Un-Forgettable Friday: Hitler Youth, Growing Up In Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. by Kyle Rush www.flickr.com

*Nonfiction historical young adult book
*Features members of Hitler Youth and their stories
*Rating: Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow is at times gut-wrenching and sad, but Bartoletti does a great job of showing teens (the intended audience) what it was like to be a teenager in Germany during this time. This is a Newberry honor book.

Short, short summary: The author begins the book with several “biographies” of teenagers whom the reader will meet in the book. She goes through the story of the Hitler Youth from when the group first began in the 1930s and on until after the war. Some of the teens she profiles fought for Hitler in World War II. Many of the teens realized, once they were in the Hitler Youth, what was actually going on and worked to defy Hitler behind the scenes. This book focuses on the Hitler Youth; but to tell their story, the author must also tell of the horrible acts and policies of the Nazis during this time, including mass killings of physically and mentally disabled individuals and the elderly as well as human beings in the concentration camps. It is an important book to read, but one that may be upsetting to many teenagers. I would definitely read this book with them in any class or at home in spite of difficult scenes, but just be prepared to discuss these scenes with them. I listened to this book on CD, and there were many times I had to “take a break” because Bartoletti writes with such emotion that I couldn’t listen to the horrors any more. Then after I got myself back together, I wanted to turn it back on and listen to the story of the Hitler Youth.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Obviously, this is a good book to read while studying World War II. Students can learn about conditions in Germany before the war as well as some of the events of World War II, including when the United States got involved. The book does mention various battles and Hitler’s strategies, including how he defied the Treaty of Versailles. When reading nonfiction books with teenagers that go with your curriculum, ask students to make a list of facts in a notebook while reading. You can ask for one to five facts a chapter. Then give the student a partner to share facts with. Most likely, partners will have different facts, and they can make a list of facts, combining their facts together. You can also teach students how to find main, important facts when reading as opposed to trivial facts.

2. Writing summaries would be a good skill to practice while reading Hitler Youth. When students finish a section or a chapter, ask them to write a summary of that book part, making sure to include the main important facts but not too many details. This way they are reviewing the information and practicing writing.

3. A creative writing activity you could do with this book is ask students to write a letter or a diary entry as if they were part of the Hitler Youth or as a teenager who does not want to join the Hitler Youth. Make sure to tell students or your teenager to include facts they learned from the book in their creative pieces. They are basically writing historical fiction.

Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti is a powerful book. You will have many class discussions, and students may wonder how so many teenagers got caught up in this organization. It is the same thing many people wonder about ordinary German adults during Hitler’s reign. By studying World War II, we should strive to understand how this can happen, so it doesn’t happen again, instead of blaming other people for the horrors. Blaming does nothing.