Book post: Hitler Youth

Book cover from Scholastic

Bartoletti, S.C. (2005). Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler’s shadow. New York, NY: Scholastic.

*2006 Newbery Honor*

*2006 Sibert Honor*

*2006 Orbis Pictus Honor*

World War II changed the world in so many ways, but none were so greatly affected as the young people of Germany. They were literally brainwashed, being taught only Nazi propaganda in schools and indoctrinated into believing that Hitler was their country's savior. Many children of Germany voluntarily joined the Hitler Youth, and others were forced to join when it became law. I love to learn about this period of history because it changed the world so profoundly, and I learned a lot from this book, especially about how the Hitler Youth was founded and about some of the key individuals. It gives  details about several interesting young people, following their lives from the beginning of the Hitler Youth to the end of the war (and some of them beyond the war). This is a wonderful history text about a very specific topic in World War II history; it is a great resource for research into what life was like in Germany during this time.