Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Cho
Genres
Collection
Publication
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2004.
Description
In 1933, best friends Daniel and Armin admire Hitler, but as anti-Semitism buoys Hitler to power, Daniel learns he is half Jewish, threatening the friendship even as life in their beloved Hamburg, Germany, is becoming nightmarish. Also details Daniel and Armin's reunion in 1945 in interspersed chapters.
Subjects
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User reviews
LibraryThing member haleyg
This is a sad realistic historical fiction chapter book about two young boys during Hitler's reign in the 1930's. The boys Daniel and Armin were great friends. They supported the Nazi's of Germany and would go out at night in secret and spray paint swastikas on buildings in the hated Communist
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section of Hamburg. They finally got caught by the police and taken to jail. Although they swore oath by cutting and mixing each other's wrists and blood, Daniel came to find he was half Jewish! Even after all of the anger against the Jewish by supporting the Nazis, Daniel was in shock of his half blood. He became hated by neighbors, teachers, peers, and friends. He wanted to keep his real identity a secret from society and conspire with Armin to join Hitler's youth. They were separated sadly, as only Armin could join resulting in a broken friendship and horrible consequences. Show Less
LibraryThing member goose114
This is the story of Daniel; a boy that is caught up in the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in Germany. Daniel and his best friend Armin believe in Hitler and his ideology as Nazism begins to take power. Both boys want to join the Hitler Youth and eventually join the SS. After Hitler ascends to power
I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. It was great to view the rise of Hitler and Nazism from a German boy’s perspective. The internal struggle that Daniel faced was well versed and it helped to illuminate the struggle that most Germans must have faced when confronted with nationalism and abandoning the fatherland. There were times where it was obvious that this book was written for a young adult because I found myself wanting the authors to delve deeper into situations and emotions. However, this was a surprisingly good book that shows a side of Germany during Nazi rule that many Americans may be unaware of.
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Daniel learns that he is half Jewish by the Nazi definition. Daniel must confront an internal struggle between being German, Jewish, and a supporter of Nazism. As Hitler’s actions against Jews escalate Daniel is thrust into a world where his friendships, family, education, and even his life are threatened. I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. It was great to view the rise of Hitler and Nazism from a German boy’s perspective. The internal struggle that Daniel faced was well versed and it helped to illuminate the struggle that most Germans must have faced when confronted with nationalism and abandoning the fatherland. There were times where it was obvious that this book was written for a young adult because I found myself wanting the authors to delve deeper into situations and emotions. However, this was a surprisingly good book that shows a side of Germany during Nazi rule that many Americans may be unaware of.
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LibraryThing member WarriorLibrary
Really gets across to the reader what it was like to live in fear of your life just because you are Jewish in Nazi Germany.
LibraryThing member STBA
In 1933, best friends Daniel and Armin admire Hitler, but as anti-Semitism buoys Hitler to power, Daniel learns he is half Jewish, threatening the friendship even as life in their beloved Hamburg, Germany, is becoming nightmarish.
LibraryThing member craigwsmithtoo
Daniel is a young teen when the Nazis come to power in Germany. His father was a hero in the first world war. In school he is learning about the superiority of the German race, and the subhuman nature of the Jewish race. As persecution of the Jews in Germany begins to escalate, Daniel learns a
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family secret. He is half Jewish. The other Jewish children in the school have been removed. Jewish shops are closed. Who will Daniel number himself with? Show Less
LibraryThing member athenamilis
Daniel Half Human by David Chotjewitz is about a young boy named Daniel who discovers he is half Jewish during Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. Daniel comes from a wealthy family. His father is a lawyer and a socialist. Daniel’s best friend is Armin. His family is poor. The story centers on
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their friendship and ends on their friendship. Both sides of the war are represented in their characters. The book should be an easy read for most middle and high school students. The language used is not complex except for the German words that are used. Also, the idea of boyhood friendship, racial and class differences, and war often intrigue the young male reader. While Ann Frank may be for girls, this book definitely addresses the male side of the story. This book would work well alongside Night another WWII novel taught in the ninth grade. It would also work well in a history class during the study of WWII as it breathes life into dates and events in relation to the Holocaust. This book has many uses. I recommend to all readers for its readability and historical significance. Show Less
LibraryThing member crazybatcow
The book isn't as emotionally loaded as I thought books on this subject would have to be - but I'm assuming that's because its style was geared for a YA audience.
It was surprisingly fast and easy to read - there are some German words in it, but their meanings are pretty clear from the context. I
One of the things that has always baffled me about the Holocaust is how the rest of the community/country/world could have just stood by and waited/watched while millions of people were displaced and then murdered. How would it have felt to be German during those days when the people you knew and loved were scooped up and "disposed" of?
This book does give an interesting rationale for why more Jews didn't escape before the War broke out - how would one have known that Hitler would have stayed in power, that he would have started a war, that he would have orchestrated mass murder? And by the time the writing on the wall was clear, the Jews had already lost most of their escape options.
Hard choice - wait out the storm or escape ahead of it with nothing? If only they could have seen the future, millions could have gotten the hell out before it was too late.
It was surprisingly fast and easy to read - there are some German words in it, but their meanings are pretty clear from the context. I
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spent most of the book wondering how true to life it was - it had the feel of a non-fiction/biography but the author does indicate that it is a work of fiction, but based on true events.One of the things that has always baffled me about the Holocaust is how the rest of the community/country/world could have just stood by and waited/watched while millions of people were displaced and then murdered. How would it have felt to be German during those days when the people you knew and loved were scooped up and "disposed" of?
This book does give an interesting rationale for why more Jews didn't escape before the War broke out - how would one have known that Hitler would have stayed in power, that he would have started a war, that he would have orchestrated mass murder? And by the time the writing on the wall was clear, the Jews had already lost most of their escape options.
Hard choice - wait out the storm or escape ahead of it with nothing? If only they could have seen the future, millions could have gotten the hell out before it was too late.
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LibraryThing member cspine
As young swastika-painting teens in 1933 Germany, Daniel and Armin swear everlasting blood brotherhood and hope to join the Hitler Youth. But Daniel finds out his mother is Jewish and realizes the Aryans will think of him as half human. Armin tries to continue his friendship with Daniel and grows
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to love the latter's cousin, the beautiful Miriam. Nazi pressure intervenes. This novel, based on research into the Hitler years, reveals the vast indoctrination against the Jews and details the vicious Night of the Broken Glass. Daniel and his parents barely escape Germany. Chapters about Daniel returning as a translator for the British army are interspersed throughout this Holocaust story. So, the friends meet again, and when interrogated, Armin says he was not in the SS and Nazi Party. Daniel's shocking response shows the clash of duty and loyalty Show Less
LibraryThing member rgruberexcel
RGG: Excellent depiction of 1930's Nazi Germany and the rise of anti-Semitism in an environment of silence and fear.
LibraryThing member fromthecomfychair
Daniel, a German teenager in the years of Hitler's rise to power in pre-war Germany, is in favor of the Nazi party until he discovers that he is half-Jewish. Story revolves around his friendship with Armin, who is 100 percent German. As Armin becomes more involved in the Hitler Youth, he must
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distance himself from Daniel, until the crisis when he must decide between his friend and his own future. Gripping pageturner. Translated from German. Show Less
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Although Daniel's family is well-to-do and Armin's much less so, the two are best friends in 1933 Germany. The attend the prestigious Christianeum and aspire to join Hitler Youth. When Daniel brings the permission slip for his father to sign, he learns that his mother is Jewish, which makes Daniel
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half-Jewish and ineligible to join the group. Daniel is outed at a soccer game but Armin sticks by him even though he himself is now in Hitler Youth. Social pressure bears down on Daniel's family and his father ends up being fired from his law office. Miriam, Daniel's cousin, stays with the family when her father is sent to a concentration camp, further complicating the family situation. Armin falls for Miriam and they meet secretly. Armin learns from Nazi superiors that something will be going down against the Jews. He warns Daniel and Miriam ahead of time and thereby sparing their lives. Show Less
LibraryThing member rgruberexcel
RGG: Excellent depiction of 1930's Nazi Germany and the rise of anti-Semitism in an environment of silence and fear.
Pages
298