Book Review:

 

 

Bibliography:

Bartoletti, S. C. (2019). HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW. Scholastic Nonfiction.

 

 

Plot Summary:

On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany, thanks largely to the efforts of the Hitler Youth, whose organized propaganda marches throughout Germany helped the Nazi Party grow in strength. By 1939, it is estimated that more than seven million boys and girls belonged to the Hitler Youth. This is the riveting and often chilling tale of a generation of young people who devoted their energy and passion to the Hitler Youth organization and left an indelible mark on world history. Susan Campbell Bartoletti infuses the work with the voices of both former Hitler Youth members and young people who resisted the powerful Nazi movement. These voices stand alongside those of Jewish youths and others who were senselessly and brutally targeted by the Third Reich. What emerges is the story of average children and teenagers faced with extraordinary and unenviable choices. The paths taken by the Hitler Youth and their struggle to come to terms with their actions at the end of World War II are sure to spark debate among young readers.

 

 

 

Critical Analysis:

After reading this book, it is obvious that Bartoletti has put in a lot of time and research for this book. Her research includes interviews with surviving Hitler Youth members, as well as photographs to illustrate the people, places, and events being discussed. There are many personal accounts, facts, and details to open the eyes to any reader as to what happened before, during, and after WWII with regards to the youth as well as the war in general. At the end of the book there is a timeline of events, author’s note, quote source, bibliography with indicators for books that would interest young readers, and an index. The style it is written in lays everything out quite plainly for readers to consume and better understand what happened. This book sheds light onto how the German people became involved in Hitler’s plans, specifically how the youth were the building block for the execution of his devious plans. My favorite books are ones that change my perceptions of the world in a significant way, and this book did just that.

 

 

Review Excerpts:

Newbery Honor Award

Sibert Honor Book Award

Kirkus Starred Review: "Nonfiction writing at its best. Essential for WWII collections as well as teaching units on conformity, peer pressure and resistance.”

School Library Journal Starred Review: "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."

 

 

Connections:

Use the book with older students, high school level, to consider cultural representation with guided reflection on what they see in their world and the experiences they notice in the text. Power, privilege, and bias can also be examined.

Other books to read to discover insight about children during the period of Hitler’s reign:

 

SURVIVING HITLER: A BOY IN THE NAZI DEATH CAMPS

by Andrea Warren

ISBN 0060007672


PROJEKT 1065: A NOVEL OF WORLD WAR II

by Alan Gratz

ISBN 0545880165 

 

 

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