Goodbye, Mr Hitler by
Jackie French
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
This is a powerful ending to the trilogy. It doesn't shy away from including some of the horrors of the Nazi regime, so it may be too much for younger and more sensitive teens. I have a slight issue with some of the resolution, which seemed a bit far fetched to me, but overall, the book has, as I said, a powerful impact.
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It was hard for me to accept that Frau Marks would absolutely know that Hitler had no children and that he would have adopted one with a birthmark and a limp. I am not sure it was necessary to have Heidi/Helga believe that she was just adopted, not a biological child. I wonder how this changes the story for adopted children. Do they feel less responsible for the acts of their parents, if they know they are adopted? Does it distance them from their adopted parents? Are biological children more responsible for the heinous acts of their parents?
Both Georg and Heidi adored Hitler. Both of them must accept that they are not their child selves and have learned different ways. Would it have been a less complete resolution if Heidi/Helga had simply had to accept that she knew Hitler as a father-figure, but that still did not mean that she had to accept responsibility for the rest of him.
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My Brigadista Year by Katherine Paterson
