Bibliography
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction. ISBN: 9780439353793
Plot Summary
HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW is an informational book about what it was like to be a teenager during the reign of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Included are the accounts of those who were proud members of the Hitler Youth as well as those who opposed the Nazi Party.
Critical Analysis
Bartoletti uses multiple resources such as diaries and letters, as well as personal interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to write this social history from the viewpoints of young individuals who lived in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. The book begins with a two page spread about 12 young Germans that includes a brief bio and photo of each person. The foreword on the next page lets the reader know the book is not about Adolf Hitler, but rather the "children and teenagers who followed Hitler and the Nazi Party." The introduction precedes 10 chapters that are followed by an epilogue, time line of the Hitler Youth, author's note, photograph information, quote sources, a bibliography, acknowledgments, and an index. The page numbers for all of these sections are listed in the table of contents located in the front of the book. This book was very well researched by Bartoletti, and it shows through all of the documentation listed in the back of the book. Every quote used in the book is listed in the quote sources section along with the page number and corresponding bibliography entry listed in parenthesis. In her note to the readers she describes what prompted her to want to write this book and gives details on how she obtained the information she needed to write it. All of the photographs shown throughout the book have a description and a photo credit. Bartoletti also gives further details about the photographs in a special section titled "About the Photographs." Her bibliography includes over 100 sources that are grouped into different sections with subject headers.
The book itself is rather large similar to a coffee table book which makes you want to pick it up and flip through it. The pages are creme colored with an easy to read black colored text. I believe young adults will find the book inviting, because it has photographs on almost every page that complement the stories. Since the photographs are so interesting, I believe they will make anyone who sees them want to read the text to find out more about them. With her extensive research, Bartoletti managed to write a fascinating book about a sensitive subject from a perspective young adults can relate to. The different points of view in this book will make the reader experience a variety of emotions.
Critical Analysis
Bartoletti uses multiple resources such as diaries and letters, as well as personal interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to write this social history from the viewpoints of young individuals who lived in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. The book begins with a two page spread about 12 young Germans that includes a brief bio and photo of each person. The foreword on the next page lets the reader know the book is not about Adolf Hitler, but rather the "children and teenagers who followed Hitler and the Nazi Party." The introduction precedes 10 chapters that are followed by an epilogue, time line of the Hitler Youth, author's note, photograph information, quote sources, a bibliography, acknowledgments, and an index. The page numbers for all of these sections are listed in the table of contents located in the front of the book. This book was very well researched by Bartoletti, and it shows through all of the documentation listed in the back of the book. Every quote used in the book is listed in the quote sources section along with the page number and corresponding bibliography entry listed in parenthesis. In her note to the readers she describes what prompted her to want to write this book and gives details on how she obtained the information she needed to write it. All of the photographs shown throughout the book have a description and a photo credit. Bartoletti also gives further details about the photographs in a special section titled "About the Photographs." Her bibliography includes over 100 sources that are grouped into different sections with subject headers.
The book itself is rather large similar to a coffee table book which makes you want to pick it up and flip through it. The pages are creme colored with an easy to read black colored text. I believe young adults will find the book inviting, because it has photographs on almost every page that complement the stories. Since the photographs are so interesting, I believe they will make anyone who sees them want to read the text to find out more about them. With her extensive research, Bartoletti managed to write a fascinating book about a sensitive subject from a perspective young adults can relate to. The different points of view in this book will make the reader experience a variety of emotions.
Review Excerpt(s)
2006 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Nominee
2006 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Nominee
2006 Newbery Medal Nominee
2006 American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award Winner
2005 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award Winner
Starred review in BOOKLIST: "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. 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."
Starred review in KIRKUS: "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….Superb."
Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Bartoletti (Kids on Strike!) offers a unique and riveting perspective on WWII by focusing on the young people who followed Hitler from 1933-1945….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."
Starred review in 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."
Connections
Starred review in KIRKUS: "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….Superb."
Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Bartoletti (Kids on Strike!) offers a unique and riveting perspective on WWII by focusing on the young people who followed Hitler from 1933-1945….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."
Starred review in 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."
Connections
- This book could prompt students to want to learn more about World War II and the Holocaust.
- Students could use this book as a reference for assignments related to World War II and the Holocaust.
- This book could prompt a discussion about morality.
Other books by Susan Campbell Bartoletti:
- Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2001. BLACK POTATOES: THE STORY OF THE GREAT IRISH FAMINE, 1845-1850. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780618002719
- Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 1999. KIDS ON STRIKE! Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780395888926
- Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2010. THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE K.K.K.: THE BIRTH OF AN AMERICAN TERRORIST GROUP. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780618440337
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