Hitler youth: Growing up in Hitler’s shadow

Bibliography

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. Hitler youth: Growing up in Hitler’s shadow. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439353793

Plot Summary

During the Third Reich, the Nazi regime in Germany, Hitler harnessed the power of youth by establishing the Hitler Youth. What began as a youth group that attracted children and teens interested in camping and sports became an efficient tool for indoctrinating youth with Nazi ideals and for training future soldiers. This story of the Third Reich is told from the perspective of Hitler Youth, young resistance fighters, and young Jews.

Critical Analysis

With first-person accounts and photographs, Bartoletti paints a disturbing picture of youth in Nazi Germany. The words of former Hitler Youth members tell the story of an organization that held the same appeal that Boy or Girl Scouts hold for youth in America. As the book progresses through the years of the Third Reich, Bartoletti shares the words of the youths who resisted Nazi propaganda and the words of the youths who were willing to sacrifice everything for Hitler. In the end, there are the stories of the youths who had to deal with the knowledge that they played a part in the murders of millions of people.

The experiences of twelve youths in particular are featured throughout this social history. These twelve youths are introduced with pictures and brief biographical sketches, which help the reader remember who is who. An epilogue tells the reader what happened to these youths after the war. A timeline in the back of the book helps to keep the timeline of events straight as the chronology of the chapters overlap. Additional access features include an index, a sequential list of quotes and their sources, and a bibliography that highlights sources of special interest to young readers.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: “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... 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.”

Publishers Weekly: “Powerful black-and-white photographs testify to the lure and also the cruelty of the Nazis. 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.”

Connections

Historical Fiction about Nazi death camps:

The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen.