[5][6] Source:[7] The Atlantic in the November 1946 issue describes the volume as "twelve masterful short stories...brief, compact, and poignant" concerning men and women overseas during World War II.

"[13] Biographer Michael Shnayerson offers this high praise for the collection's title piece: "'Act of Faith' remains one of Shaw's best stories, arguably the finest of those about the war.

"[14][15] Literary critic William Peden in Saturday Review notes that Shaw's finest short fiction is derived from his experiences as a warrant officer in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Giles describes the following exchange, in which the officer, captured by the Jew, identifies himself as merely a former automobile salesman, explaining that any atrocities were committed exclusively SS and Gestapo units, for which he is not responsible.

"[18] Giles adds this caveat: It is important to note the fact that Shaw recognizes that the Germans did not invent prejudice against his people and that he equally condemns anti-Semitism in the Russians, the British, and the Americans.