Hitler Youth

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. HITLER YOUTH. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction. ISBN 9780439353793

PLOT SUMMARY

The Holocaust and World War II has been studied extensively and many of us have read a variety of books on the subject. An area that is often overlooked is roles children and young adults played during the war by being in the Hitler Youth organizations. In this book, readers learn about a number of children, some of whom were involved in the Hitler Youth, others who fought to suppress the group’s efforts, and some that suffered as the result of the war.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book begins with short biographies and a picture of children who were involved in the Hitler Youth in one way or another. From there, the book follows individual stories, sometimes jumping back in time from one chapter to another. The accounts have background information and the reader has an overall understanding of the significance of these children and their actions.  The book has at least one black and white photograph per two page spread, in addition to a variety of map insets placed throughout the book. The author uses direct quotes to provide the emotional impact and maintains unbiased writing throughout the book. “One seventeen-year-old soldier described the impressive sight of blowing up a tank at night: ‘If you crack open a tank with a bazooka, it melts the metal. That glowing metal sprayed as high as a church steeple. It’s an unforgettable sight.'”

With a table of contents, biographies, timeline, and epilogue, this book is easy to navigate for quick reference.  Despite its length, the book is very inviting because of the layout and included photographs. It is certainly a book that needs to be made available to anyone interested in this time period.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review:  “Bartoletti's portrait of individuals within the Hitler Youth who failed to realize that they served ‘a mass murderer’ is convincing, and while it does not excuse the atrocities, it certainly will allow readers to comprehend the circumstances that led to the formation of Hitler's youngest zealots.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL 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

There are modern accounts of children being involved in war fare. A discussion about child soldiers may be a worthy endeavor. In addition, research can be done regarding this concept.

Other books about children involved in World War II and the Holocaust:

Rempel, Gerhard. HITER’S CHILDREN: THE HITLER YOUTH AND THE SS. ISBN 978-0807842997
Whitman, Sylvia. CHILDREN OF THE WORLD WAR II HOME FRONT. ISBN 978-1575054841
Zullo, Allan. ESCAPE: CHILDREN OF THE HOLOCAUST. ISBN 978-0545099295