Hitler Youth: Growing Up In Hitler's Shadow

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

Adolf Hitler harnessed the power he saw in children and young adults for his advantage during his reign in Germany. In Hitler Youth, the stories of young people that fell under the spell of the well-spoken and dynamic, yet ruthless leader are told and examined. At first a voluntary organization, the Hitler Youth program grew into a political and war machine. As Hitler grew in power, the Hitler Youth did as well, teaching children the tenants of the Nazi beliefs, heralding intense nationalism, instilling a sense of narcissism about their race and building foundation of military knowledge. All this education began at the tender age of 7, so early that did not allow children to fully understand what they were participating in or to refuse. Children were brought through the program as they grew and once the war was under way, some of them even served in combat. Some children rejected their parents’ ideals for a peaceful Germany and followed their new leader with fervor. There were even some children who turned in their parents and loved ones for speaking ill of the Nazi regime, leading to their arrest (and possible death). Not every young person followed blindly, however; in the case of the Scholl siblings, some young adults fought against the things they believed to be wrong. The book follows the story of the growth and demise of Nazi Germany in chronological order.

Much is written about World War II Germany and the Holocaust, but the fact that this book looks at the war from the point of view of children is a marked difference. A student that is 12 who reads this book can identify with the pictures and stories of the people that are including in the work, as 12 year old boys and girls were active participants in Hitler-era Germany. It allows a child that reading the work to recognize their own self within the subjects in the book. Hazel Rochman speaks of this in Booklist stating, “What was it like to be a teenager in Germany under Hitler? 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.” Often, children and young adults feel as if their voice is not being heard, but the stories of how children of all ages spoke up against injustice can reinforce the idea that young people can make a remarkable difference. School Library Journal’s Andrew Medler relates that “[t]he 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… 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.” Being written from the perspective of a child in this time will surely draw readers that would otherwise be disinterested in the topic.

Vocabulary within the book lends itself nicely to a wide variety of age groups. Pictures, although black and white, are stark reminders of the time period. Each photo is clearly and succulently captioned, and every photo is in support of the information included in that particular section of the work. Most importantly, Bartoletti makes certain that the reader knows where her information was gathered. A lengthy bibliography, which includes notations for source that may be of interest to young readers, is broken up into categories. Quotes used in the book are also cited. A timeline specific to the growth and function of the Hitler Youth and index is also included. All of these items will relate that the author did her best to ensure the information she was presenting was accurate.

Book jacket found on: http://www.isbnlib.com/list/shadow?page=24