Greene, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier. NY: Bantam Books, 1973.
ISBN: 0-553-27247-0; $3.50 US; Paperback.
AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS
ALA Notable Book of the Year
New York Times Book Review: "An exceptionally fine novel!"
Publishers Weekly: "Courageous and compelling!"
ANNOTATION:
Patty Bergen defies her family and the town of Jenkinsville, Arkansas, when she refuses to give in to hate by helping a German prisoner escape.
BOOKTALK:
This isn't one of those happily ever after stories where the brave stand up against injustice and win. In fact, Summer of My German Soldier is considered controversial for its offensive topic of racism. Yet, Patty Bergen's story must be read in order to catch a glimpse of the emotions boiling under the surface of America during World War II. There was the obvious hatred of Germany, yet there also prejudice againsts African-Americans; many willing to enlist in the army and fight for the country that mocked them.
Many World War II books focus on the persecution of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis, yet Bette Green shows us the flip side of war by portraying a young Jewish girl befriending a German soldier. The moral of the story? Hate blinds us all, and the Germans suffered as well.
You will laugh, cry, and even pound your fist on the table, when reading Summer of My German Soldier. You will discover that Frederick Anton Reiker, a young German boy forced to fight for Hitler, is not the enemy.
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