Rich in humour and culture, passion and love for the cause of God and of man, Milestones is the autobiography of the early life of  Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. It tells the fascinating and inspiring story of his family life, including his years under Nazi oppression in Germany and World war II, and his being forced as a teenager to join Hitler Youth and the German army, from which he fled at the risk of his own life. Ratzinger recounts his ordination to the priesthood, the early days as a parish priest, his role as an expert at the Second Vatican Council, teaching as a university professor and theologian, and his appointment as Archibishop of Munich-Freising in Germany.