Book Review: HITLER YOUTH
*Note: this blog was created for a class at TWU
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.
2. PLOT SUMMARY:
Through research, eyewitness interviews, anecdotal accounts, and photographs, Susan Campbell Bartoletti reveals the story of the young people who lived through Nazi rule, whether as Hitler Youth, Resistance Swing Youth, soldiers, or prisoners.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
In the Author's Note at the end of HITLER YOUTH, Susan Campbell Bartoletti explains the impetus for the book. After reading an article about how the Nazis "rode to power on the shoulders of politically active youth," her heart turned over and she wondered about these young people. Were they willing participants, brainwashed victims, or something in-between?
These questions led her on a journey to Washington, DC, Berlin, and Nuremburg. Bartoletti's research, interviewing, and reflecting took two years, and in the end, she wrote a book which she says is her "attempt to make sense out of the fact that adults taught young people to hate, to kill, and to feel superior over others. After all, the Hitler Youth weren't born Nazis; they became Nazis." As she says, the stories in HITLER YOUTH are complicated and they include the stories of "Aryans and Jews, devoted Nazis and Nazi resisters, leaders and followers, oppressors and victims."
HITLER YOUTH isn't easy to read, but the stories in it are told so honestly, and so openly that they really do make your heart turn over. Like Russell Freedman in his biography of Marian Anderson, Bartoletti doesn't start with a chronological history of Nazi Youth organizations, but with a snapshot of one incident, the murder of Hitler Youth Herbert Norkus at the hands of the Reds, a gang of Communist boys. Anyone who has ever run from bullies instantly knows how Herbert must have felt when running from the Reds. By personalizing the story of German youths, the author allows the reader to feel empathy for them. This empathy is necessary later, when the hate-filled acts condoned and even perpetrated by these youth are described. Yes, many were brainwashed and others were terribly afraid, but many were also swept up by the nationalism and charisma of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Yet it wasn't all hate, either. Bartoletti depicts the fun and adventure that many enjoyed at the youth camps, showing smiling campers, boys with accordions, and girls dancing. She also describes the combat conditions the young soldiers and medics endured. And finally, the author describes life after the war, including the deNazification process and punishment many of the youth went through.
Reading the accounts is emotionally wrenching, and would not be complete without also reading the Epilogue, in which we learn what became of the young people featured in HITLER YOUTH. Like their stories, their fates were diverse, some wrote books about their experiences, others have difficulty talking about them, some bear guilt over telling on parents and family members even as adults, and still others did not survive the war, leaving only their stories behind.
HITLER YOUTH was a Newbery, Orbis Pictus, and Sibert Honor book, and the 2005 Parents' Gold Choice Award winner. This book is a must read for everyone, because it is a lesson in forgiveness and a reminder to be constantly vigilant against the insidious ways in which hate can creep into our lives.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
School Library Journal (starred review): "The final chapter superbly summarizes the weighty significance of this part of the 20th century and challenges young readers to prevent history from repeating itself. Bartoletti lets many of the subjects' words, emotions, and deeds speak for themselves, bringing them together clearly to tell this story unlike anyone else has."
Booklist (starred review): "What was it like to be a teenager in Germany under Hitler? Bartoletti draws on oral histories, diaries, letters, and her own extensive interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to tell the history from the viewpoints of people who were there."
5. CONNECTIONS
* HITLER YOUTH has many social studies curriculum connections. At our middle school, students complete an interdisciplinary study of Holocaust in 8th grade social studies and read THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK in language arts class. This book would be a great addition to the reading list for the Holocaust unit along with novels such as THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak, DANIEL HALF-HUMAN by David Chotjewitz, MILKWEED by Jerry Spinelli, NUMBER THE STARS by Lois Lowry, and SOLDIER X by Don Wulffson, and would be an option for readers who prefer nonfiction to fiction.
*Note: this blog was created for a class at TWU
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.
2. PLOT SUMMARY:
Through research, eyewitness interviews, anecdotal accounts, and photographs, Susan Campbell Bartoletti reveals the story of the young people who lived through Nazi rule, whether as Hitler Youth, Resistance Swing Youth, soldiers, or prisoners.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
In the Author's Note at the end of HITLER YOUTH, Susan Campbell Bartoletti explains the impetus for the book. After reading an article about how the Nazis "rode to power on the shoulders of politically active youth," her heart turned over and she wondered about these young people. Were they willing participants, brainwashed victims, or something in-between?
These questions led her on a journey to Washington, DC, Berlin, and Nuremburg. Bartoletti's research, interviewing, and reflecting took two years, and in the end, she wrote a book which she says is her "attempt to make sense out of the fact that adults taught young people to hate, to kill, and to feel superior over others. After all, the Hitler Youth weren't born Nazis; they became Nazis." As she says, the stories in HITLER YOUTH are complicated and they include the stories of "Aryans and Jews, devoted Nazis and Nazi resisters, leaders and followers, oppressors and victims."
HITLER YOUTH isn't easy to read, but the stories in it are told so honestly, and so openly that they really do make your heart turn over. Like Russell Freedman in his biography of Marian Anderson, Bartoletti doesn't start with a chronological history of Nazi Youth organizations, but with a snapshot of one incident, the murder of Hitler Youth Herbert Norkus at the hands of the Reds, a gang of Communist boys. Anyone who has ever run from bullies instantly knows how Herbert must have felt when running from the Reds. By personalizing the story of German youths, the author allows the reader to feel empathy for them. This empathy is necessary later, when the hate-filled acts condoned and even perpetrated by these youth are described. Yes, many were brainwashed and others were terribly afraid, but many were also swept up by the nationalism and charisma of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Yet it wasn't all hate, either. Bartoletti depicts the fun and adventure that many enjoyed at the youth camps, showing smiling campers, boys with accordions, and girls dancing. She also describes the combat conditions the young soldiers and medics endured. And finally, the author describes life after the war, including the deNazification process and punishment many of the youth went through.
Reading the accounts is emotionally wrenching, and would not be complete without also reading the Epilogue, in which we learn what became of the young people featured in HITLER YOUTH. Like their stories, their fates were diverse, some wrote books about their experiences, others have difficulty talking about them, some bear guilt over telling on parents and family members even as adults, and still others did not survive the war, leaving only their stories behind.
HITLER YOUTH was a Newbery, Orbis Pictus, and Sibert Honor book, and the 2005 Parents' Gold Choice Award winner. This book is a must read for everyone, because it is a lesson in forgiveness and a reminder to be constantly vigilant against the insidious ways in which hate can creep into our lives.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
School Library Journal (starred review): "The final chapter superbly summarizes the weighty significance of this part of the 20th century and challenges young readers to prevent history from repeating itself. Bartoletti lets many of the subjects' words, emotions, and deeds speak for themselves, bringing them together clearly to tell this story unlike anyone else has."
Booklist (starred review): "What was it like to be a teenager in Germany under Hitler? Bartoletti draws on oral histories, diaries, letters, and her own extensive interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to tell the history from the viewpoints of people who were there."
5. CONNECTIONS
* HITLER YOUTH has many social studies curriculum connections. At our middle school, students complete an interdisciplinary study of Holocaust in 8th grade social studies and read THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK in language arts class. This book would be a great addition to the reading list for the Holocaust unit along with novels such as THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak, DANIEL HALF-HUMAN by David Chotjewitz, MILKWEED by Jerry Spinelli, NUMBER THE STARS by Lois Lowry, and SOLDIER X by Don Wulffson, and would be an option for readers who prefer nonfiction to fiction.
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