Run Like Jager- Karen Bass

First time novelist, Karen Bass, has written quite an extraordinary account of Kurt Schreiber who has come to Germany for his last year of high school and is determined to find out exactly what his Opa did in World War II. When he meets his Opa’s life-long friend, also the Opa of Marta, the girl he’s becoming interested in, and begins to hear stories of his Opa’s involvement with the Deutsche Jungfolk , it almost becomes too much to bear. As the stories unfold, he begins to see how young people could be caught up in the Nazi fever and the tremendous power and sway Hitler held. This is a fabulous book to present a different point of view and begin to understand that which has always been viewed as horrific. In many ways, the people who followed Hitler, especially the children, were victims as well. I believe this is a book our students need to read and is likely most appropriate for Grade 8 through high school. It would be an excellent resource for History teachers as well. In some ways, I was reminded of another World War II novel, called Behind The Bedroom Wall. In this novel, Laura comes very close to turning in her German parents for hiding Jews. She is so indoctrinated that she actually contemplates this terrible act.

Four Steps to Death by John Wilson also portrays an extraordinary array of viewpoints. We meet Conrad, a German tank commander,Vasali, a German soldier, and Sergei, a young boy during the battle of Stalingrad. Seamlessly, Wilson invites us into the psyche of the various players and draws us into feeling empathy for each as they themselves are victims of the ideologies of their day.

I also was reminded of an amazing short story by James Clavell, called The Children’s Story. This tale bears evidence to the vulnerability of the minds of children. It would be an excellent story to begin a unit on war and points of view.