T4 a novel [Hardcover]

Ann Clare LeZotte (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2008 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

It is 1939. Paula Becker, thirteen years old and deaf, lives with her family in a rural German town. As rumors swirl of disabled children quietly disappearing, a priest comes to her family’s door with an offer to shield Paula from an uncertain fate. When the sanctuary he offers is fleeting, Paula needs to call upon all her strength to stay one step ahead of the Nazis.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up—Thirteen-year-old Paula Becker is Deaf during a time when people with disabilities are ordered to be killed in Hitler's Tiergartenstrasse 4, T4. Through the help of a priest, she is hidden on the farm of a retired teacher and, when almost discovered, is moved to a homeless shelter in a church until she can return home. Telling her story through first-person free-verse poems, she draws readers into her world, sharing her fear, desperation, and uncertainty as she struggles to survive. Even though this is a short and quick read, this novel will have a lasting effect on readers, giving insight into an often-forgotten aspect of the horrors of the Third Reich. The unique writing style makes this a good choice for reluctant as well as proficient readers.—Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD
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From Booklist

Raised in a loving family in Nazi Germany, Paula, a deaf 13-year-old, learns about Hitler’s Action T4 program, which dictates that doctors euthanize the mentally ill and the disabled as “unfit to live.” After her disability marks her as a target, Paula narrowly escapes a Gestapo raid and hides in a church shelter. Among the large number of youth books about the Holocaust, very few have addressed this atrocity beyond the statistics (about 275,000 disabled were killed). In her powerful debut novel, LeZotte, who is deaf, tells the story from the viewpoint of one young girl, who speaks in spare, lyrical, intense free verse that blends her personal experience with the historical facts and an additional adult perspective that looks back. Paula befriends (and later marries) a young Gypsy boy, and their reunion, which closes the book, is a bit too upbeat. Paula is surrounded by victims (“I realized / I wasn’t the only one / who was hated.”), and final notes fill in the facts about the millions who did not survive. An important addition to the Holocaust curriculum. Grades 6-9. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (September 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547046847
• ISBN-13: 978-0547046846
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Holocaust

More About the Author

Ann Clare LeZotte is completely deaf. She grew up in Long Island, New York. She received a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College in 1991. Her poems have been published in The American Poetry Review, The New Republic, and The Threepenny Review. She is the recipient of fellowships from Hedgebrook, The MacDowell Colony, The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), and Yaddo; as well as a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. She has published two books for young readers, T4: A Novel in Verse (Houghton Mifflin, 2008) and Here Comes Julie Jack! (Wild Onion Press, 1/1/2011). Ms. LeZotte lives in Gainesville, Florida with her sister, Jean, and their animal companions, including a Hearing dog named May. She works at a public library, where she also teaches ASL and talks to school groups about her life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genuis Shines Through, July 28, 2008

By 

R. Crane (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: T4 a novel (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

T4 refers to the program the Nazis instigated to rid the world of undesirable people, and specifically, in T4, the Disabled. While much has been written about many other Nazi atrocities, very little attention has been paid to this horror.

The author presents a very short novel in verse. It is a powerful tool and the length of the book in no way minimizes its impact. It takes no more than an hour to read, but the memory could last forever.

The book, T4, is named after the address, Tiergartenstrasse 4, which headquartered the infamous organization of this Nazi program. The historical facts of T4 are true, though the characters and story are fiction. The author, deaf herself, relates the story of a deaf child born in Pre-Nazi Germany who goes into hiding to escape being persecuted and murdered by the Nazis. Along the way she recounts the lives of people she meets and their impact on her. Ultimately she meets someone whom she eventually happily marries who is also a potential victim of the Nazis.

The book is beautifully written. It is simple and yet profound. Highly recommended.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Elegant and Simple Prose, July 30, 2008

By 

Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: T4 a novel (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I wasn't sure what to expect when I got this book in the mail yesterday, but it is definitely a keeper. I have always been interested in reading about World War II, the Holocaust and more. This book reminds me of what happened to the "undesirables," the "unwanted" and the "disabled;" all vile words in my personal language.

This book is written for youth age 10-14, but it is a wonderful book for adults to read too. It is about Paula, a young deaf girl who was forced into hiding when the Germans decided to "end the sufferings" of those they deemed unfit to be part of the master race. Paula was squired away to a village where she stayed with a woman who taught her sign language, till someone found out that Paula was there and Paula was once again on the run. Separated from her family, Paula endured the war till she was able to go home again.

Written very simply, with elegance and prose, this book will take you on a short but powerful journey of images and emotions. If your child is becoming interested in the Holocaust, this would be a good book to start.

7/30/08

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and Gentle way for children to learn of one aspect of the Holocaust., July 21, 2008

By 

kindred spirit (God's Country) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: T4 a novel (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I read every Holocaust survial story I can get my hands on. I believe that honors the living and those millions who died.

This is a very unique way to present the aspect of Hitler's Hate of the disabled to children. It is written like a long poem. It goes very quickly and the rhythm keeps you reading the book in one short sitting.

Paula is deaf. She is otherwise a happy and beautiful girl. Hitler has decided that the disabled should die they are consuming food needed for his "Aryan" race. The progrom to get rid of them is called T4. That was a new term to me. Named after the building where the doctors who carried out these murders worked.

Paula is lucky she got hidden. Paula got to tell her story. I will not tell you how it ends, just to say she was a very lucky girl. The story tells the truth but is not too grusome for 9-12 yr olds. These stories need to be told over and over again to all.

Ann LeZotte has created a children's classic in this poem that teaches and reminds us that all of God's children are the same, important, sacred. It teaches children that being different is okay and no one should be treated badly because of a disability.

I highly recommend this book. Parents read it with your children and talk about it.