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Damals war es Friedrich
Zwei Jungen wachsen im selben Haus auf und gehen in die selbe Schulklasse. Jeder wird als einziges Kind von verständnis- und liebevollen Eltern erzogen. Selbstverständlich werden sie gute Freunde und jeder ist in der Familie des anderen daheim.
Doch Friedrich Schneider ist Jude und allmählich wirft der Nationalsozialismus seine Schatten über ihn.
Friedrichs Freund, der zwar bis zuletzt an Friedrich hängt, kann ihm immer weniger zur Seite stehen, da er selbst dem Zwang seiner Zeit ausgeliefert ist. Langsam gleitet die Geschichte aus der heilen Kinderwelt in ein unfassbares Dunkel.
Doch Friedrich Schneider ist Jude und allmählich wirft der Nationalsozialismus seine Schatten über ihn.
Friedrichs Freund, der zwar bis zuletzt an Friedrich hängt, kann ihm immer weniger zur Seite stehen, da er selbst dem Zwang seiner Zeit ausgeliefert ist. Langsam gleitet die Geschichte aus der heilen Kinderwelt in ein unfassbares Dunkel.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
115 people are currently reading
1905 people want to read
About the author
Hans Peter Richter
74 books11 followersHans Peter Richter (1926–1993) was a German author. Born in Cologne, Germany, went to school in Germany, went to the university of Hannover, and graduated in 1968. He also spent some of his life in the German army. Richter wrote many books for children and young adults. Notable among them is the novel Friedrich (in German Damals War Es Friedrich), about the persecution of Jews in Germany during the Holocaust. Friedrich (published in 1970) was the subject of an American Library Association 1972 ALSC Batchelder Award. -- Richter also published several books on sociology and psychology.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 290 reviews
March 2, 2022
So yes, Hans Peter Richter’s 1961 Damals war es Friedrich (which has also been translated into English as simply Friedrich and equally won the Mildred Batchelder Award) is considered one of the first German language novels conceptualised for children to deliberately and specifically tackle and analyse Nazi atrocities. Because indeed and certainly, Richter’s narrative for Damals war es Friedrich has as its main theme not how WWII was such a terrible time for Germany and the average German citizen (and which seems to have been the general scenario encountered in late 1940s and early 1950s German children’s novels having WWII as a theme), but instead Damals war es Friedrich demonstrates rabid and all encompassing anti Semitism, how German Jews were during Adolf Hitler reign of terror slowly but constantly, surely stripped of their basic human rights (and how Friedrich’s death at the end of Damals war es Friedrich during a bombing raid by the Allies should in fact be seen and approached as having been totally precipitated by anti Semitism, since Friedrich was denied entry into the bunker, into his building’s basement airstrike shelter due to him being Jewish).
Furthermore, I do very much and appreciatively remember encountering Damals war es Friedrich in the spring of 1976 (as an in-class reading assignment). For even though Damals war es Friedrich was of course and naturally a massively depressing and absolutely infuriatingly painful reading experience for nine year old me, Hans Peter Richter’s text and our classroom based discussions did give us students a necessary even if personally uncomfortable portrait of our past, of Germany’s past, and indeed also answered a lot of questions I myself was having about the Third Reich, about the Nazis and also concerning anti Semitism (and which my own family either could not or did not really want to answer at that particular time). And as such, I do very much consider Damals war es Friedrich as a both important and also necessary childhood reading experience for me, even though there was never any reading pleasure or joy encountered (but yes, that is also how it bien sûr should be).
However, even though I am glad to have read Damals war es Friedrich as a child and still do consider this novel as a generally age appropriate and enlightening basic entry into National Socialism and into the Holocaust for child readers from about the age of eight to twelve or so (with of course the caveat that there is no happy ending and much depressing horror to be encountered), as an older and much more critically analytical adult rereading Damals was es Friedrich for the first time since 1976, I do have to admit finding especially Hans Peter Richter’s general writing style really quite chilling and potentially problematic. Because to and for me, both the title of Damals war es Friedrich and in particular how the young narrator (a nameless German boy and Friedrich’s best friend) tells us about Friedrich’s life and death as a Jew during WWII, during the terrors of Nazi anti Semitism in Third Reich Germany, there is a stylistic and emotional fatalism and resigning authorial attitude present that sure does keep me thinking that for Klaus Peter Richter himself, while the Holocaust is appreciatively seen as horrible, unforgivable, painful, it is also somehow being visualised as something rather typical of human populations in general, that there always seems to be the need for scapegoats and that in Nazi Germany, those scapegoats just happened to be the Jews, leaving me as an adult reader with the very much uncomfortable feeling that while in Hans Peter Richter is of course angered and horrified by the anti Semitism of the Third Reich, he also seems to rather resign himself to this and to simply consider the atrocities of the Holocaust as somehow being part of human behaviour and human societies as a whole, and thus not something that one can actively strive against and try to change for the better, for the positive.
Furthermore, I do very much and appreciatively remember encountering Damals war es Friedrich in the spring of 1976 (as an in-class reading assignment). For even though Damals war es Friedrich was of course and naturally a massively depressing and absolutely infuriatingly painful reading experience for nine year old me, Hans Peter Richter’s text and our classroom based discussions did give us students a necessary even if personally uncomfortable portrait of our past, of Germany’s past, and indeed also answered a lot of questions I myself was having about the Third Reich, about the Nazis and also concerning anti Semitism (and which my own family either could not or did not really want to answer at that particular time). And as such, I do very much consider Damals war es Friedrich as a both important and also necessary childhood reading experience for me, even though there was never any reading pleasure or joy encountered (but yes, that is also how it bien sûr should be).
However, even though I am glad to have read Damals war es Friedrich as a child and still do consider this novel as a generally age appropriate and enlightening basic entry into National Socialism and into the Holocaust for child readers from about the age of eight to twelve or so (with of course the caveat that there is no happy ending and much depressing horror to be encountered), as an older and much more critically analytical adult rereading Damals was es Friedrich for the first time since 1976, I do have to admit finding especially Hans Peter Richter’s general writing style really quite chilling and potentially problematic. Because to and for me, both the title of Damals war es Friedrich and in particular how the young narrator (a nameless German boy and Friedrich’s best friend) tells us about Friedrich’s life and death as a Jew during WWII, during the terrors of Nazi anti Semitism in Third Reich Germany, there is a stylistic and emotional fatalism and resigning authorial attitude present that sure does keep me thinking that for Klaus Peter Richter himself, while the Holocaust is appreciatively seen as horrible, unforgivable, painful, it is also somehow being visualised as something rather typical of human populations in general, that there always seems to be the need for scapegoats and that in Nazi Germany, those scapegoats just happened to be the Jews, leaving me as an adult reader with the very much uncomfortable feeling that while in Hans Peter Richter is of course angered and horrified by the anti Semitism of the Third Reich, he also seems to rather resign himself to this and to simply consider the atrocities of the Holocaust as somehow being part of human behaviour and human societies as a whole, and thus not something that one can actively strive against and try to change for the better, for the positive.
January 5, 2018
Got to page 33 and realized that this book was going to make me weep buckets. I skipped to the end. Oh yeah, Hankie City. The why the 4 star rating you ask?
Because this book is very important. It's not just another Holocaust book. It's real, it's visceral and it's told from the POV of a child born in Germany in 1925 who is friends with a Jewish boy who is his upstairs neighbor, which makes what happens to the family and the boy that much more powerful to the reader.
It is more powerful if you think the book is non-fiction, as I did when I started to read it. Just because it isn't doesn't mean that it can't teach a reader not familiar with the Holocaust of how something that horrible can happen and how it happens to regular, everyday folk.
Incredibly sad, but important book. I couldn't finish it, but recognize the power and need for books like this. 4, sad, but true, stars.
Because this book is very important. It's not just another Holocaust book. It's real, it's visceral and it's told from the POV of a child born in Germany in 1925 who is friends with a Jewish boy who is his upstairs neighbor, which makes what happens to the family and the boy that much more powerful to the reader.
It is more powerful if you think the book is non-fiction, as I did when I started to read it. Just because it isn't doesn't mean that it can't teach a reader not familiar with the Holocaust of how something that horrible can happen and how it happens to regular, everyday folk.
Incredibly sad, but important book. I couldn't finish it, but recognize the power and need for books like this. 4, sad, but true, stars.
March 24, 2013
I took four years of German classes in high school. German I was a small class, only ten or so people. For German II and III I was the only one that continued, so I had A PRIVATE TUTOR essentially for two years.
As a result, we probably did a lot of things most kids wouldn't get away with in class (by "we" I mean "I," of course) - like listening to OpIvy during finals (cos my teacher was bored and since I'd listened to music while I was studying IT ONLY MADE SENSE to listen to it during the test, right?) and sharing snacks and stuff. This girl A. had an office assistant period and was always SO MAD when she came in to deliver the announcements cos I was always listening to music or eating and SHE COULDN'T.
What was I talking about?
Right. Damals war es Friedrich. Which I guess is just called Friedrich in the English translation, but I haven't read that so I can't talk about it.
This book.
This book is fucking sad. I know I just talked recently about how books and movies didn't really make me cry until after my oldest was born, but I have to amend that statement. Because this book made me cry ALL THE TEARS.
I have a difficult time reading Holocaust stories in general, but this one especially is hard to read.
Damals war es Friedrich is told from the point of view of our narrator, but the story is all about his Jewish friend and neighbour, the titular Friedrich. It begins in the mid '20s and follows both families for several years.
Both boys (our narrator and Friedrich) have no idea what it means to be a member of the Jungvolk, they just know that it's exciting to be part of such a group.
Friedrich's father loses his job, because Jews don't deserve to work. Friedrich is sent to a Jews-only school, and kicked out of both the kino and the swimming pool. Friedrich's school is trashed by the aforementioned Jungvolk and they head to Friedrich's house, where his mother becomes their next victim. It's horrifying and compelling at the same time, and I remember sobbing my eyes out.
This is not an easy read, thematically, but it is definitely worthwhile.
...and now I really want Kartoffelpuffern.
As a result, we probably did a lot of things most kids wouldn't get away with in class (by "we" I mean "I," of course) - like listening to OpIvy during finals (cos my teacher was bored and since I'd listened to music while I was studying IT ONLY MADE SENSE to listen to it during the test, right?) and sharing snacks and stuff. This girl A. had an office assistant period and was always SO MAD when she came in to deliver the announcements cos I was always listening to music or eating and SHE COULDN'T.
What was I talking about?
Right. Damals war es Friedrich. Which I guess is just called Friedrich in the English translation, but I haven't read that so I can't talk about it.
This book.
This book is fucking sad. I know I just talked recently about how books and movies didn't really make me cry until after my oldest was born, but I have to amend that statement. Because this book made me cry ALL THE TEARS.
I have a difficult time reading Holocaust stories in general, but this one especially is hard to read.
Damals war es Friedrich is told from the point of view of our narrator, but the story is all about his Jewish friend and neighbour, the titular Friedrich. It begins in the mid '20s and follows both families for several years.
Both boys (our narrator and Friedrich) have no idea what it means to be a member of the Jungvolk, they just know that it's exciting to be part of such a group.
Friedrich's father loses his job, because Jews don't deserve to work. Friedrich is sent to a Jews-only school, and kicked out of both the kino and the swimming pool. Friedrich's school is trashed by the aforementioned Jungvolk and they head to Friedrich's house, where his mother becomes their next victim. It's horrifying and compelling at the same time, and I remember sobbing my eyes out.
This is not an easy read, thematically, but it is definitely worthwhile.
...and now I really want Kartoffelpuffern.
December 3, 2018
Ich habe dieses Buch vor etwa 13 Jahren in der Schule als Klassenlektüre gelesen und fand es damals zwar nicht per se schlecht, aber auch nicht sonderlich mitreißend. Nachdem ich es nun auf einem Flohmarkt entdeckt habe und noch einmal gelesen habe, muss ich aber sagen, dass es doch sehr viel Potential birgt und ich verstehen kann, warum unsere Lehrerin es ausgewählt hat.
Es wird die Geschichte von einem namenlosen Erzähler geschildert, der sich mit dem Nachbarjungen Friedrich, einem Juden, anfreundet. Und währen für ihn die Situation immer besser wird, verliert Friedrich nach und nach alles. Es ist erschreckend wie akkurat und glaubwürdig die Geschichte geschildert ist, und wie die der Erzähler und seine Eltern durchwegs versuchen ihre Menschlichkeit zu bewahren und zu helfen aber aus Angst um das eigene Leben schließlich doch am System scheitern.
Geschrieben ist es auch sehr angenehm, sodass ich es an einem Nachmittag gelesen habe, aber dennoch klingt die Geschichte lange nach.
Ich bin aber auch der Meinung, dass wir es mit 10-12 Jahren zu früh gelesen haben in der Schule, und ich es deswegen beim ersten Mal gar nicht wirklich schätzen konnte.
Es wird die Geschichte von einem namenlosen Erzähler geschildert, der sich mit dem Nachbarjungen Friedrich, einem Juden, anfreundet. Und währen für ihn die Situation immer besser wird, verliert Friedrich nach und nach alles. Es ist erschreckend wie akkurat und glaubwürdig die Geschichte geschildert ist, und wie die der Erzähler und seine Eltern durchwegs versuchen ihre Menschlichkeit zu bewahren und zu helfen aber aus Angst um das eigene Leben schließlich doch am System scheitern.
Geschrieben ist es auch sehr angenehm, sodass ich es an einem Nachmittag gelesen habe, aber dennoch klingt die Geschichte lange nach.
Ich bin aber auch der Meinung, dass wir es mit 10-12 Jahren zu früh gelesen haben in der Schule, und ich es deswegen beim ersten Mal gar nicht wirklich schätzen konnte.
March 23, 2021
Richter's eyewitness credibility lends the story considerable weight and authenticity to many details. Yet the events are presented plainly, without commentary. Inconsistent behavior and attitudes may reflect Richter's boyhood perceptions, but the resulting ambivalence is frustrating to navigate.
"Friedrich and his family are dead," the book seems to say, "and all of us killed them. However, only some of us wanted to."
Illuminating in parts, and a reasonably good grade-school introduction to "banality of evil", the dissatisfying nature of Friedrich may well be its best asset.
"Friedrich and his family are dead," the book seems to say, "and all of us killed them. However, only some of us wanted to."
Illuminating in parts, and a reasonably good grade-school introduction to "banality of evil", the dissatisfying nature of Friedrich may well be its best asset.
October 16, 2016
I bought this at a used bookstore because it looked interesting, and when I finished reading it, I thought that, even given the genre, it was one of the most depressing stories I've EVER read. It starts off REALLY slow, and somewhat dull, and then just continues to get worse and worse and worse, throughout the entire book, and things never get better for ANY of the main characters. I understand that the Holocaust was NOT a pleasant time in Germany, but the author could have at least put some hopeful elements into the story, given that this is fiction. And while the story itself is riveting in some respects, and clearly DOES detail the suffering of the Jews in Germany, I don't like the way it was put together as a whole. If you're looking for a book where the chapters transition seamlessly into one another, and you feel that the book as a whole is unified, you might want to skip this book. This story reads more like a collection of childhood memories just thrown together in snippets, with each chapter seeming to stop abruptly, sometimes without even letting you know exactly what happened to the characters involved, and the next one starting off as a completely different episode, sometimes as much as a year or two later. There are some characters in the book, like the hostile grandfather, or the pretty, kind-hearted Helga, who are only mentioned in one chapter, and then you never hear about them again. The book also comes to a tragic and somewhat bizarre ending, with plenty of question marks left for the reader. I don't recommend this book, unfortunately, just because of structural issues, though the story itself would have been better had it been allowed to flow more smoothly. For those reasons, I can't really recommend this book.
September 21, 2013
Stunning, unsettling book on the Holocaust. This was the first book written specifically from a child's perspective on the Holocaust, and by a German author. Two boys who are very best friends, one Christian and one Jewish, experience the gradual takeover of mind and society by the Nazi government. The implacable pull of culture and society on the personalities and actions of children during this time is evident here.
The author's matter-of-fact writing was controversial when the book was first published in 1961. Even today, some critics don't think a children's book should be as morally neutral as this one. However, I think the author's purpose in doing so is very effective. Hindsight is missing, as it rightly should be in recreating an episode from history. Actionable morality is a gradual process in children, so the lack of it should not be a shock in this account.
As a result, this book is extremely thought-provoking for the reader, whether young or old. Highly recommended as one of the very best fiction works on the Holocaust for the middle reader to adult.
The author's matter-of-fact writing was controversial when the book was first published in 1961. Even today, some critics don't think a children's book should be as morally neutral as this one. However, I think the author's purpose in doing so is very effective. Hindsight is missing, as it rightly should be in recreating an episode from history. Actionable morality is a gradual process in children, so the lack of it should not be a shock in this account.
As a result, this book is extremely thought-provoking for the reader, whether young or old. Highly recommended as one of the very best fiction works on the Holocaust for the middle reader to adult.
January 29, 2025
Gerade momentan wieder sehr schwer zu lesen. Hinterlässt einen riesigen Knoten im Magen- sollte es auch. Sehr simpel geschrieben, was aber gut ist, weil es von einem Kind erzählt wird. Bedrückend, aber gerade jetzt sollte es wohl jeder (nochmal) lesen…
October 9, 2019
for holocaust class
April 17, 2025
4,5 Sterne, weil das Ende doch sehr schnell kam.
Ich habe das Buch jetzt als Erwachsene gelesen, weil es in meiner Schule nicht zur Schullektüre gehörte, es ein Schüler in unserer Nachhilfeschule im Unterricht gelesen hat und ich die Lücke stopfen wollte 😉
Es sind kurze Kapitel, die sich, leider, schnell weg lesen lassen. Und wenn man so durch die Seiten fliegt (habe es immer nur in meiner Mittagspause an der Arbeit gelesen) und nicht etwas sacken lässt, auf die Feinheiten achtet, wie im Unterricht, gehen diese Feinheiten etwas verloren. Trotzdem kam ich teilweise aus dem Kopf schütteln nicht raus. Wie konnte sowas passieren? Die Menschen so etwas zulassen? (Das kann man ja gut bei "Die Welle" nachlesen)
Es wird beschrieben, dass es auch Widerstand gibt, aber die Angst ist wohl doch teilweise zu groß. Und als Kind denkt man über diese ganzen Sachen nicht so nach, man macht mit, weil alle es tun (Hitlerjugend oder auch beim Pogrom).
Ein schwieriges Buch, wichtig, sollte man gelesen haben, auch den Anhang!
Ich habe das Buch jetzt als Erwachsene gelesen, weil es in meiner Schule nicht zur Schullektüre gehörte, es ein Schüler in unserer Nachhilfeschule im Unterricht gelesen hat und ich die Lücke stopfen wollte 😉
Es sind kurze Kapitel, die sich, leider, schnell weg lesen lassen. Und wenn man so durch die Seiten fliegt (habe es immer nur in meiner Mittagspause an der Arbeit gelesen) und nicht etwas sacken lässt, auf die Feinheiten achtet, wie im Unterricht, gehen diese Feinheiten etwas verloren. Trotzdem kam ich teilweise aus dem Kopf schütteln nicht raus. Wie konnte sowas passieren? Die Menschen so etwas zulassen? (Das kann man ja gut bei "Die Welle" nachlesen)
Es wird beschrieben, dass es auch Widerstand gibt, aber die Angst ist wohl doch teilweise zu groß. Und als Kind denkt man über diese ganzen Sachen nicht so nach, man macht mit, weil alle es tun (Hitlerjugend oder auch beim Pogrom).
Ein schwieriges Buch, wichtig, sollte man gelesen haben, auch den Anhang!
September 27, 2011
You may be inclined to ask what more can be said about the horrors of the holocaust. If so, then read this book.
While somewhat slow in pace, hanging in there will bring reward. In fact, the pace appears deliberate and analogous to the creeping dangers of the Nazi party, that when in full horrific elevation many looked back and realized the day to day progress as one denial after another slowly happened to Jews.
This story is told by Hans whose family is struggling. Out of work in a post WWII German economy, Hans' father worries about how to feed his wife and son. Above them lives his friend Friedrich who is Jewish His father is a government worker with a stable job. Generous with his resources, Friedrich's family graciously assists where and whenever they can.
As the Nazi party takes hold, Han discovers that his father has a very lucrative job. Joining the Jungvolk, Hans is enamored with a sense of purpose and belonging. When Friedrich is denied education, his father losses his job and the Nazi's destroy their apartment, killing Friedrich's mother, Han and his family must make a moral decision to help.
They do so reluctantly but not at the level that would place their status in a precarious manner.
Not wanting to spoil the ending, I'll simply say I encourage you to find a copy and read it.
While somewhat slow in pace, hanging in there will bring reward. In fact, the pace appears deliberate and analogous to the creeping dangers of the Nazi party, that when in full horrific elevation many looked back and realized the day to day progress as one denial after another slowly happened to Jews.
This story is told by Hans whose family is struggling. Out of work in a post WWII German economy, Hans' father worries about how to feed his wife and son. Above them lives his friend Friedrich who is Jewish His father is a government worker with a stable job. Generous with his resources, Friedrich's family graciously assists where and whenever they can.
As the Nazi party takes hold, Han discovers that his father has a very lucrative job. Joining the Jungvolk, Hans is enamored with a sense of purpose and belonging. When Friedrich is denied education, his father losses his job and the Nazi's destroy their apartment, killing Friedrich's mother, Han and his family must make a moral decision to help.
They do so reluctantly but not at the level that would place their status in a precarious manner.
Not wanting to spoil the ending, I'll simply say I encourage you to find a copy and read it.
October 3, 2013
The book tells the story of two best friends that witnessed the slow evolution of the nazi party, one is christian, and the other is a jew. The story is told from the point of view of an unnamed character whose family is struggling in a pre World War II economy. The narrator's father struggles to keep his wife and son fed. They live in the same apartment as the Schneiders who are jewish and are living well. They help the narrator's family whenever they can. The goes on during the time Hitler is coming to power. The narrator's family began to receive benefits while as Friedrich's family began to lose their rights because they were jews. The books is good because it tells the story from the point of view of a german boy other than most books which tell the story a Jew's perspective. In comparison to the book "Night" by Elie Wiesel which tells from a Jew's point of view, you can see in "Friedrich" that the narrator sees his best friend lose his privileges from his eyes as he receives benefits for being of different religion. The book is short, and the beginning seems a bit slow, but gets better towards the end.
May 1, 2020
Oh my. Cried a lot. This is a different angle of the Holocaust and the war. Written by a gentile about his Jew bff. So sad. We can never let this happen again. It scares me. I wish I knew where they lived. The book only says Hams was born in Cologne. So, maybe that’s where they love during the whole time. I want to hear more though. Did his father live??? Did the rabbi live? I bought this book at the Dachau concentration camp book shop. So glad I did.
June 23, 2019
Wow, one of the chapters in this book made me so furious and mad. Actually, I have to admit quite a few chapters made me furious and mad. In my life, I've never gotten mad at a fictional character in a book like I have with this book. But it's amazing how this book made me feel like I was watching everything that was happening in the story right in front of me, with my own very eyes.
November 25, 2024
3,5/5
Ich kann nicht einschätzen, wie ich das Buch als Jugendliche gefunden hätte (wahrscheinlich gut).
Als Erwachsene finde ich es immer noch lesenswert, aber nicht total überzeugend. Viele Figuren sind relativ eindimensional und werden als klassisch „gut“ oder „schlecht“ dargestellt. Das liegt bei dem Thema vielleicht nahe, führt aber dazu, dass das Buch teilweise an Glaubwürdigkeit verliert und etwas Modellhaftes (ich finde kein besseres Wort) bekommt. Die Darstellung des Ich-Erzählers und seiner Eltern fand ich da gelungener weil mehrdimensionaler.
Trotzdem: Als Leser:in muss man bei dem Buch nicht viel selbst nachdenken, das meiste wird einem recht eindeutig und fertig eingeordnet präsentiert. Aber dafür ist es vielleicht auch ein Jugendbuch (obwohl ich denke, dass man Jugendlichen da schon mehr zutrauen kann)?
Ich kann nicht einschätzen, wie ich das Buch als Jugendliche gefunden hätte (wahrscheinlich gut).
Als Erwachsene finde ich es immer noch lesenswert, aber nicht total überzeugend. Viele Figuren sind relativ eindimensional und werden als klassisch „gut“ oder „schlecht“ dargestellt. Das liegt bei dem Thema vielleicht nahe, führt aber dazu, dass das Buch teilweise an Glaubwürdigkeit verliert und etwas Modellhaftes (ich finde kein besseres Wort) bekommt. Die Darstellung des Ich-Erzählers und seiner Eltern fand ich da gelungener weil mehrdimensionaler.
Trotzdem: Als Leser:in muss man bei dem Buch nicht viel selbst nachdenken, das meiste wird einem recht eindeutig und fertig eingeordnet präsentiert. Aber dafür ist es vielleicht auch ein Jugendbuch (obwohl ich denke, dass man Jugendlichen da schon mehr zutrauen kann)?
October 28, 2019
Eines der ersten deutschen Bücher, welches ich gelesen haben, was "Damals war es Friedrich". Deutsch ist nicht meine Muttersprache und obwohl ich viele deutschsprachige Bücher gelesen haben, habe ich sicherlich nicht immer alle in den ersten Jahren verstanden.
Komischerweise, oder vielleicht gerade weil es so wichtig ist, blieb mir dieses Buch im Kopf. Ich war jung, wenig erfahren und hatte auch keine Ahnung über die deutsche Vergangenheit, als das Buch in der Schule durchgenommen wurde. Es war sicherlich die Unter- oder Mittelstufe, wo wir das Buch gemeinsam gelesen haben und ich war komplett überwältigt.
Ich kann nicht mehr genau erklären, was genau mich damals so verstört hatte, war es vielleicht, weil wir im ähnlichen Alter waren? Oder weil ich der Meinung war, dass das nicht wirklich passiert sein kann? Die traurige Wahrheit und Gewissheit kam natürlich in den weiteren Jahren, wo die deutsche Geschichte immer wieder aufgenommen wurde, aber damals war es ein kompletter Schock, sodass ich mich noch immer an das Ende des Buches erinnern kann.
Dieses Buch hatte meine Gefühle und Gedanken noch mehr in Aufruhr gebracht als andere Bücher wie Anne Franks Tagebuch. Aber vielleicht ist die Erinnerung einfach auch stärker, weil es eines der ersten Bücher war, wo ich angefangen habe auch zwischen den Zeilen zu lesen.
Komischerweise, oder vielleicht gerade weil es so wichtig ist, blieb mir dieses Buch im Kopf. Ich war jung, wenig erfahren und hatte auch keine Ahnung über die deutsche Vergangenheit, als das Buch in der Schule durchgenommen wurde. Es war sicherlich die Unter- oder Mittelstufe, wo wir das Buch gemeinsam gelesen haben und ich war komplett überwältigt.
Ich kann nicht mehr genau erklären, was genau mich damals so verstört hatte, war es vielleicht, weil wir im ähnlichen Alter waren? Oder weil ich der Meinung war, dass das nicht wirklich passiert sein kann? Die traurige Wahrheit und Gewissheit kam natürlich in den weiteren Jahren, wo die deutsche Geschichte immer wieder aufgenommen wurde, aber damals war es ein kompletter Schock, sodass ich mich noch immer an das Ende des Buches erinnern kann.
Dieses Buch hatte meine Gefühle und Gedanken noch mehr in Aufruhr gebracht als andere Bücher wie Anne Franks Tagebuch. Aber vielleicht ist die Erinnerung einfach auch stärker, weil es eines der ersten Bücher war, wo ich angefangen habe auch zwischen den Zeilen zu lesen.
January 13, 2022
Ich musste dieses Buch für den Deutsch Unterricht lesen und bin alles andere als begeistert. Im Großen und Ganzen ist der Roman nicht schlecht und es wurde gut vermittelt, wie Juden im Nationalsozialismus behandelt wurden. Allerdings habe ich schon andere Bücher gelesen, die sich mit diesem Thema beschäftigen. Daher konnte ich einen guten Vergleich ziehen.
"Damals war es Friedrich" ist eine herzergreifende Lektüre, die sich mit der Judenverfolgung in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus beschäftigt. Was mir am wenigsten gefallen hat ist der Schreibstil. Ich persönlich kann ein Buch nur als gut empfinden, wenn ich mich richtig in die Welt der Protagonisten hineinfühlen kann. Hier war das nicht der Fall.
Trotz meiner Meinung ist es eine informative Lektüre über die Judenverfolgung.
"Damals war es Friedrich" ist eine herzergreifende Lektüre, die sich mit der Judenverfolgung in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus beschäftigt. Was mir am wenigsten gefallen hat ist der Schreibstil. Ich persönlich kann ein Buch nur als gut empfinden, wenn ich mich richtig in die Welt der Protagonisten hineinfühlen kann. Hier war das nicht der Fall.
Trotz meiner Meinung ist es eine informative Lektüre über die Judenverfolgung.
May 11, 2018
Ich hab das Buch mit meiner Klasse gelesen als ich in der 6 oder 7 war :)
Der Anfang machte mich persönlich schon etwas traurig durch die Schreibweise und als dann noch später schlimme Dinge passierten ( die in Deutschland wegen des antisemitismusses während des zweiten Weltkrieges tagtäglich passierten ), tat mein Herz weh. :(
Auch wenn ich nicht wenig Romane über den zweiten Weltkrieg in Deutschland und den Juden gelesen habe ( Bsp. Die Bücherdiebin & Bis ans Ende der Geschichte ), nahmen mich diese Romane ( darunter auch Damals war es Friedrich ) immer sehr mit. Ich persönlich finde so etwas sollte jeder mal gelesen haben um jeden wertzuschätzen, egal welche Nationalität derjenige hat. ♡
Der Anfang machte mich persönlich schon etwas traurig durch die Schreibweise und als dann noch später schlimme Dinge passierten ( die in Deutschland wegen des antisemitismusses während des zweiten Weltkrieges tagtäglich passierten ), tat mein Herz weh. :(
Auch wenn ich nicht wenig Romane über den zweiten Weltkrieg in Deutschland und den Juden gelesen habe ( Bsp. Die Bücherdiebin & Bis ans Ende der Geschichte ), nahmen mich diese Romane ( darunter auch Damals war es Friedrich ) immer sehr mit. Ich persönlich finde so etwas sollte jeder mal gelesen haben um jeden wertzuschätzen, egal welche Nationalität derjenige hat. ♡
May 3, 2016
Best Friends ... A Jew and A Gentile.
World War 2 and the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of two young boys.
Riveting and heartbreaking.
Highly recommended to everyone.
World War 2 and the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of two young boys.
Riveting and heartbreaking.
Highly recommended to everyone.
October 19, 2021
Second time taking students through this. Enjoyed it just as much.
November 9, 2020
Sehr problematisch. Bin gespannt auf die Diskussion im Seminar.
November 10, 2020
Ich würde keinen Stern vergeben, wenn ich könnte. Eine Fülle an antijüdische Sterotypen. Geht gar nicht.
December 6, 2023
This was a surprisingly moving short little story. It follows a first person narrator who recounts the fate of his childhood friend, Friedrich Schneider, a Jewish German who suffered greatly under the impact of Nazi politics in pre- and WW2 Germany.
Generally sick of this entire trope in literature, I ventured out to read this one because my library had it and I was curious to see how the author approached the topic, as it was supposed to be written for children/teenagers. I found myself surprisingly invested in the fate of Friedrich and his family and found especially the last third of the novel very moving.
That being said, I remain very much not a huge fan of the topic overall, and also didn't very much like the writing style in this particular case, though I have to admit it is very accessible to read, and hence would be a good read for middle graders.
Generally sick of this entire trope in literature, I ventured out to read this one because my library had it and I was curious to see how the author approached the topic, as it was supposed to be written for children/teenagers. I found myself surprisingly invested in the fate of Friedrich and his family and found especially the last third of the novel very moving.
That being said, I remain very much not a huge fan of the topic overall, and also didn't very much like the writing style in this particular case, though I have to admit it is very accessible to read, and hence would be a good read for middle graders.
April 11, 2023
Das Buch gibt einem keinen umfassenden historischen Kontext zur nationalsozialistischen Ideologie inklusive all ihrer Facetten, beleuchtet aber, besonders im Hinblick auf die junge Zielgruppe des Werkes, die Judenverfolgung sehr emotionalisiert und mit genügend Hintergrund, um mit dem Buch weiter arbeiten zu können. Ich finde, es fokussiert sich etwas zu sehr auf die Menschen, die Mitleid mit den Jüd*innen haben, um für mich "realistisch" zu wirken, aber es ist für ein Kinderbuch vermutlich schon eindrücklich und erschreckend genug. Schreibstil ist... okay I guess.
October 18, 2022
Ich habe das Buch im Deutschuntericht gelesen und bin echt begeistert. Ich hätte das Buch privat auch gelesen da mich sowas echt interessiert trozdem nur vier sterne, weil mansche stellen langweilig oder verwirrend waren
February 8, 2024
ik denk dat ik niet eens 20 seconden over dit boek kan praten
March 31, 2020
Reread alter Schullektüren.
Erstes Mal gelesen: 6. oder 7. Klasse vermutlich
Damals wie heute ein Buch, was mich einfach nur sprachlos zurücklässt. Es ist einfach nur erschreckend und wie ich finde ein wirklich wichtiges Buch, was jeder gelesen haben sollte.
Erstes Mal gelesen: 6. oder 7. Klasse vermutlich
Damals wie heute ein Buch, was mich einfach nur sprachlos zurücklässt. Es ist einfach nur erschreckend und wie ich finde ein wirklich wichtiges Buch, was jeder gelesen haben sollte.
March 31, 2020
Un livre génial mais immensément triste ! Je ne m'attendais absolument pas à ce que Frédéric meurt à la fin !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2025
A very important book that deals with the rising horror of National Socialism. It is written in a way that is easy to understand, the sentences are short and the topic is described in sufficient detail so that children, who are the target audience of this book, understand the issues.
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