Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow

Author/Illustrator: Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Plot Summary: As explicitly stated in the beginning of the book, this book is not about Nazis. It is a detailed account of a variety of young people and their experiences in Hitler's Youth movement. Each person's experience is depicted with detailed descriptions, personal narrative and relevant black and white photographs. The book is not only about the details of what the children did but much of it revolves around their thought processes and how they made the decisions they made. It also follows them in to adulthood to understand how they reflected back on their roles in promoting, or protesting, Hitler's regime.

Comments: As a Jewish person, one cannot read enough books about Hitler but this one was particularly interesting especially as a tool for teaching young people. Growing up, I saw every Holocaust movie every made as that was how we were taught about the Holocaust in Hebrew school. I remember spending one year of Hebrew school studying only the Holocaust. Now, however, it is something that is taught in public school to all children. This book is a great way to introduce the topic in a way that will help young people connect with history. The end of the book provides an Epilogue, Timeline, Author's Note, About the Photographs, Quote Sources and Bibliography.

Extensions:
1. Bert Lewyn, one of the Jewish teenagers described in the book, lives in Atlanta. He wrote a book with his daughter-in-law entitled, "Holocaust Memoirs: On the Run in Nazi Berlin." I don't know if he does a lot of public speaking but I happen to know his son and daughter-in-law and I would consider asking him to speak to a group of students. The students would be prepared with questions, etc.

2. The themes in the book are particularly poignant for middle and high school students and include peer pressure, thinking for yourself, rebellion against parents, forming one's own identity and opinions.

3. At the high school level, this book and the ideas and information it contains could be the foundation or supplement to a research project and/or debate. In a debate, students would be given an identity and would have to support the views of that identity. In a reserach project, students would explore one aspect of the Hitler Youth movement.

Themes/keywords: Hitler Jugend, Hitler Youth, National Socialism and Youth, Jewish youth, Youth - Germany-History, 20th Century, Holocaust, Jewish children in the Holocaust,


Age/Reading Level: Interest Level: 5th through 8th grade or higher; ATOS 7.8/Follett: 7.2; Lexile: 1050

Standards:
ELA6R1 - The student demonstrates compreshension and shows evidence of a warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts.
d. Applies knowledge of the concept that theme refers to the message about life and the world that the author wants us to understand whether implied or stated.
ELA7R1 - The student demonstrates compreshension and shows evidence of a warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts.
d. Applies knowledge of the concept that theme refers to the message about life and the world that the author wants us to understand whether implied or stated.

SSWH18 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the global political, economic, and social impact of World War II.
a. Describe the major conflicts and outcomes; include Pearl Harbor, El-Alamein, Stalingrad, D-Day, Guadalcanal, the Philippines, and the end of the war in Europe and Asia.
b. Identify Nazi ideology, policies, and consequences that led to the Holocaust.
c. Explain the military and diplomatic negotiations between the leaders of Great Britain (Churchill), the Soviet Union (Stalin), and the United States (Roosevelt/Truman) from Teheran to Yalta and Potsdam and the impact on the nations of Eastern Europe.
d. Explain allied Post-World War II policies; include formation of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan for Europe, and MacArthur’s plan for Japan.

Publisher's Info: Scholastic, New York. 2005

ISBN-13: 978-0-439-35379-3
ISBN-10: 0-439-35379-3

Awards/Review Sources:

Wilson's Senior High School 10/01/07	Wilson's Junior High School 11/01/05
Newbery Medal/Honor 01/23/06	School Library Journal starred 06/01/05
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/06	Book Links (A.L.A.) 09/01/06
Booklist starred 04/15/05 BCCB Blue Ribbon Book; SLJ Best Book; NCTE Orbis Pictus Award/Honor Book; VOYA Award/Honor; ALA Best Book for Young Adults; Robert F. Sibert Nonfiction Award/Honor Book	Horn Book starred 05/01/05

Genre/Dewey: 943.086; Non-fiction

Websites:
Bert Lewyn's book: http://www.amazon.com/Holocaust-Memoirs-Run-Nazi-Berlin/dp/0738865540

Notes for Booktalk:

Vocabulary: