Daniel Half Human

Genre: Coming of age, Fiction, Multicultural

    This is the story of a young man with a bit of an identity crisis that leads to him finding himself and appreciating who he is.  Eventually seeing the true evil of the people he once admired (Nazis).  The story captures the climate of Germany prior to and during the Hitler reign.  Daniel the main character growing up wants nothing more than to jonin the HJ which is like Hitler's little Nazi youth program so that he can one day be a part of the SS.  Sooner rather than later he finds out the reason his parents wont let him join the HJ is because his mother is actually a "full blooded" Jew who left her heritage in the past because she wanted to be completely German (hmmm).  His Father is a World War I veteran and decorated Aryan war hero for Germany.  This does not serve his father as well as he had thought because he ends up losing his law practice, home, wealth and standing in the community all because he refused to divorce his "Jewess" wife.  This also makes Daniel a half Jew and the social outcast at his now completely Aryan anti-semitic school and fatherland.  Daniel initially resents his mother and hates his half jew status but once he is confronted by a member of his soccer team about his heritage he directs his hate not towards himself or the jews but at the people that are creating all of this hatered: the Nazis.  The book is told from Daniels perspective as an adult traveling back to Germany after the war.  The peice goes into their escape form occupied Nazi Germany, the hardships, as well as the devastation faced by Jews living in Germany at the time.

    The story can give young readers and students an oppertunity to see what life might have been like living in this country during such a dark period in their national history.  Also it offers alot of perspective in terms of what a person might be thinking or feeling on both the Aryan side of the fence and the Jewish side.  Daniels best friend is Armin a full blood Aryan German who eventually becomes a member of the SS. After the war Daniel finds Armin under interogation in a concentration camp and has to due his military duty by declaring his once good friend a true Nazi that now must face what he has done in the courts so that some justice is served.  It is a strange twist of fate and exemplifies the human experience when extreme evil reigns supreme.  The work is a fine recreation of the time and not only tells a story but shows that perception is a very fickle thing and we cant really know what impact we have on others until weve walked in their shoes/boots. I recomend this highly to any class working on world history, WWII or students looking for excellent historical fiction.