I Was There

by Hans Peter Richter

Book Overview

From winner of Winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for Friedrich and for readers of Number the Stars and If I Should Die Before I Wake . Hans and his friend Gunther, are just trying to get through life with Adolf Hitler being elected in Germany. Gunther's father was against Hitler, but eight-year-olds Hans and Gunther join the SS youth program, and later enter the military, where they are swept away by Hitler's regime.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014032206X
• ISBN13: 9780140322064
• Release Date: May 1987
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.9" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

A shorter version

I came across this book aged 13 (many years ago) and was moved by the honesty of the author he manages to convey the excitement of joining Hitlers army through to the terror of close combat on the eastern front.However, this version has been reduced by about 400 pages. the original is a truly massive work and the updated (?) version misses the point of the author. A real shame.

I WAS THERE

I read this and it did not really seem so great. The book is an autobiogrophy of the author when he was in the Hitler youth Movement. It tells what he and his friend Heinz and Gunther went through while they were in the movement. The author and Hienz are enthusiastic about the movement but Gunther seems to always struggle through and Gunther was pressured into joining the movement because his family was poor and he did not want it seem like he was different from all the other boys. I gave it 4 stars because I learned alot of stuff from the book. I learned that you could lose your respect from the Hitler movement by doing anything that disobeyed, even if you didn't do it on purpose you would still lose respect. I learned that If you were near a jew, you'd get hurt. And I learned in the movement that you were expected to do everything no matter what, even if you had to go somewhere with your family you stll had to do your duties. But the book itself wasn't good but it was okay. Usually with autobiogrophies, you would feel the way the author feels but the way Hans Peter Richter wrote the book, I did not feel the passion as he did. I would have given this 3 stars but because I learned alot stuff, I thought it deserved an extra star.

I Was There ABook Review

Recommendation I would recommend this book to anybody 12 and older because this book is meant for serious readers. I also would recommend that if you read this book you should have some interest in history because if you don't know what the Jungvolk is you wont understand half of the book. This book demonstrates how the young boys were forced into the Military, For Example when Otto was asked By the Commander of the Hitler Youth, "And how come you didn't join the Hitler Youth." When they weren't doing anything for the Hitler youth, they were like the soldiers slaves and they also were made fun of quite often by the soldiers. One time the soldiers said at the party to the boys when they were helping out, "What kind of milksops do we have here." So I would definitely recommend this book to people who have interest in History.

I Was There

This book was a excallent book about what happened or what teenagers did during WWII.It's about the author himself, Hans Peter Richter.Him and his friends, Heniz and gunther join the Hitler youth movement. Hans and Heinz are enthusiastic, but Gunther participates in it only because of pressure on him and his family. Every German youth has a part in Hitler's third Reich. So the youths have to go around soliticing money for the poor, collecting scrap iron,tormenting Jews, taking premilitary training, shouting"Heil Hitler" when Hitler appears himself and fially, ultanately, serving in the German armed forces.Hans and his friends share the same experince.

An indepth story of a young boy in the Hitler youth progam.

The story of a young boy moving his way up throught the Hitler youth programs. It is well writen and goes indepth with feelings, emotions, and pain.