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Module 4 Non-fiction: HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW - Written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

 


Module 4 – Book Review 1 

Review of Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW 

*This review was written for a course through Sam Houston State University. 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Susan Campbell Bartoletti. (2005). HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW. Scholastic. ISBN: 9781338309843 

 2. PLOT SUMMARY 

"Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Candance Fleming is a non-fiction book which tells the experiences of young people who were members of Hitler’s Youth, those who opposed and resisted the Nazi regime, and as well as innocent victims. The struggles and choices made by these young people are layed out for the reader and each portion does truly show the human condition of what it means to want to belong, but also pointing those out who chose to adhere to their morality and choice of following what they knew was right, even in dangerous times. 
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS  

"Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" is reviewed by critics and sources that are reputable and respected in the literary community. The author has a good reputation for writing accurate and interesting historical non-fiction for young adult readers. The book is full of individual narratives from all different walks and perspectives of that time in history. The layout and sequence is clear with ten chapters. At the end, the author provides a timeline that makes it easy for the reader to follow and understand the personal narratives in a better capacity. There is also a section to discuss the photographs used in the books, a section of quote sources, a bibliography and finally a complete index with an additional indicator of bold numbers to reference the pictures throughout the book. 
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) 

Booklist starred (April 15, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 16))  

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. The handsome book design, with black-and-white historical photos on every double-page spread, will draw in readers and help spark deep discussion, which will extend beyond the Holocaust curriculum.  

Horn Book Magazine (May/June, 2005)  

While many books for the young have chronicled the experiences of Hitler's victims, far fewer have looked at the impact of Nazi ideology on those who subscribed to it.  Appended material includes capsule information about what happened to each of the young people featured in the book (several of whom were interviewed by the author), first-rate source notes, a thorough bibliography and reading list, and an index.  

Kirkus Reviews starred (April 1, 2005)  

Formed in 1926, the Hitler Youth involved seven million boys and girls by 1939 and was instrumental in Hitler's rise to power. Case studies of actual participants root the work in specifics, and clear prose, thorough documentation and an attractive format with well-chosen archival photographs make this nonfiction writing at its best. Essential for WWII collections as well as teaching units on conformity, peer pressure and resistance. Superb. 

Library Media Connection (October 2005)  

Bartoletti highlights an often-overlooked aspect of the Nazi rise to power, stranglehold on Germany and Europe, and last ditch defense effort-the Hitler Youth. The B&W photographs offer chilling depictions of German youth and the lengths to which their fanaticism took them. Included are a chronology of the Hitler Youth, an author's explanatory note, bibliography, and an index. The book is an excellent starting point for class discussions of "What would you have done?" 

School Library Journal (June 1, 2005)  

Hitler's plans for the future of Germany relied significantly on its young people, and this excellent history shows how he attempted to carry out his mission with the establishment of the Hitler Youth, or Hitlerjugend, in 1926. With a focus on the years between 1933 and the end of the war in 1945, Bartoletti explains the roles that millions of boys and girls unwittingly played in the horrors of the Third Reich. 

5. CONNECTIONS  

  • Related Books - Other non-fiction books for students to better understand the struggles and experiences of children and teens during Nazi regime in Germany. 

  • Hoose, Phillip. THE BOYS WHO CHALLENGED HITLER: KNUD PEDERSEN AND THE CHURCHILL CLUB. ISBN 0374300224 

  • Freedman, Russell. WE WILL NOT BE SILENT: THE WHITE ROSE STUDENT RESISTANCE MOVEMENT THAT DEFIED ADOLF HITLER. ISBN 978-0544223790 

  • Enrichment Activities - 

  • Analyze Propaganda – Have students learn about Nazi propaganda posters, speeches, or radio broadcasts and discuss how they influenced youth. 

  • Discuss and Compare to Modern Youth Movements: Have students research and compare youth organizations over time.

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