A courageous, inspiring story about a girl in Nazi Germany.
585000
**NOTE: Upgraded this to 5 stars, because the ONLY flaw I found was the loose ends. There is a sequel on the way, so that is no longer a problem. :)

The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because the story felt a little incomplete (and could have been elaborated upon more, in order to be a more fulfilling read). But please don't refer to it as the quality of the work; it is a beautiful, concisely written story exploring a lesser-known part of Nazi Germany --the disabled, and how they were treated.

I understand the author wanted the ending to be open, but a lot of strings were left untied such as SPOILER 1 and other more serious aspects of the novel such as SPOILER 2.

That said, the book was a beautiful collection of thoughts, historically accurate bits of data, and a easy read in terms of the flowing writing style, but deals with a lot of heavy topics in a censored way. This is definitely a great book to study, for school students, as it's written in a simplistic yet effective writing style, and provides a brilliant coming-of-age story for all types of audiences.

This is the story of a girl with a sudden lifestyle change by developing polio, a promise to record the TRUTH behind Nazi Germany from behind lens, and how she finds the courage to capture the moments.

(Below are spoilers. Please don't read if you have not read the book, or mind spoilers)

*****SPOILERS (Continue at your own risk)*****
SPOILER 1: what happened to the Jewish girl? I understand she was part of the whole guilt-factor for Sophie, but it was left untouched after the initial mention
SPOILER 2: [Do Sophie's parents flee from the clutches of higher authority? Does she get caught?

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3217624
I have always loved reading the stories of people living during WWII and all of its atrocities and triumphs. Even during the darkest of times, hope and life find a way.

Franka Gerber is thhe quintessential Aryan female: blond, blue-eyed, and athletic.  She grows up under the Nazi regime, and imagines a world where Germany is the leading nation. That is until she finally sees the true ugliness and cruelty the regime truly stands for. After devastating loss, Franka gives up on life, but is given a purpose to continue living when she finds a near dead Luftwaffe pilot. Thius story is about her fight against an evil force and finding the courage to not only fight against it, but risk her life for  an enemy.
92861
This story leads you through the life of a young Jewish girl who because of her outward appearance is able to survive the holocaust it is captivating as she struggles to save her son by trusting people she has only met and then searching for him not knowing if he survived.
4448333
This book was very a inspirational story.  A life about a shy girl who determine to make a better life for herself and her daughter.  How she kept going in face of real tragedy  in the loss of her husband and their daughter  A woman of real courage!  I hated for the book to come to an end.  Well worth reading
626386
This book is very inspirational because it talks about the life of a thirteen year old girl and her inspirational story about how she survived the Holocaust.  I recommend this book to anyone who ever wanted to know the truth about the Holocaust and hear about a brave little girl who survived and also helped other to never give up hope.  This story will bring a tear to your eye.  I learned a lot about the Holocaust by reading this story.  I recommend it to anyone and everyone.  I just started reading this book for a report for school, but once I started reading it I couldn't put it down.  I got a new outlook on life once reading this.
2479011
Krystyna Chiger offers yet another perspective of surviving the Holocaust in her terrifying (yet uplifting) memoir, The Girl in the Green Sweater, when she details the fourteen months she and her family spent in the sewers under Lvov hiding from Nazis. Her family is truly remarkable - they took every horrible situation and figured out a way through it. At the beginning of the war, they were well-to-do business owners and by the end, they were destitute - without a home, money, clothes or food - and yet they were grateful to be alive. It would have been easy (and completely understandable) for Chiger to write bitterly of her experience and those who perpetrated crimes against her when she was only 7-years-old, but her parents taught her to look forward and appreciate the things she has rather than to dwell on the past. Chiger writes about the months leading up to her time in the sewer, how she and her young brother were forced to hide during routine Nazi inspections, how they managed to escape the round ups and "actions", and how they were shuffled from apartment to apartment before finally being forced to live in the ghetto and then the sewer. She writes about watching her grandmother and cousin being carted away to their deaths and her uncle drowning. She writes about things that no one should ever have to endure, let alone a young child. Reading this book, I realized that even with Chiger's vivid descriptions, I just could not imagine living in the sewer, enduring constant darkness, rats, mold and the threat of drowning (not to mention discovery and capture). Yet, with the help of their guardian angel Socha, that's exactly what the Chiger family did. Socha, a sewer worker, provided food and supplies for the family at great risk to his own well being. His dedication to their survival is another point of the book that shows how selfless and wonderful people can be to each other, even as others are behaving so atrociously. Chiger's tale is one of hope and humanity, of survival and love and gratitude, and I highly recommend it.
773301
This diary has done great good. The story of one young Jewish girl's living in hiding, and surviving with her family during the Holocaust has perhaps been read more than any other diary in history. The story is not only of survival in everyday life, but of the growing pains of one young adolescent girl. This girl is however a person of remarkable, insight, intelligence and spirit. That she was among one of the more than million Jewish children whose lives were taken from them before they had a chance to live suggests how incomparably great this loss  was and is. Anne Frank has become a symbol of humanity's contending with evil, and at the same time retaining its humanity. Her faith that in the end ' people are good at heart' in the face of the experience she knew can be an inspiration to all of us who looking at the evils of the world today , need to hope that a better world and a kinder humanity will be our future.

It is horrible to know that the monstrous Nazi European anti- Semitism which took the life of Anne Frank has now become a major element in the anti- Western Jihad which a part of the Islamic world is now engaged in.

Would that the lesson of Anne Frank's life and loss be that instead of hating each other we all learn to be kinder and more considerate towards our fellow human beings.
1269740
Although the details of the brutal machines that were the Nazi death camps are heartbreaking, the survival story of the main character is amazing and inspiring. There is some justice as well, which is very gratifying. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the plight of European Jews in World war two.
513133
HANS opens the eyes of readers to another innocent, and unknown, group victimized as a result of the Nazi regime.  The author captures her father's desperate struggle for survival as he faces the challenge of finding the most primitive of needs: food, shelter, and safety.  A heartbreaking and inspiring story at the same time!
2810457
Ruby's world is a well written story of a woman caught between naivete and boldness, innocence and courage.  Karen begins her odyssey in reaction to a miraculous recovery from a heart attack and survival of cancer.  Her spirituality insists that she repay the grace she was granted. An inner voice tells her to reach out to a small village in South Africa as a teacher.  Her idealistic visions are shattered by the width of the divide in cultures.  As she moves from inspiration to abject fear, Karen tells a fast paced story that is impossible to put down.  Her discoveries about herself are as powerful as those about the community she tried to aid.  An incredible first book, this is a profound story of innocence lost, courage and self realization.  I hope to hear more from her soon.
2802285
This book features the amazing courage and determination of a girl at a very young age to fight for truth and the God she loves do very much. It is very humbling even for an adult,to think of all the things she endured for her strong faith. A wonderful read and great to share with your young ones.
4479353
While reading Surviving 'Uncle Hitler': Journey of a German Girl, I had to keep reminding myself of whom I was reading. The story put me in mind of All Quiet on the Western Front. When Dorothea speaks of "the enemy," she's talking about the Allied countries fighting Germany. That's because she was a German girl during WWII. It gives one a different perspective when one isn't German. As a German citizen, she and others weren't exempt from the horrors of war.

Her story begins with a short history of Hitler rise to power and a description of her life and various family members. The book is written almost chronologically, but she sometimes backtracks to memories of better times when there was fresh food to eat, a warm place to sleep, and family outings.

Probably the most nightmarish segment of her memoir is the descriptions of, as refugees, their escape from Germany. Bombs were destroying the cities, and they retreated from the oncoming Russian army. Most of Europe was somehow affected by air strikes, and she describes the hardships of traveling hundreds of miles through cold mountainous regions on their way to Czechoslovakia.

Dorothea blends her story of fear and pain with mentions of her faith that God got them through the hard times. She believes that many of the hardships and disappointmentslike her father's disqualification from being able to emigrate to Americawere actually blessings in disguise. Separation from her father as he served in the German Army was one of the difficulties; they never knew where he was or if he was alive. But they kept moving. I find it appropriate the word "Surviving" is in the title after reading descriptions of the various refugee camps they stayed in.

The author is indeed blessed to have a small cache of photos which she shares, probably because her mother was so diligent in holding fast to the "big black handbag" which held their official papers. The photos lend a lot to the story and help us to see the family as "not" the enemy. They were unknowing victims of Hitler's tyranny as much as anyone.

Dorothea's writing isn't eloquent or lyrical, although some passages and specific sentences made me stop and take notice. For example:

"In retrospect, I am astounded at how tough I was, how tough all the children were to survive those terrible times. Of course, if we children hadn't been so resilient, generations would have been wiped out, and I wouldn't be here telling my story."

Her empathy for other children and her ability to see both evil and goodness give her a leg up in telling a story unique to its genre. Again, it's in the vein of All Quiet on the Western Front, but a true story by someone who was there saying, "war is wrong, devastating, and leaves scars that can last a lifetime."

In the end, Dorothea Wollin Null is a witness to her faith in God and leaves us with hope for eternity.
1317085
Emilia is the gripping story of a young, Jewish girl caught in the horror that was Nazi Germany. The young and beautiful Emilia grew up living like a princess. Suddenly, she was reduced to living like a caged animal, not knowing whether she would survive her tortured existence for another day.

Ellie Midwood tells Emilias story is told with passion and emotion that seem almost biographical. The reader is drawn into the story and shares the horrors of those dreadful times.

I have read many stories of Nazi Germany, and have spent considerable time in that country. I confess that I have a great fondness for the German people of today, but I have also wondered how those same people could have allowed the Holocaust to happen. I have also wondered how they could live with their guilt afterward.

Part II of Emilia goes a long way in providing an explanation for my conundrum. After surviving the unimaginable tortures of the brutal SS, Emilia meets Klaus, a former German soldier. Klaus, a reluctant member of the Wehrmacht,  provides her with the foundation that she needs to heal and become a whole person again.

Congratulations Ellie Midwood! You have, once again, demonstrated your unique talent to show that a good human being can indeed rise from the rubble of horror that was Nazi Germany, and that former enemies can peacefully coexistif they just put the past behind, and look to the future while living for the present.
2744586
Typically, we hear from the perspective of the Jewish people and hear the horrible torture they suffered at the hands of the Nazi's. This is not one of those books. Dorothea Wollin was born in Stettin, Germany, in December 1936. We read about her life as a young German girl whose life is upended by war. She is forced to leave her home and travel long distances to try and find a safe place. This is a story we hardly ever hear. The other side of the coin. While it's a conflicting feeling to feel bad for this little girl remember that she has no clue what was happening around her. She was a different kind of victim of the war. We learn about her life of struggle as she grows from a little girl to a teenager. Throughout all of this she comes out with a faith that is strong and unwavering. That is a testament to her strength. Excellent Memoir.
4555340
A woman who stood up for her convictions, at great risk of her own life, to save precious children from the death camps of Nazi-invaded Poland.  The book shows great sadness yet gives hope.  It tells the truth of the horrors of the Nazi invaders.
3593729
Most books about the Nazi's are from positions of Jews or from citizens outside the country. This book with a point of view from a German girl who was initially caught up in the nationalism of Germany, but saw the light and moved into protest action was profoundly impactful. Her struggle to do the right thing while dealing with her extreme fear of the Gestapo was inspiring. It gives one a real life feel for the fear and terror that citizens of Germany experienced during that time, and yet there is a hope that good will prevail. I suspect we will see this in a movie one day.
3515610
Laura Wyman has only three weeks to go before her Bat Mitzvah when she is assigned a special "twinning" project. She must read the diary of Sara Gittler, a young girl imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Sara never had the chance to celebrate her own Bat Mitzvah, so it is Laura's task to share hers. She will honor her "twin" by speaking of Sara at her ceremony.

Though Laura is at first reluctant to undertake this project, she quickly becomes immersed in Sara's story, a struggle filled with tragedy, courage, and the will to survive. From Sara, Laura learns how to find the courage to understand some of the darkness of the world, and the strength to rise above it.

THE DIARY OF LAURA'S TWIN is a touching Holocaust remembrance story for younger readers. Though it is relatively conventional in theme and plot, Kacer brings the main characters to life, giving Laura a voice that is real and heartfelt. Photographs and historical facts are cleverly interwoven into the book, making it a teaching device as well as a captivating story.

This book serves well as an age-appropriate introduction to the Holocaust that will stay in readers' minds.

Reviewed by: Rebecca Wells