Is std::string a better idea than char* when you're going to have to pass it as a char*?

In the example you give, you can generally read a line into a std::string using the std::getline function: http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/string/getline.

Most std::string::c_str() implementations (if not all of them) simply return a pointer to an internal buffer. No overhead whatsoever.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.