Sunday, October 02, 2005

Hitler Youth: Growing Up In Hitler's Shadow

Hitler Youth: Growing Up In Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.

SCB traces the history of the Hitler Youth from its start in the mid 1920s, to the 1930s and 1940s when membership became mandatory. She explains why it was attractive -- why it was something teens wanted to be a part of. And she shows how it was used to indoctrinate.

HY is full of pictures, and full of stories about teenagers: those who joined and believed, who believed and then became disullisioned, who believed and were betrayed. Included are the teens who joined voluntarily, like Herbert Norkus; the "Swing Kids" (yes, that movie is based in fact, teens were prosecuted for the music they listened to); and the Scholl siblings, Hans and Sophie, of the White Rose. Solomon Perel's true story, of a Jewish teenager who survived by "passing" as Aryan and joining the Hitler Youth, is included (Perel's story is recounted in Europa Europa).

How and why did Hitler come to power? In looking back, it is easy to wonder why. HY helps explain.

HY is full of illustrations, photographs, and propaganda, all which help to bring alive the times and the people. It also lets you know what happened next to the people mentioned and provides a detailed bibliography.

2 comments:

Kelly said...

Thanks for this great info, Liz.
Lots of great titles relating to something that has obsessed me my entire life.

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