Hitler Youth

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bartoletti, Susan C. 2005. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW.
New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN: 0-439-35379-3.

2.SUMMARY
Susan Bartoletti’s book about children growing up during Hitler’s rise to power should not be missed. The book describes how Hitler gained the loyalty of so many children, and how he used that loyalty to further Nazi goals. Each specific youth program (BDM, HJ etc) is explored, some in more detail than others. Readers will learn the criteria for entry into a Hitlerjugend group, what a Hitler Youth would expect to wear, do, think and say. Readers will also learn how eventually it was mandatory for all Aryan German children to belong to the Hitler Youth. The war and the Holocaust are not glossed over but also are not the focus of the book which mentions famous WWII events only in relation to how they affected Hitler Youth. Both sides are displayed—children who willingly and excitedly joined the Hitler Youth and supported Nazi ideals and children who did not identify as Nazi.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This chilling and fascinating work of non-fiction sometimes reads like nail-biting fiction. The story of Hitler’s rise to power has never been told from this perspective-through the first hand accounts of children who were young enough to become Hitler Youth and grow up with the guiding hand of a mass murderer who was also a master manipulator of young minds. The author wisely focuses on a few children who can represent a large swatch of the German population.

The story is told chronologically, and the reader is invited to understand the appeal of the Hitler Youth from the words of former members. Drawing on diaries, letters and interviews, the reader experiences the movement as those in it recount. The period photographs of both happy Nazi children and the depression of war illustrate this book perfectly. The table of contents, clear chapter organization and index also make for easier reading. The amazing primary sources are referenced in the bibliography. This Siebert Award nominated book is a must have in any library.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Robert F. Siebert Honor Book
*Newberry Honor Book
*American Library Association Notable Books for Children
*School Library Journal Best Books of the Year (2006)
Horn Book Guide-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.
School Library Journal-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.

5. CONNECTIONS
Any discussion about courage, fear, and tyranny can be launched from this book.
Senesh, Hannah. HANNAH SENESH: HER LIFE AND DIARY. ISBN 1580233422
Frank, Anne. THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL. ISBN 0553296981