Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Ayer juxtaposes the stories of two WWII youths, one a German Jew and the other a Hitler Youth, excerpted from their published memoirs. "Weak execution undermines the premise of the volume," said PW. Ages 10-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Weak execution undermines the premise of this volume, a dual biography of Waterford, a Jewish woman who survived Auschwitz, and Heck, a German who had risen to the highest circles of the Hitler Youth organization. As the book states, Waterford and Heck currently speak publicly as a team, together explaining the horrors of WWII and the importance of compassion in healing that war's wounds. As the editor of Renaissance House, Ayer has already published Waterford's and Heck's individual memoirs (respectively, Commitment to the Dead; and A Child of Hitler and The Burden of Hitler's Legacy); here she excerpts passages from these works and interpolates a chronicle of the war. However, her account skimps on facts-even so basic a matter as Waterford's date of birth is obscured, and battles and campaigns are only roughly situated (``Early in 1942, the Allies struck back. For the first time, British troops defeated the Germans''). This soft-focus approach allows Waterford's and Heck's statements to go unchallenged-a particular problem with Heck, whose story seems self-serving and incomplete at best. Accordingly, the thesis is hard to swallow-that Waterford and Heck were both Hitler's victims. Ages 12-up. (June) q
Children's Literature
- Children's Literature
Ayers has crafted a remarkable book in Parallel Journeys. Alternating chapters describe the lives of Alfons Heck, a 16-year-old leader in the Hitler Youth, and Helen Waterford, a Jewish wife and mother who experienced the Holocaust. As Helen and her husband hid their young child with a Christian family near Amsterdam, Alfons was becoming the youngest top-rated German glider pilot. While Alfons led thousands of young German Hitler Youth in combat at the front, Helen was struggling to survive Auschwitz. The book centers upon the direct quotations of Helen and Alfons, with the text by Ayers supplying much-needed historical background and further detail. Differing in two main ways from other World War II/Holocaust novels, this book should be required reading for any student studying World War II. First, it tells the story of World War II from two different points of view, and second, Ayers does not conclude with the peace treaty. The book goes on to describe the difficulties of readjusting to life following the war. Readers can gain an understanding of the extreme displacement experienced by the Jews, left without a country, as well as of the emotional turmoil of the German people, many of whom felt betrayed by Hitler and personally guilty for the war crimes committed by the Nazis. The book ends with the amazing story of how Helen and Alfons finally met in America. The two now give lectures as a team, stressing the fact that the Holocaust, with its beginnings in prejudice, must never be forgotten in order that it may never be repeated. This is a compelling and amazing story of survival and forgiveness, for both the Jews and the Germans. 2000, Aladdin Paperbacks, Ages 11 to 17, $16.00 and$5.99. Reviewer: Elizabeth Pabrinkis
KLIATT
The journeys chronicled here are the contrasting WW II lives of Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck. Removed by geography as well as 60 years of history, we Americans often don't realize much about this conflict. First, the people involved were often neighbors. Helen, daughter of a middle-class Jewish family, and Alfons, son of an upper-middle-class German family, were born just a few miles apart. Second, Germany conscripted youngsters into the army via the Hitler Youth. Alfons joined as soon as he reached "the magic age of ten." Third, some of these children became disillusioned with Hitler long before their elders did. And fourth, everybody's life was torn apart because of this war. The book is a combination of narrative and diary-like entries from both Helen and Alfons, and they take turns talking. Reading about Alfons' love of Hitler, when it looked as if the Reich actually would last 1000 years, we're held by a kind of sick fascination. Reading about Helen's wartime experiences, we just feel sick. "If it had been me, could I have coped as well?" And then, 40 years after the war ended, the two met in San Diego, where they both had settled. It's hard to believe that Helen felt no hatred for this former enemy, but she had great compassion for him. He had to face hatred and intolerance, though, from Americans who didn't understand that he was also a victim of the Nazi machine. Helen and Alfons now speak about the war years to school and community groups, hoping that their friendship will mean something, that what happened in Germany will never happen again, that Hitler's "legacy should remain a lasting warning to the world." An ALA Best Book for YAs. Highly recommended. KLIATT Codes:JSA*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1995, Simon & Schuster/Aladdin, 244p, notes, bibliog, index, 20cm, 94-23277, $5.99. Ages 13 to adult. Reviewer: Judith H. Silverman; Chevy Chase, MD, May 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 3)
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-This is a book to make your blood run cold. Through Ayer's narrative and excerpts from Heck's memoirs, A Child of Hitler and The Burden of Hitler's Legacy, readers learn how Alfons changed from a loving, wholesome boy to a ``Nazi devil'' (even the Germans called the elite Hitler Youth by that name). It is frightening to see how easily young people can be swayed, and readers learn just how it happened. Alternating chapters reveal Helen Waterford's story through excerpts from her book, Commitment to the Dead, and Ayer's background material. Fleeing with her fiancee to Amsterdam after Kristallnacht, Helen was again caught in the Nazi noose and struggled to survive. As her plight grew more desperate, Alfons rose higher and higher in the Hitler Youth. Eventually, when he and his ragged corps faced annihilation by the Russians, he realized how Hitler had sacrificed his ``children.'' When Alfons and Helen met in the U.S. 40 years after the war, they found that they shared a common purpose: to help young people understand that peace and compassion are possible between individuals, and on a larger scale as well. Their first-person accounts are interwoven with Ayer's words so seamlessly that readers are unaware of the intrusion of a third person. She is an excellent biographer, capturing nuances of her subjects' characters and personality traits. A fascinating work.-Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NY
