."

(Page 36) - An Army at Dawn

Even as he narrates a compelling story of a heroic victory, Atkinson hasn't forgotten to mention the dark tragedies that haunt the survivors of every war. An Army at Dawn is history of the highest caliber -- brilliantly researched and surprising insights.

Atkinson's crystal clear analyses and narration of events occurred during war brings the American, British and Axis leadership into the limelight.

Lastly, Atkinson is found a little biased when giving due credit to the British contribution to this particular campaign, the notion "Junior Partner" may be correct for this day and age but during the WWII, the bravery of Brits cannot be denied.

Reader's View:

"Exhilarating" to say the least, the reader cannot ignore the plot and the characters with near to realistic portrayal of historic facts....

This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in History; with richness of characters, geographic details and a great detail to human behavior. It will be obvious to the reader that the character Patton stands out the most with his unrelenting will and hate for the enemy.
The most interesting aspect in this book were the used illustrations and maps, and the writing style, well its "out of the park" although in some sections of the book the narration for the occasional reader is complicated enough to read twice or thrice to understand the context completely.

The book gives a lesson; a lesson that with courage, perseverance and strategic thinking one can turn the advantage to his favor no matter what the odds are.

It is indeed one of the best written books on WWII history.

Conclusion:

An Army at Dawn can be described as extraordinary book in simply every respect. It combines unequaled analysis having a refined, stimulating, and convincing fashion. It is truly an essential maneuver for comprehension how the Allies gained glorious victory in World War II, and is considered as one of the handpicked books on military historical past to seem recently.

References

Atkinson, Rick (2007). An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One: First Edition

Review -- An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson