My Brother's Shadow Hardcover – September 27, 2011

#10 Book Read in 2012My Brother's Shadow (YA)(Moritz is trying to keep his life and family somewhat together. His older brother is fighting the war for Germany but Moritz's mother is speaking out and campaigning against the war and Hitler. Moritz tries to provide food for his family and tries to get a job going as a journalist. He falls in with a bad crowd, his brother's old crowd, and struggles to keep to what he thinks is the right thing to do.This book had action, romance and was a good, quick read. There is a lot of information about the war in this book but the writing style is user friendly and the length (just over 200 pages) will make it a viable reading option for even reluctant readers. I enjoyed this book.I borrowed this book from our town library.[...]

Love the book, and the sender lived up to everything promised.

This is a really good book and worthy of sitting aside time to read and enjoy this very powerful book.

Set in Berlin in 1918, in the final days of World War I, this new novel tells the story of sixteen-year old Moritz, whose family's existence, like that of everyone else in Germany, has been ravaged by the effects of the seemingly endless war. His father was killed on the battlefield, his older brother, Hans, is serving in the trenches on the Western front, his little sister has died of illness, and his mother spends all her time either working at an ammunition factory or attending socialist party meetings. There's little to eat, with food rationed, and everything tasting of turnips, and people butchering horses who fall dead in the streets. Moritz, who works as an apprentice printer, tries his best to make sense of it all, wondering who is right--his brother, who says it's an honor to serve the Kaiser, or his mother, who bemoans the fact that her husband "died for our foolish Kaiser, who loves his uniforms and his yachts." Soon Moritz is given a chance to work as a journalist for one of Berlin's daily papers, covering the very socialist rallies where his mother and others are speaking out against the Kaiser and capitalist injustice.When Moritz's brother Hans returns from the front with horrible injuries, missing half his arm and blind in one eye, Hans is plagued by nightmares about the war, and sees the Jews as scapegoats for all of Germany's problems. Morris, on the other hand, is having his first romance--with a Jewish girl. The book's ominous conclusion foreshadows the increasing persecution of the Jews that will happen in Germany during the 1930's.Author Monika Schroeder, who grew up in Berlin, provides an author's note discussing how the fall of 1918 was a pivotal time in German history, with the end of the "Great War," the Kaiser's abdication, and the establishment of a democratic government in the beginning of 1919. With the Germans' humiliating defeat, conservatives and military leaders began blaming the Jews, the socialists, and the communists for all of Germany's woes, laying the groundwork for Hitler's rise to power.My Brother's Shadow is a very thought-provoking and well-written book about a period ignored in most young adult fiction, which more typically focuses either on World War I or World War II and the few years immediately preceding that conflict. We can easily identify with Moritz, whose story is told in the first person, and his divided family loyalties. While the book covers some weighty issues, Moritz is also a typical teenage boy, interested in his first kiss with a girl. We can sympathize with Moritz's mother as well, a strong character who is very involved in politics, and even his brother Hans, whose bitter experiences and injuries at the front have transformed his personality. This novel would be a good choice to read along with Russell Freedman's outstanding nonfiction book on World War I published last year, The War to End All Wars: World War I.

I am not sure what it is about German history that I love but I enjoy reading books about it. My father was stationed there after the wall went up. He used to talk about the beauty of the country and the Black Forest. I have been real interested in anything to do with Berlin as well. This is the first book I have read that occurred before Hitler. I learned a lot. If you want to read something about German History then you need to pick up books by this author. She is able to take history and craft a story based on historical events that will stay with you a long time.I could not imagine what Hans' life must have been like. He was raised to believe in his Kaiser. His father fought for the Kaiser and lost his life. His brother was such a staunch supporter that he would listen to no one. Hans works for a printer. His country is changing. The Kaiser had made a statement that the boys would be home from the war before the leaves changed color and then four years had gone by. Poor people were starving while the wealthy could buy what they wanted. Gangs constantly stole from the rich. Women had to work in ammunition factories. The general public decided they'd had enough. Women wanted the right to vote and so socialist parties popped up everywhere. Hans' mother and sister have joined. Not only has his mother joined she is considered a leader in these illegal activities. The police are after her. Hans has always sided with the Kaiser. As he sees the injustice of a wealthy man eating a sandwich in front of a starving child he begins to agree with his mother. He doesn't really make his decision until he goes to visit his brother who has returned from the war an injured and bitter soldier. He now blames all of the countries problems on the Socialists and the Jews. Of course you knew there had to be a twist here. Hans has fallen in love with a young girl who is a supporter of the Socialist party and she is a Jew on top of all of that.The author's notes explain how the events of this time set things up for the rise of Hitler. There is so much suspense here. This is a perfect book for kids in middle school and up to learn about this time period. It is an excellent book to have discussions about consequences of our decisions and how those decisions can have life altering consequences.I would recommend you check out Monika's other books. This will make the third one I've added to my shelves at school. I have several of her others on my wish list. This is a must read book.

Buen libro, encuadernación adecuada, poco peso.Adecuado para los estudiantes de idiomas y para todo aquel que le guste la lectura en general.