The story was captivating. The book depicts the events that took place during the reign of Hitler. Most books describe the conditions for Jewish families. However, this book takes you to other side describing what it was like to be a child growing up in Germany as being the chosen group. It is explained that Hitler was wise to understand that he could create his own army through the youth of the time. Most young Germans felt that it was a privilege to be a part of the Hitler Youth. Hitler’s youth would obey Hitler’s requirements more readily than their parents. It was intriguing to read that often children would report that their parents were not obeying Hitler’s rule. Parents no longer had control over their children, they were actually afraid of their children because if reported parents could be sent to concentration camp. Many young men were sent to the front lines during WWII. I believe that often we do not realize how abused even the children living in Germany were treated; they believed that Hitler was making Germany a better place. In reality he was destroying and dividing the country. Even after the war was over and Hitler had committed suicide many of the young men and women that had served him did not believe that he had really committed these terrible acts that were being described. They had a difficult time adjusting to life after they were required to adjust to normal life without a Nazi ran government. Teenagers were valued by Hitler and he took this opportunity to create a generation of confused young people because some young men and women were put to death because they did not agree with his views and were considered traitors. Reading historical books are my passion and I would recommend this book as a must read. It is a book that hits home that many of the German youth suffered at the hands of Hitler in a very different way than Jewish young people.
