Book Review: HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

 

Image source:

Books in Print (via TWU Databases). Accessed October 25, 2013. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|28299239|10686097&mc=USA#

 

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 9780439353793

          Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti is the gripping biographical collection of experiences by German youth raised under the Third Reich. Photographs accompany the text describing the process of indoctrination of both male and female children into the youth ranks of the Nazi Party from 1933 to 1945. Among numerous award nominations, it is also the winner of School Library Journal Best Books of the Year (2005), American Library Association Notable Books for Children (2006), and the Carolyn W. Field Award (Pennsylvania Library Association) (2006). It is a detailed example of social history provided in an informational format for readers.

            The close of the reading includes photograph notes of authentication, quote sources organized by chapter, a complete bibliography, acknowledgements, and an index. The content of the book is strong subject matter, and often the photos are disturbing. They do indeed complement the text, and are appropriately placed. Bartoletti appears to have made an attempt at a neutral approach in order to avoid stereotyping the German children as naturally wicked. The book provides facts and information regarding what took place, without placing blame or innocence upon the German children.

          The subject appears appropriate for older children, perhaps secondary level. Young children cannot comprehend issues that adults can scarcely process. It is recommended that this book be read thoroughly prior to sharing with children, in order to evaluate how and when it will be used. Some elements can be used when discussing topics of history and war with children at the appropriate level. The documentable dialogue is referenced in the quote sources, divided by chapter, at the close of the reading.

          Bartoletti includes an author’s note at the close of the reading. She indicates her desire to make sense of the devastation. Specifically, “…Hitler Youth weren’t born Nazis; they become Nazis” (Bartoletti 2005, 162). In his School Library Journal review, Andrew Medlar of Chicago Public Library states that, “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” (Books in Print 2005).

References:

Books in Print (via TWU Databases). Accessed October 25, 2013. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|28299239|10686097&mc=USA#

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow. New York: Scholastic Inc.