Hitler Youth

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW. New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 9780439353793.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
This book shares chronologically the responsibility Hitler Youth had in the Nazi party through the eyes of twelve individuals.  Herbert Norkus, a Hitler Youth, was executed by being stabbed to death by a Communist rebel.  His brutal death as the youngest to be murdered led him to be a martyr, and his blood was on the Blood Banners.  Hitler wanted to increase nationalism in any way that he could.  As Hitler rose to power, he encouraged a program called the Hitler Youth.  It promised adventures and camping.  Millions of boys joined because it was very popular to be in the club.  It was also a way to check into the boys and girls lineage to prove their Aryan descent.  Boys played war games; while girls learned to be nurses, mothers, and wives (who did not smoke, drink, or wear make-up). Meanwhile, these children were also being taught Nazi propaganda and were able to aid in the firing of their teachers if they were not following the indoctrination.  Books that did not agree with the new teachings were burned.  Jewish people were the target of unacceptable horrors at Kristallnacht, which Hitler blamed on the fact that a Nazi officer was attacked and harmed even though Kristallnacht was planned well before this attack.  Hitler did deliver on the creation of jobs and the feeding of the people however.  Hitler Youth were required to serve in the military, farm, build roads (including the Autobahn), and later dig trenches for a year after graduating from high school.  Parents were turned into the Gestapo by their own children for saying anything against the Nazi party.  The children idolized and had a role model in their Hitler Youth leader.  When Berlin got bombed, children were evacuated and not allowed to see their parents for their own protection.  These same children got bombarded by Nazi propaganda and later enlisted in the Nazi party.  Hitler tricked many saying Poland attacked first.  On D-Day, many of the fighters were just teenagers or in their early twenties.  Hitler was reliant on the Hitler Youth to fight, and they were good soldiers since they were raised to know war strategies.  After one parent’s request to end their child’s suffering painlessly, Hitler started euthanizing those with mental or physical disabilities.  This gave him exposure to become the mass murderer that he was by switching to the gas chambers to be more efficient.  The horrors of the concentration camps were something that the Hitler Youth did not want to believe, even after viewing the truth of them after the Allies won the war.  Resistance parties of Hitler grew; however, the risk of being in them did too.  They were known as the White Rose, and those who were found out to be members were beheaded.  Many children had to join the Nazi party or face execution, especially near the end of the Nazi regime.     

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Bartoletti’s book on Hitler Youth is a captivating Social History!  The accuracy and attention to details is phenomenal in this book.  The author has a large section for the bibliography to substantiate her knowledge in this area.  The photographs all have captions and identify where she got them from and what is going on.  The author clearly states her point of view on how the youth of Germany got swept away in a horrendous journey through the portrayal and teachings that they received in the Hitler Youth.  She sticks to facts to illustrate the atrocities that these young boys and girls end up committing due to their manipulation by a treacherous leader.  The photographs really add a lot to the book to show the tragedy through the eyes of those children.  The organization is chronological.  This helps us see the horrors unfold gradually just like it was then.  The chapters divide the book into clear sections.  However, the most interesting text feature, or reference aid, are the captions.  These are very gripping photos, so they really help engage the reader more.  The design was very cleverly done, so students will flock to the book.  While it is a thick text, it has many pictures to help make it not look so intimidating.  The black and white photographs have a dark, stirring feel to them too, which is appropriate for the content of the book.  The author has a clear voice.  You have a desire to know what happens to each individual in the story.  It also warrants further research on the topic and the individuals, many of whom have their own stories that they wrote for further investigation.  This book was very enlightening of the propaganda that warranted so many children to join such a heinous organization.

 
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Newberry Honor Book

The Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
Starred Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:  “The book is structured around 12 young individuals and their experiences, which clearly demonstrate how they were victims of leaders who took advantage of their innocence and enthusiasm for evil means. Their stories evolve from patriotic devotion to Hitler and zeal to join, to doubt, confusion, and disillusion. (An epilogue adds a powerful what-became-of-them relevance.) The large period photographs are a primary component and they include Nazi propaganda showing happy and healthy teens as well as the reality of concentration camps and young people with large guns. The final chapter superbly summarizes the weighty significance of this part of the 20th century and challenges young readers to prevent history from repeating itself. 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.”

Starred Review in BOOKLIST:  “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. Most of the accounts and photos bring close the experiences of those who followed Hitler and fought for the Nazis, revealing why they joined, how Hitler used them, what it was like. Henry Mentelmann, for example, talks about Kristallnacht, when Hitler Youth and Storm Troopers wrecked Jewish homes and stores, and remembers thinking that the victims deserved what they got. The stirring photos tell more of the story. One particularly moving picture shows young Germans undergoing de-Nazification by watching images of people in the camps. 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. The extensive back matter is a part of the gripping narrative.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*It would be great to use in conjunction with teaching about the holocaust.

Other books about the holocaust:

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell.  THE BOY WHO DARED.  ISBN 0439680134.

Heck, Anna.  A CHILD OF HITLER: GERMANY IN THE DAYS WHEN GOD WORE A SWASTIKA.  ISBN 0939650444.

Levine, Ellen.  DARKNESS OVER DENMARK: THE DANISH RESISTANCE AND THE RESCUE OF THE JEWS.  ISBN 0439296298.

Zullo, Allan, & Bovsun, Mara.  SURVIVORS: TRUE STORIES OF CHILDREN IN THE HOLOCAUST.  ISBN 0439669962.