Customer Reviews

Summer of My German Soldier (Young Puffin)

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

This book is very sad, but still excellent. The main character is twelve-year-old Patty Bergen, a Jewish girl growing up during World War II. She lives in a small Arkansas town, where her parents own a department store. The federal government has chosen her town as the location for a camp for Nazi prisoners of war. Although most Jewish Americans despise the Germans for what they have done to Jews in Europe, Patty regards the prisoners of war with more curiosity than hatred.

The Nazi soldiers are used to pick cotton in the fields of the rural South, and they are brought to Patty's father's store to pick out hats to protect their faces from the hot sun. Only one of them can speak English, and so he interprets for the entire group. The interpreter's name is Frederick Anton Reiker, known to his friends as Anton. Patty is present when the soldiers arrive at the store, and she waits on Anton, who wants to buy a pencil sharpener. They become friends in this short length of time.

Patty has many problems with her family. Her parents never show her any love or kindness. Her mother, who is very beautiful, is always finding faults with Patty's appearance, and her father outright hates her. She has to endure beatings and whippings from him several times. Patty has very few friends, and her closest friend is Ruth, an African-American woman hired to be the housekeeper and cook for the Bergens. Patty also loves her sister Sharon, even though Sharon receives a lot of love and attention from the girls' parents, and of course there is Anton. She isn't good friends with the other girls in their town because of the ever-present barrier of religion.

Anton manages to escape from the prisoners' camp and makes his way to Patty's home. She shelters him in a forgotten suite of rooms above the family's detached garage, and brings him food and clothing daily. During this time period, their friendship deepens. Anton witnesses one of the beatings that Patty's father was giving her, and tried to rush to her aid. When Patty is talking to him after this episode, she realizes that she has never loved her parents, particularly her father, and that they are cruel to her. However, her time with Anton can't last. He feels that he is threatening Patty's safety by staying with her, and so he leaves.

Over the next few months, Patty has to deal with many crushing losses, especially one concerning Anton. She draws strength from a ring he gave her before parting, which was his most treasured possession. She also learns to accept that her parents cannot and will never love her, but she realizes that it isn't because of her faults that her parents hate her--it is because of their pettiness and narrow-mindedness.

I recommend this book to anyone. It's really sad and will probably make you cry at some points, but the story is absorbing and very believable.

I just read "Summer of My German Soldier", by Bette Greene. I thought that this was a really terrific book. It is the story of Patty Bergen, a Jewish girl in the South during WWII, who makes friends with a Nazi soldier. She makes friends with him because she her parents are mean to her and she wants companionship and love. This was a wonderful book with characters so real that I could feel what they were feeling and think what they were thinking. After reading "Summer of My German Soldier", I had tons of questions about the book and about the author. I wanted to know if any of it was based on a true story. I also wondered if Bette Greene's life influenced her to write the book in any way. So I did some research on the internet, and I found out that there's a webpage about the author and the book! It's at bettegreene.com and it has tons of useful and interesting information. Plus, you can email Bette Greene about her books! I recommend that you read this book and look at the website to get answers to the questions I know you'll have.

Summer Of My German Soldier is an interesting book, I actually watched the movie first and than read the book. This is about Patty a 13 year old Jewish girl growing up in a small southern town during World War II and in this little rural town there is a prisioner of war camp for German POWs and Patty comes from a rotten dysfunctional home in which her cruel father is an abusive drunk who for some reason hates her and is always beating her up and her mother is an uncaring wimp who also hates her but for some reason Patty's parent's love and adore her little sister Sharon and the only love Patty gets is from the family's black housekeeper and than Patty meets an escaped German POW who it turns out was forced into the German Army and hated Hitler and she strikes up a friendship with him and he is kind to her. This is a sad but good book though I have heard that it and the movie are considered to be controversial. The book was turned into a made for TV movie in 1978 and the cast for the movie includes Kristy McNichol as Patty, Bruce Davidson as Anton the escaped POW, Ester Rolle as Ruth the housekeeper, Michael Constantine as Patty's father, Barbara Barrie as Patty's mother and Robin Lively as Patty's little sister Sharon. The movie is available on video and Amazon is offering it though I think it's out of print so you would have to look for used tapes.

This book made me cry and cry when I was a kid, maybe 10 or 11 years old. For years, whenever anyone has asked "What's the saddest book you've ever-" I've said "Summer of My German Soldier" before they can even finish the question. My point is that, when I recently picked it up to see how it holds up all these years later, I was predisposed to be moved. That said: I began the book the other day, and didn't stop until I'd reached the end. And I cried and cried and cried. And cried. Let me state for the record that I don't cry easily at books. But this one is devastating. It wasn't like there was one climactic moment that let me get it all out in a cathartic rush; no, it is just quietly brutal from start to finish, in this mounting way, as it unfurls the bleak story of a talkative, unloved girl in a cruel, unloving world. It's the kind of world in which the little flashes of kindness and love actually hurt more than they offer relief. I hadn't remembered it like that. But I guess that's an appropriate way to narrate life in a small town in 1940s Arkansas.

Anyway, this book has definitely ensconced itself in my list of lifetime tearjerkers, along with "The Body" episode of Buffy, and Disney's The Fox and the Hound.

In my opinion the is a heart-wrenching, though provoking book for mature readers. Usally I don't read dramas but when i picked it up I couldn't put it down. The main character Patty Bergan really becomes a part of you. This book focuses on love and hate set in World War II in a swall town in Arkansas. Patty has just turned twelve. She is a young Jewish girl who is nelected by her parents and alone until she meet an excaped, German prisoner of war from a compound near by named Anton. Even though this is set during wartime America this book remindes us who read that there is good amoung evil, and that even in the darkness, there is light. For a lot of people this book can be somewhat painful because of the victimization of children-- wheater the brutality is physical or emotional. Anton excapes from the local prison and Patty, knowing the rick, helps him to hide. She lived with perpetual fear of maternal rejection and redicule-of her vicious, child-beating fatherand of coming in a poor second place to her pretty, petted sister. She also knew the rick of her norrow-minded Arkansas town opposing her humanitarian treatment of an excaped German prisoner of war. Patty learns to look at Anton, not as Nazi, but as a frightened young man. Patty knows that if anyone were to find out her life would be over, but cannot overcome the power of love. With Anton, Patty finds the love she has longed for and the appreciation her parents never gave her. Such a friendship can be dangerous. In Green's scenario of paranoia and government promoted prejudice, there is no room for compassion or the budding of a romance. Even pure friendship is tained by vicious minds. The ending was sudden and shattering. I would recomend this book to anyone.

I first read this book several years ago and have finally decided to buy it.

The story is that of a 12 yr old Jewish girl who does not fit in with her family or the town they live in. She is emotionally and physically abused by her parents and finds love only from their housekeeper and her younger sister until she finds and helps a German soldier escape from a POW camp. The bond between the young soldier and the lonely girl is powerful and transcends the usual teenage "love story" concept.

I highly recommend this book but do advise that there are some emotionally disturbing sections.

I read this book for a project in my 8th grade English class, and finished it a few days ago. I really enjoyed the book, but was not thrilled with the closure to the story. Summer of My German Soldier is a sad story of love, friendship, kindness, and hardship. The story has well developed characters, which include Ruth, Patty, and Anton. It also has an entertaining plot.

Patty takes many risks to protect Anton, a German Soldier, and learns to follow her heart. Anton cares deeply for Patty, and is willing to risk his life to protect her. After Anton escapes from the POW camp,he crosses paths with Patty, who keeps him in her garage. When Anton leaves, Patty is torn between staying with her uncaring family and starting a new life with Anton. Anton convinces Patty to stay with her family. Patty deals with several family problems throughout the story, and does not feel accepted. Patty can only rely on Ruth, their colored woman, for support. Ruth loves Patty, although she has made many mistakes. After being tried for hiding Anton, Patty is sent to a reform school and is visited only by Ruth. Ruth tells Patty that she misses her, and knows things will be better when she returns home. Ruth also tells Patty that all the awful things her parents had said about her were not true. Patty then regains her self-confidence, and is ready to rebuild her life when she leaves the reform school.

This story gave me a vivid picture of what life was like during WWII, and touched my heart.

The most exiting event in the history of Jenkinsville occurred that summer day when a Prisoner of War camp was set up just outside the city. The Nazi's that had been depicted as evil people that would kill someone as soon as they looked at them turned out to be young, kind-faced men with blond hair. Patty Bergen was Jewish and her father owned a department sore on the main street of the town. One day she was in the store when the prisoners with money in hand came to buy hats for work in the field. Patty went to help one of the prisoners whose name was Frederick Anton Reiker and discovered that instead of wanting to buy a hat with his money he wanted to buy a pen with fake diamonds on it. Not long after their first meeting, Anton escaped from the prison camp and fled but before he caught the back of a departing train, Patty saw him and invited him to stay in the room over the garage until the war was over. But, one day Anton saw Patty being beaten and he ran out to stop the attack, but Ruth, the housekeeper saw him rush out from the garage. Even though Ruth would not tell a soul about it Anton decided it was too much of a risk on Patty's part and he left that same night. After Anton had been gone for months a man named Mr. Pierce asked Patty a fair amount of questions and after hearing that Anton had died she let everything out. After that she had to go and live with her grandmother for a while until the time of the trial. The judge sentenced her to no less than four months in a reformatory for girls and there she stayed for the time. I enjoyed this book because of how the story of how it was depicted.

I thought this novel was quite engaging because of how Patty changed over time. At the beginning of the story Patty is reckless and had low self-esteem. Her sister was always getting compliments on how pretty she looked, and Patty was always being told that she should try to look and act more like her sister. After Patty started hiding Anton she took baths and started to care more about how she looked. Also Patty started getting beaten by her father often and she sometimes thought that she was always wrong. Then after Anton died and she was sent off to the reformatory school she developed a new perspective on life and people. After Ruth went to see her she discovered that she was not wrong, but did things for the right reason in a way that other people could not see.

The way that Anton acted throughout the entire story was completely unexpected for what most people associated with Nazis. Anton, unlike most of his colleagues spoke virtually flawless English and was a very polite young man. Even after he found out that Patty was a Jew he continued to treat her with respect and he cared for her deeply. Also, Anton did not join the Nazis because he wanted to he joined it to escape punishment and imprisonment by his own country.

I also enjoyed this book because it showed the level of tolerance between the Caucasian Americans and the people that surrounded them. Ruth was the African American housekeeper for the Bergens and if any food was missing Patty's mother always assumed that it was Ruth without using any logical reasoning to see if one of her own children had eaten the food. Even though the German prisoners were not mean or unruly they were usually treated fairly but once they were out of earshot news about them spread quickly. One of the things that the townspeople said about the prisoners was that they were being treated too kindly and that they should have cruel punishments.

Through reading this book I gained an appreciation for Patty because of how she gained confidence though the story. The imagery of this wonderful novel created an amazing story with brilliant characters. This book was also wonderful because of how Anton was shown in the story. The novel was especially good because of how racial and cultural differences play into each other.

R. Roston

During World War II, a group of German soldiers are transferred to Jenkinsville, Arkansas, where a 12-year-old Jewish girl, Patricia Ann ("Patty") Bergen, lives with her younger sister Sharon, abusive parents, and her only loyal friend, Ruth Hughes, the family's black housekeeper. Patty meets her first German while helping out in her family's general store. The POWs are brought into the store for hats, and Patty dutifully--and out of curiousity--approaches the only dark-haired, English-speaking soldier in the group: Frederick Anton Reiker. He is much older than Patty (22-years-old), but he treats her like an equal. From that first meeting, Patty's opinions of Germans greatly changes, and she can't help but be captivated by him.

So, when she sees him running near her house, having just escaped the prison camp, Patty insists that he stay in her family's deserted garage for as long as he needs to, which is only for a few days. I had expected Patty and Anton's relationship to last a little longer (and I'm certain Patty wished the same thing), but it only takes up about one-third of the book. The remaining two-thirds is Patty's account of her torturous life, of being beaten and then ignored by her hot-tempered father, criticized constantly by her beautiful mother, and other everyday miseries involving her narrow-minded neighbors.

This book is quite depressing but realistic. I often wondered how--and if--Patty would ever survive her life, but I suppose that is the point of this story: to find hope despite the obstacles. Patty discovered that by befriending Anton, and he had enough of an impact on her to last the rest of her life.

My sister recommended this book to me years ago, and I finally got around to reading it just recently. I'm not sure why I didn't start it sooner, because it was very good. I would certainly recommend it to others (age 12 and up). The only complaint I have about the book (which is quite petty, really) is the book cover. Anton's description in the book doesn't match his appearance on the front cover. He supposedly has black hair, not dirty blonde hair. Maybe it was to exaggerate the blonde-hair-blue-eyed German stereotype. Who knows.

Anyway, following the book, in 1978, a TV movie was made of Summer of My German Soldier (which I haven't seen, so I can't
comment on it) and a sequel was written, called Morning Is a Long Time Coming (which I haven't read yet either, but intend to).

The historical fiction novel, Summer of My German Soldier, written by Bette Greene, describes the cultural aspects of daily life during World War II. This novel published by The Penguin Group in 1973 was a finalist in the National Book Award and won an ALA Notable Book award. This book takes place in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during World War II. Throughout this novel times are tense for the protagonist Patty Bergen, because she risks losing family, friends, and her freedom, for whom she dearly loves, Anton Reiker. Summer of My German Soldier is a very descriptive and educating historical fiction novel, which sets this book apart from others in many different ways, including its setting, content, and themes. This novel did not include information about the war as most World War II books do, that making this novel more unique. Many believe that the theme "longing for love" really stands out in this novel. Throughout this novel Patty is longing for her parents to find appreciation in Patty and to love her as others do. This is one of very few books in which exemplify such love in a World War II set book. Also, Bette Greene makes this novel so interesting by creating a character, such as Patty who is so lively and modern. Many readers of Summer of My German Soldier believe that the major purpose of this book is to see each other as real people with wonderful qualities, and to love each other for what they are and not for what people label them as. The appropriate reader for this novel would be 12 and up and people who love a mix of historical fiction and romance.
Summer of My German Soldier is organized in an orderly manner, conflicting with great drama and a thrilling plot. The illustrator Robert Hunt did a great job on the front cover of this novel. The image shows Anton holding Patty gently on a cloudy summer afternoon. Anton Reiker, the Nazi prisoner of war shows signs of awareness and how much he cares about Patty, while Patty shows trust in Anton, her lover. The layout of this novel is so well thought out, including the photos, the table of contents, and the text.
Bette Greene definitely achieved her purpose in writing this young adult novel, for this book taught many readers a life lesson, which is to realize that we can't classify people as good or bad because of their nationality, race, or religion. Summer of My German Soldier captures important aspects of the 1940's such as the horrors of World War II. Summer of My German Soldier is a fascinating young adult piece of literature. Those who enjoy reading historical fiction novels and those who enjoy romantic novels will absolutely adore this book. Though, if you are the fantasy type of reader, I do not recommend this book to you. It enhances your historical knowledge, while at the same time, you sit back and enjoy a teenage "love story".