Summer Of My German Soldier (1993) - Plot & Excerpts
We never read Summer of My German Soldier in class (honestly, what did we read?), nor have I seen the movie, so this Open Road edition from Netgalley was brand new to me. I hadn't realized the main character and narrator of the story, Patty, was so young (12); my first assumption was that she was old enough for this to be a more common sort of love story.It's not what I was anticipating, but despite her youth, it is a love story, of a sort, or of several sorts. It involves Patty's love for her sister, against all odds: it would have been less surprising to me if she had loathed Sharon for being the apple of their parents' eyes by simply existing. (What were the first five years of Patty's life, pre-Sharon, like, I wonder?) Patty's love for - or desire to love - her parents, against even greater odds. The housekeeper/nanny Ruth's genuine affection for Patty, and her staunch position on Patty's side no matter what. Anton Reiker, the German Soldier, is part of that facet; his point of view is not only as a grateful recipient of her help but as someone who sees what the rest of her life is doing to her. His and Ruth's interaction with Patty reminded me of Aibilene from The Help, constantly telling the browbeaten little girl "You is kind, you is smart, you is good..." - trying desperately to counteract the inevitable result of the horrible combination of intentional and unintentional abuse by the parents. Trying to provide a life raft in a sea of self-hatred.There is, to be honest, a lot not to like about Patty, at first glance - which is what makes her a compelling character. She - a Jewish girl - decides to aid an escaped German POW purely based on the fact that he was friendly to her, was attractive, and spoke excellent English, and that she was instantly infatuated with him (without really knowing how to express that, even to herself); for all she knew, actually knew, he could have been the deepest-dyed Nazi there ever was. A sheltered and affection-starved twelve-year old isn't exactly the judge of character I'd want to rely on in this situation. In fact, from the little bit I know about Nazi espionage techniques, Reiker is the sort of man most prized by the SS: able to speak unaccented English, plausible and friendly-seeming... My hair stood on end a bit thinking about it. She could have caused unspeakable damage with one thoughtless act.Also, of course, her constant lies are off-putting, and a little alarming, but in the context of her pitiable desperation to do something, anything to finally reach her parents' hearts they make sense. It seems to be an almost instinctual response to almost any situation – one which, hopefully, she can outgrow.The introduction - exclusive to the Open Road edition, I think - talks about Bette Greene's parents' reaction to the book. "Couldn't you at least have waited till we were dead?" She apparently either evaded the question or denied outright that she and Patty were one and the same; however, her parents evidently recognized enough of themselves in the narrative to be defensive and outraged. They weren't brought to shame about their behavior, but were instead - as always - put out with their daughter that she had not had more consideration for them. I've encountered Eeeevil Parents in a couple of books lately, and sighed over them, wanting more depth to make them realistic … in Patty's parents the lack of depth is partly down to the story being told by a twelve-year-old. She had no way of knowing any kind of motivation for how they treated her, no way to fathom the psychology. She doesn't look for excuses for them - she simply shoulders the responsibility for it (she's not a good person) and tries to make amends. It's horrifying.Looking over what I've written I see variations on the word "desperate" popping up. And for a brief book written in a fairly light tone, centered around the suburban life of a twelve-year-old merchant's daughter in 20th century Alabama, there is a wrenching amount of desperation running all through it. Reiker does not escape because he wants to meet up with saboteurs (we hope), but because the confinement was pressing upon him, and he needed freedom. Ruth is, on surface, what the Scots call sonsy; she is the mammy archetype of the middle-aged black servant who actually looks after the white folks' children - but at least one of these white folks' children is in a bad way, and she has a son of her own who is at hazard. Hers is, too, the constant worry of her race and position in her time and place. Patty sees her mother as the consummate salesperson, able to sell ice to an Eskimo, but the little scene we are shown (of a poor farmer's wife being cozened into buying not only the dress she was looking at but an ugly hat as well) is almost heartbreaking in its sordidness: the mother's eagerness to wring another dollar out of someone who can't afford it but who is almost as thirsty for praise as Patty; the false praise being heaped on this stranger when Patty would, literally, do anything for a kind word.Love and desperation. It packs a punch that surprised me, this little book.
From the book jacket: From the minutes before the train pulled in to the station, Patty Bergen knew something exciting was going to happen. German prisoners of war have arrived to make the prison camp in Jenkinsville, Arkansas, their new home. To the rest of her town, these prisoners are Nazis. But to patty, a young Jewish girl with a turbulent home life, one boy in particular becomes a friend. Anton relates to Patty in ways that her family never can. My reactionsI didn’t include all the information from the back cover, which makes this sound like a teen romance; that is very misleading. What it is is a novel about compassion, loyalty, self-realization, courage, faith and self-preservation.Twelve-year-old Patty is obviously not the child her parents hoped to have. She is at best an average student, making mostly C’s in school. Her mother is constantly berating her for her unruly hair, and her lack of interest in fashion. Her father insists on strict obedience and cannot tolerate her constant questioning. In contrast her little sister is the apple of her parents’ eyes – blonde, cute, always ready with a song or dance. It seems that the only person who shows any love to Patty is their African-American housekeeper, Ruth. Summers are particularly lonely for Patty because the few friends she has from school go away to Bible camp which she cannot attend as a Jew. Her grandparents in Memphis would love to have her visit, but her father won’t allow it. So when a handful of prisoners are brought to her parents’ store to buy hats Patty is intrigued by one polite young man who wants only pencils and a pencil sharpener. Anton treats her with respect and she begins to fantasize about a relationship with him. The way he treats Patty makes her feel, for the first time, that she is a worthwhile person, a person who deserves to be loved. This book just about broke my heart. Patty is such a wonderful character – intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, and courageous. But she is also a child and her immaturity shows in her impetuous actions and telling of tales. Still, the way she is treated by her parents (and many of the other adults in the novel) made want to just throttle them. Even at the end she is still feeling misunderstood and alone, yet also strong enough to possibly make it on her own one day. Patty imagines herself treading water, still far out to sea, but in sight of land, and deciding that she’ll try to swim for it.I know there is a sequel to this book … set some six years after the end of this one. But I’m not sure I’ll read it. I kind of like the ending image of this novel.
What do You think about Summer Of My German Soldier (1993)?
This was one of the best books that I read. It had a lot of things going on in it. Patty is the main character in this story. She has a normal life, however, it becomes much more interesting as it goes. The setting of this story takes place during WWII. It's about the POW's (Prisoner's of War) and how one of them escaped. His name was Frederick Anton Riecker. Patty see's him at the local drug store that her family owns. He buys some items from her but there was something that felt special to Patty. He was really nice to her and he cared about her. You could tell the mood because he was trying to be nice to her because he was the only one that could speak English. The main characters in this story are Patty, Anton, Ruth (maid), Patty's mother and Patty's father. Anton is described through direct charaterization because he gets described by the author. Patty, the main character is definitely a dynamic character because she changes a lot from the beginning. Ruth is a great advice giver. She helps out Patty with all of her problems. She had a big problem now because Patty had taken in the escaped prisoner and cared for him and they became great friends. Along the way Patty faces very much adversity. This is because later in the book, people find out that she is helping him. She is also trying to hide him from her father who hates the German's for what they are doing to the Jewish people. The rest you will have to find out in the book.
—Will.i.am Schwartz
I find I've been reading a lot of YA novels about males, so my wife suggested I read this one, a favorite from her adolescence.Turns out Patty Bergen is a fantastic young adult narrator, a girl who just may have the most wretched parents I've ever read about.Summer of My German Soldier is a unique sort of book, and it is beautifully written. It is a story about the Holocaust, but it's set in Arkansas. It was a new perspective on this horrible part of our human history. Patty Bergen is a Jewish American who befriends and helps an escaped German POW. I was surprised by the sad paradox of Anti-Semitism and hatred for Hitler and Nazism, but the love and care of Anton and Ruth (the Bergen's black housekeeper) was heart-warming. The book is just as much as a celebration of the goodness in Patty (and in us all) as an indictment of the cruelty we spew at strangers and even our children.Published in 1973, this had to be one of the first YA books. It may be a little dated, but Patty is a wonderful narrator, and I will look forward to reading the sequel soon.
—Dominic
OK, I lied. THIS is the worst book I've ever been FORCED to read. Note to teachers, if you make your students read this, THEN YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM! Have you ever wondered why kids don't like reading? It's because of books like these. And, if you continue to say that this book ties in with whatever WWII lesson your teaching, then I truly feel sorry. Not for the teachers, but for the students. Plain and simple, this book sucks. To the teachers who make their kids read this, I advise you to turn yourselves into the police, because your torturing your students.
—Adam
