A German Jew, Karl Weiss, is getting married to Christian, Inga Helms. His father, Dr. Josef Weiss, is a well-known doctor in Germany. Josef has a wife named Berta, another son named Rudi, a young daughter named Anna, and a brother named Moses. The story also follows a Nazi officer named Erik Dorf. He is promoted to lieutenant in 1939.
Dr. Josef Weiss is forced to stop treating patients because he is a Jew. There are riots and Rudi’s grandparent are forced out of their home. A Nazi officer hits him in the head with the but of his gun because he wanted him to March for the Nazis. Dr. Weiss and his brother, Moses, are forced to go back to Poland. Right after Dr. Weiss leaves Karl Weiss is taken to a prison for Jews. Inga tried to convince the officer that he did nothing wrong and that he was just an artist. After Karl, Josef, and Moses are taken away, Inga takes care of the Weiss family. Soon after, Rudi runs away to Berlin and then goes to Czechoslovakia. When he gets there he meets a girl named Helena Slomova. Her family went there because they were trying to get away from the fighting.
After getting to Czechoslovakia Helena and Rudi get caught. Helena gets killed, but Rudi escapes during an uprising. Having no one or no where to go, he travels Europe in search of his family. Moses Weiss finds out that the S.S. are planning to kill all of the Jews that are present in Europe. He starts a resistance movement. They start winning the battles, but the S.S. discovers where they are hiding. They get them out with gas and shoot the all dead.
Inga one day decides that she would rather be with Karl, then have her freedom. Karl is threatened to hard physical labor.
I thought that this book was very good and that it painted a good picture of the Holocaust. It showed an amazing story of a Jewish boy’s life during the late 1930s and early 1940s. You always want to turn to the next page and see what happens next. It is full of suspense.
The book will make anyone more aware of the Holocaust. The book has an amazing storyline. It shows the story from a German Nazi and a young Jewish boy. It shows the points of view from both of them. The German Nazi thinks they are doing good for Europe and the world. The young Jewish boy shows his point of view by telling how much he think the government of Germany is corrupted.
