One summer day in 1929 seven-year old Hetty and her older brother, Karl, sit on a lakeside jetty watching Karl's friend, Walter, swimming toward them. Ignoring her brother's warning, Hetty leans over the edge and lands in deep water. Unable to swim, screaming for help, she
…more slips beneath the surface. Walter's strong strokes draw her to shore, forming a life-long bond.
The next time we meet Hetty she is eleven years old and just entering gymnasium. One by one classmates and friends enter the story, along with the subtle changes taking place in their lives and their country. These children of Leipzig, Germany, struggle with the hatred being taught, changes in their parent's attitudes and cruelty they see on the street.
Louise Fein skillfully weaves the threads of Nazi prejudice and dehumanization into the thought patterns of questioning, testing, teenagers. These young people, being trained to Salute Hitler and follow his goal of creating an Aryan pure race, at the same time have strong bonds of love and friendship with the very people they are supposed to hate. Their story unfolds through powerful examples of humanness overcoming fear and poignant relationships of selfless love. (less)
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