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T4
It is 1939. Paula Becker, thirteen years old and deaf, lives with her family in a rural German town. As rumors swirl of disabled children quietly disappearing, a priest comes to her family’s door with an offer to shield Paula from an uncertain fate. When the sanctuary he offers is fleeting, Paula needs to call upon all her strength to stay one step ahead of the Nazis.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
45 people are currently reading
1027 people want to read
About the author
Ann Clare LeZotte
8 books292 followersDeaf--bilingual, bicultural. Author of T4: A Novel in Verse (Houghton, 2008) and Show Me a Sign (Scholatic, 2020). Library Youth Services for 11 years and counting. Focus on underserved populations and inclusion. Lives with her family in Gainesville, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 250 reviews
April 19, 2017
To see this review and to learn more about T4 please visit www.readrantrockandroll.com
T4 by Ann Claremont Lezotte is a book about Hitler's Tiergartenstrasse 4 or better known as T4, a Nazi program that ordered the death of all disabled and mentally ill people.
The story follows a little deaf girl named Paula Becker who lives with her family in Germany. Due to the T4 program during WWII, she has no choice but to leave her home and family to hide at the age of 13. The story continues on with her journey in search of safety.
I noticed that some people were leaving negative reviews because they didn't feel the book was poetic enough. I have to disagree. The book is told in free verse which isn't meant to rhyme or have any specific rhythm. It's meant to sound as though the person is speaking to you and that's exactly what the format delivers.
I personally liked it. I think it's really important for older kids to read this so that they will learn that the Holocaust didn't just involve killing Jews. There were many others that were killed and this book exposes the terror of this dark time.
I especially enjoyed the author's notes in the back as she explains where the names for the characters originated, info for further learning, and statistics. It's a fairly quick read at around 108 pages. I'm very happy to have this on my shelf.
4****
T4 by Ann Claremont Lezotte is a book about Hitler's Tiergartenstrasse 4 or better known as T4, a Nazi program that ordered the death of all disabled and mentally ill people.
The story follows a little deaf girl named Paula Becker who lives with her family in Germany. Due to the T4 program during WWII, she has no choice but to leave her home and family to hide at the age of 13. The story continues on with her journey in search of safety.
I noticed that some people were leaving negative reviews because they didn't feel the book was poetic enough. I have to disagree. The book is told in free verse which isn't meant to rhyme or have any specific rhythm. It's meant to sound as though the person is speaking to you and that's exactly what the format delivers.
I personally liked it. I think it's really important for older kids to read this so that they will learn that the Holocaust didn't just involve killing Jews. There were many others that were killed and this book exposes the terror of this dark time.
I especially enjoyed the author's notes in the back as she explains where the names for the characters originated, info for further learning, and statistics. It's a fairly quick read at around 108 pages. I'm very happy to have this on my shelf.
4****
August 6, 2008
LaZotte, according to her bio in the back of the book, is a published poet. I would never have guessed. Call it free verse all you want, but just because you hit return in the middle of your sentences and occasionally call the hills blue, that doesn't make it poetry. If the poems had been "written" by 13 year old Paula as she went through WWII, maybe I could have overlooked it, but they're her looking back on those years. She sounds like she's quoting from a textbook, not like she lived through it.
It's too bad, really, because she takes on two stories that are underrepresented in children's Holocaust books: euthanasia and the Nazi's persecution of the Roma.
There's no tension, no suspense to the book, and no impression of fear or horror or even homesickness from Paula, beyond her saying she missed her family with the same emotion that she said she was hungry. For a 100 page book, I rolled my eyes a lot.
It's too bad, really, because she takes on two stories that are underrepresented in children's Holocaust books: euthanasia and the Nazi's persecution of the Roma.
There's no tension, no suspense to the book, and no impression of fear or horror or even homesickness from Paula, beyond her saying she missed her family with the same emotion that she said she was hungry. For a 100 page book, I rolled my eyes a lot.
October 10, 2008
I had high hopes for this--a holocaust book that isn't focused on the Jews, but rather on the disabled, an under-represented viewpoint. Lois Lowry even provides a cover quote, claiming that this book is "told with spare lyricism and haunting imagery." But it's just not. Okay, "spare" I'll grant, but there's virtually no imagery at all, and has all the lyricism of an owner's manual. It's a novel in verse (which always gives me pause; it's rare to find one that's done well), and at a slim 100 pages, provides very little information other than that this happened.
The author (who is apparently a published poet, though that boggles me) provides no extra details, no fleshed-out characters or settings or circumstances. It reads like a textbook broken into lines. By the end of the book, I still didn't care about the narrator, and it moves along with so little feeling I couldn't really say if it all happened in the span of a decade or a year or a week. (Flipping through it again, it's 4 years--but there's no sense of time progressing, or of spending any length of time in any place.)
Give this one a pass; there are plenty of other, better holocaust books available, though it's a shame so few talk about any persecuted group other than Jews.
The author (who is apparently a published poet, though that boggles me) provides no extra details, no fleshed-out characters or settings or circumstances. It reads like a textbook broken into lines. By the end of the book, I still didn't care about the narrator, and it moves along with so little feeling I couldn't really say if it all happened in the span of a decade or a year or a week. (Flipping through it again, it's 4 years--but there's no sense of time progressing, or of spending any length of time in any place.)
Give this one a pass; there are plenty of other, better holocaust books available, though it's a shame so few talk about any persecuted group other than Jews.
May 12, 2009
This book was a complete disappointment. First of all, it claims to be a novel but according to my American Heritage Dictionary a novel is a "fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, thoughts and speech of the characters." T4 is not written in prose, is not of considerable length and does not have a plot unfolded by the actions, thoughts, and speech of the characters. In fact, it does not have much of a plot at all. LeZotte, deaf herself, attempts to the tell the story of Paula, a deaf girl living in Hitler's Germany. We all know about the 6 million Jews that were killed during the Holocaust, but the deaths of other minorities during that time are often forgotten about. Among those whom Hitler and the Nazis persecuted were people with disabilities and gypsies (Roma), which LeZotte unsatisfactorily tries to bring to light with this "novel."
One would think that the story of a deaf girl forced into hiding to avoid being sent to her death at the hands of Nazi doctors bent on euthanizing those who did not fit the "master race" mold would be emotionally riveting. Yet, somehow LeZotte manages to write in such a stilted manner that I couldn't even feel tense or concerned about Paula's fate. And I'm not some stoic piece of ice, I work with deaf children everyday and feel quite strongly about their place in the world. I'm the girl who teared up while watching the season finale of The Amazing Race when the deaf contestant signed that most deaf people have parents who can't sign (true!). So how is it possible that LeZotte's story left me cold? LeZotte had a tremendous opportunity to put some real weight to her story, especially given her own personal experiences growing up deaf in a hearing world, and to shed some light on a little known chapter of Nazi Germany for young readers, but instead she failed miserably.
Also, and I'm not an expert here, I was not an English major, but as a college-educated person who spends a good deal of her day thinking about the English language, my definition of poetry does not include writing a sentence in prose and then deciding to call it poetry by inserting line breaks at random intervals. Here, how about I start writing a poem in the same manner in which T4 was written?
Paula's story was
Unemotional and boring
With no real sense of the
Passage
Of time.
Although
Somehow
We, the reader,
Go from the
Beginning of
The war to its
Conclusion in a matter of
Pages.
Suddenly,
All is well
With the
World.
Your world
Would be ever improved
If you avoided this
Travesty
Of
A book.
One would think that the story of a deaf girl forced into hiding to avoid being sent to her death at the hands of Nazi doctors bent on euthanizing those who did not fit the "master race" mold would be emotionally riveting. Yet, somehow LeZotte manages to write in such a stilted manner that I couldn't even feel tense or concerned about Paula's fate. And I'm not some stoic piece of ice, I work with deaf children everyday and feel quite strongly about their place in the world. I'm the girl who teared up while watching the season finale of The Amazing Race when the deaf contestant signed that most deaf people have parents who can't sign (true!). So how is it possible that LeZotte's story left me cold? LeZotte had a tremendous opportunity to put some real weight to her story, especially given her own personal experiences growing up deaf in a hearing world, and to shed some light on a little known chapter of Nazi Germany for young readers, but instead she failed miserably.
Also, and I'm not an expert here, I was not an English major, but as a college-educated person who spends a good deal of her day thinking about the English language, my definition of poetry does not include writing a sentence in prose and then deciding to call it poetry by inserting line breaks at random intervals. Here, how about I start writing a poem in the same manner in which T4 was written?
Paula's story was
Unemotional and boring
With no real sense of the
Passage
Of time.
Although
Somehow
We, the reader,
Go from the
Beginning of
The war to its
Conclusion in a matter of
Pages.
Suddenly,
All is well
With the
World.
Your world
Would be ever improved
If you avoided this
Travesty
Of
A book.
May 19, 2009
Tiergartenstrasse 4, or T4, was the edict handed down by the Nazi Party to remove disabled children from their homes to have them "evaluated" at local hospitals and institutions, and their quality of life "analyzed." That was the official story. Bluntly, this was part of Hitler's eugenics program. Many, if not all (I'm not sure on this point) sent to these places were euthanized, deemed "useless eaters," and "not fit to live." This novel is told in free verse from the point of view of a young teen who is deaf. Her life with her family is turned upside down in 1939, when T4 is announced. She is forced to go into hiding with a Catholic priest, where she goes from shelter to shelter until Hitler repeals the unpopular law a few years later. The book shows Paula's struggles to communicate and find acceptance in her neighborhood as a girl, and her growing understanding as a teen as to what the Nazis are doing. What is very profound is that many characters in the book preach against these actions, and wonder how something so horrible could take place. But when you read between the lines -- you see why. This is most poignantly told with the introduction of one character, who isn't as he seems. Anything more than that will spoil the story. Highly recommended for teens studying World War II. It's a fast read; even the more reluctant readers should find this easy to manage. But there's a lot of story told in these pages.
An interesting note is that the author herself is profoundly deaf, so it's little wonder Paula's thoughts and frustrations come across so believably. This is LeZotte's first novel; hopefully the first of many.
An interesting note is that the author herself is profoundly deaf, so it's little wonder Paula's thoughts and frustrations come across so believably. This is LeZotte's first novel; hopefully the first of many.
September 5, 2025
Is an eye opening book that unravels the truths and sad realities of the Action T4 plan. But shows the kindness of people during some of the most terrible times. A great shorter read, really enjoyed.
April 16, 2013
This novel was set in Germany during the holocaust. It focused on a girl named Paula Becker who, due to a childhood illness, was deaf. During that time period, Hitler reigned and many people know of the persecution of Jews by Hitler and his supporters. This novel looks at a lesser known group of people who were persecuted, the handicapped. It followed Paula as she hid and learned sign language, stayed in a Jewish hiding shelter, lived in a church shelter and eventually found her way back home. This would be a great book to read for history because a lot of dates were presented within the story to help set a time frame. Also this book looks at a lesser known group addressed in history. Students may be able to connect with the fear this character faces so I would keep this on the shelf to make it available for students or use it as a substitute for a textbook along with other books with varied perspectives.
August 31, 2016
Hmm. Nope. Just didn't work for me. Didn't feel like poetry at all. I read a lot of children's literature, including quite a bit of non-fiction, and to me, this read exactly like a give-it-a-quick-once-over, non-fiction, easy reader on the Holocaust. Thought it all the way through. There was nothing lyrical about the prose. Maybe 3 times in the entire book did I think, "Well, that was kind of a nice line."
I agree with the previous poster, Chelsea, who said, "just because you hit return in the middle of your sentences and occasionally call the hills blue, that doesn't make it poetry". Sadly, she's exactly right on this one, as far as my opinion goes.
I agree with the previous poster, Chelsea, who said, "just because you hit return in the middle of your sentences and occasionally call the hills blue, that doesn't make it poetry". Sadly, she's exactly right on this one, as far as my opinion goes.
December 11, 2010
a heartwarming novel about how hard it was to live during world war 2 because if you had disabilities myou would be burned alive
September 19, 2012
Paula Becker is 13, deaf and living in a small village in German when the Nazis pass Aktion 4 allowing them to do the unthinkable - "euthanize"disabled persons like Paula in their quest to become a master race and to eliminate the cost of caring for them.
T4 is a short novel in free verse told throughout in Paula's voice:
Hear the voice of the poet!
I see the past, future, and present.
I am deaf, but I have heard
The beauty of song
And I wish to share it with
Young readers...
...In T4, the facts
About history are true, and
My characters tell the story.
At first, Paula writes, the Nazis target only people living in institutions and she is left alone. But in March 1940, the family's priest comes to the house in the middle of a snow storm to tell them that it is now necessary to get Paula out of the house and into hiding.
The priest takes her to a woman named Stephanie Holderlin, where it is believed that Paula can remain safely hidden. There, she is able to learn the official sign language of the deaf. But early one morning, the Gestapo knock on the door. They had been informed that a disabled person was living there. They search the house, but do not find Paula. Stephanie finally manages to get rid of them, but Paula must be moved to another safe place immediately.
This time, she is taken to a homeless shelter run by a Lutheran priest. There, she meets Homeless Kurt. Gradually, he and Paula become friends and after a while, they decide to travel to Berlin together. On the way, they discover seven people living in the woods, Jews who are hiding from the Nazis. Realizing they cannot really make it to Berlin without being caught, they return to the shelter.
In 1941, the killings under T4 'offically' ended but it still wasn't safe for people like Paula and Kurt until the end of the war. Unofficially, Paula writes, the killings continued.
When the war was finally over, the people responsible for T4 were tried at the Nuremberg Trials, with the exception of Dr. Philipp Bouhler, who was the head of the program and who committed suicide.
In its simplicity, LaZotte's story poem manages to convey some of the horror that Nazi Germany held for some people, but also some of the kindness that could still be found there among the people, reminding us again that not everyone was a Nazi and many didn't support their policies, like T4.
The author, Ann Clare LaZotte can well understand what it would be like to be in Paula's shoes, since she herself is also deaf. She clearly feels very strongly about T4 and it shows throughout in her poetry. And she also knows more than a little something about German poetry: Stephanie Holderlin was named for Frederich Holderlin, a German lyric poet and two of the Jewish children that Paula and Homeless Kurt meet int he woods are named for Nelly Sachs and Paul Celan, two of the greatest poets of the Holocaust and whose works I would definitely recommend reading some of when you have finished reading T4.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was purchased for my personal library.
T4 is a short novel in free verse told throughout in Paula's voice:
Hear the voice of the poet!
I see the past, future, and present.
I am deaf, but I have heard
The beauty of song
And I wish to share it with
Young readers...
...In T4, the facts
About history are true, and
My characters tell the story.
At first, Paula writes, the Nazis target only people living in institutions and she is left alone. But in March 1940, the family's priest comes to the house in the middle of a snow storm to tell them that it is now necessary to get Paula out of the house and into hiding.
The priest takes her to a woman named Stephanie Holderlin, where it is believed that Paula can remain safely hidden. There, she is able to learn the official sign language of the deaf. But early one morning, the Gestapo knock on the door. They had been informed that a disabled person was living there. They search the house, but do not find Paula. Stephanie finally manages to get rid of them, but Paula must be moved to another safe place immediately.
This time, she is taken to a homeless shelter run by a Lutheran priest. There, she meets Homeless Kurt. Gradually, he and Paula become friends and after a while, they decide to travel to Berlin together. On the way, they discover seven people living in the woods, Jews who are hiding from the Nazis. Realizing they cannot really make it to Berlin without being caught, they return to the shelter.
In 1941, the killings under T4 'offically' ended but it still wasn't safe for people like Paula and Kurt until the end of the war. Unofficially, Paula writes, the killings continued.
When the war was finally over, the people responsible for T4 were tried at the Nuremberg Trials, with the exception of Dr. Philipp Bouhler, who was the head of the program and who committed suicide.
In its simplicity, LaZotte's story poem manages to convey some of the horror that Nazi Germany held for some people, but also some of the kindness that could still be found there among the people, reminding us again that not everyone was a Nazi and many didn't support their policies, like T4.
The author, Ann Clare LaZotte can well understand what it would be like to be in Paula's shoes, since she herself is also deaf. She clearly feels very strongly about T4 and it shows throughout in her poetry. And she also knows more than a little something about German poetry: Stephanie Holderlin was named for Frederich Holderlin, a German lyric poet and two of the Jewish children that Paula and Homeless Kurt meet int he woods are named for Nelly Sachs and Paul Celan, two of the greatest poets of the Holocaust and whose works I would definitely recommend reading some of when you have finished reading T4.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was purchased for my personal library.
March 25, 2009
I think this book would have had a bigger impact on me had it been a longer, more fleshed out story. Still, it's unique among Holocaust children's literature for its portrayal of a deaf child in Nazi Germany. It is also a chilling introduction to T4, the official government action that permitted the euthanizing of the physically and mentally disabled. I can't imagine being put to death just because I was deaf or blind or couldn't walk. Now I would like to see a non-fiction children's book on this same topic. Recommended!
July 7, 2016
Very didactic; too much explaining what was going on for a poetry book; not much in the way of imagery, emotion.
December 8, 2023
The book I’m reading is called “T4” written by Ann Clare LeZotte. This book is told and is written through the poetry. This is a touching read that brings attention to a story that many may not have heard much about. I believe it’s important for everyone to read this so they will learn the Holocaust didn’t just involve killing Jews. There were many others that were killed. It is estimated 275,000 disabled people were murdered. 400,000 deaf people were sterilized. 48 million people died fighting during the war two. The story Paula, she is able to tell the horrific story of action T4 and the Holocaust without going into graphic details. She was 13 years old at the time when the Nazis are targeting deaf and disabilities first by euthanize and sterilized. Paula was born deaf from birth and lives in a rural town in Germany with her parents and sister Clara. As a result, did they survive? You can decide.
November 15, 2012
Reviewed by Emily Ann for TeensReadToo.com
Everyone knows about the Holocaust, but not many people know much about Action T4.
T4 was a program Hitler used to sterilize and/or kill thousands of Jews with disabilities. People like Paula Becker, a deaf girl, were forced into hiding to save their lives. In her free verse poetry, Paula talks about hiding and running from Hitler and the T4 doctors.
This book was captivating. Before reading it I had never heard of Action T4. It was amazing to read a story through the eyes of a young girl as she is forced to leave her parents and go into hiding.
This was a short, easy read that anyone would appreciate.
Everyone knows about the Holocaust, but not many people know much about Action T4.
T4 was a program Hitler used to sterilize and/or kill thousands of Jews with disabilities. People like Paula Becker, a deaf girl, were forced into hiding to save their lives. In her free verse poetry, Paula talks about hiding and running from Hitler and the T4 doctors.
This book was captivating. Before reading it I had never heard of Action T4. It was amazing to read a story through the eyes of a young girl as she is forced to leave her parents and go into hiding.
This was a short, easy read that anyone would appreciate.
November 22, 2024
In an effort to create the perfect race we know a lot of what Germany went through in WW2 but often only focus on the Jewish people. Being disabled also puts you at risk and being Deaf one of those. Going into hiding or on the run to remain out of the institutions- holding cells for those yet to be euthanized. Others were sterilized. This is a free form poetry book written through the eyes of a young deaf teen during this period in our history. It begs us to remember our history as to not repeat it.
March 4, 2020
This was actually a really good one because it was based on Helen Keller. I thought it was very interesting about her. Her life was different compared with ours. She didn't have just a normal life. She didn't learn the same as us. She had to learn how to write and do everything different. This was also a long time ago so they didn't have everything we have today.
August 14, 2022
I'm interested in this subject - T4 and the treatment of Deaf/deaf people during the Holocaust, but I didn't get much attachment to these characters. It felt more like someone's book report on what happened, and as a reader I missed the emotion and the details.
October 16, 2013
T4 is the sometimes touching, sometimes horrifying story of Paula.
Paula's mother was exposed to rubella (German measles) when she was pregnant with Paula, which resulted in Paula being born almost deaf. Although she does not remember it, her mother told Paula she was still able to hear some sounds as an infant and toddler, because she clapped when her mother spoke, loved birdsongs and the cuckoo clock. After an extremely high fever at the age of sixteen months however, Paula was left completely deaf.
Paula is often frustrated by her inability to access a common language with her family and neighbors. She develops her own complicated system of hand signals and gestures within their small community which allows her to communicate more effectively.
Paula is thirteen years old in 1939. Hitler has led Germany into World War II and he has instituted his plans for a "master race" through Action T4 which called for the elimination of any person who did fit into his definition whether that be race, color, mental or physical disability.
Fearful that the Nazis will discover her, Paula's parents give her into the custody of Father Josef, a family friend and Catholic priest who will find a safe place to hide her. Paula is moved several times to different locations, hiding from the Nazis, always fearful of being discovered.
In 1941 when the Germans were preoccupied with fighting with the Russian Army, T4 was repealed, but the killings did not stop. It wasn't until the American soldiers occupied Germany that it was safe for Paula to return to her home.
Paula married, had two children and lived near her parents until they died of old age. She and her husband, also a refugee of T4
LeZotte's choice to tell Paula's story in free verse has the effect of shining the brightest light on both the bold horror into which the German people were thrown and the refusal of many to divest themselves of their compassion and humanity. LeZotte's final reminder to the reader following Paula's story is to remember. It is only by remembering the crimes and cruelty of the Nazi regime that we ensure it never happens again.
T4 is a quick read as a resource for classroom units or as a read-aloud at home which can springboard important discussions on tolerance and acceptance of differences.
NOTE: The only heads-up I would offer to adults planning to use this is that LeZotte does, at one point in Paula's journey of hiding, have her reflecting on the physical changes in her body. Because there is only a single mention, the topic doesn't have any import on any other part of the story and is--in my opinion--superfluous. It is only a couple of lines, and are easily skipped in a read-aloud in a classroom, but it is there--in case you have a young reader using it as an independent reading choice and want to discuss this with him or her.
I was born
In a little house
On a street
With tall poplar trees.
I could see
Bluish hills
In the distance.
That was my home.
But my country,
Germany,
Was not my home.
Our leader,
Adolf Hitler,
And the Nazi Party
Hated
People like me.
Paula's mother was exposed to rubella (German measles) when she was pregnant with Paula, which resulted in Paula being born almost deaf. Although she does not remember it, her mother told Paula she was still able to hear some sounds as an infant and toddler, because she clapped when her mother spoke, loved birdsongs and the cuckoo clock. After an extremely high fever at the age of sixteen months however, Paula was left completely deaf.
Paula is often frustrated by her inability to access a common language with her family and neighbors. She develops her own complicated system of hand signals and gestures within their small community which allows her to communicate more effectively.
It would seem
That my life was good.
But something terrible
Was about to happen.
Paula is thirteen years old in 1939. Hitler has led Germany into World War II and he has instituted his plans for a "master race" through Action T4 which called for the elimination of any person who did fit into his definition whether that be race, color, mental or physical disability.
The Nazis believed that certain people
Were superior to other people.
They wanted the human race
To become an "Aryan" race.
They wanted to get rid of people
Who they thought
Polluted the gene pool.
This is called eugenics,
Or "racial hygiene."
...
And they decided
Disabled people
Were "useless eaters"
Who were "unfit to live."
Fearful that the Nazis will discover her, Paula's parents give her into the custody of Father Josef, a family friend and Catholic priest who will find a safe place to hide her. Paula is moved several times to different locations, hiding from the Nazis, always fearful of being discovered.
In 1941 when the Germans were preoccupied with fighting with the Russian Army, T4 was repealed, but the killings did not stop. It wasn't until the American soldiers occupied Germany that it was safe for Paula to return to her home.
T4 became something people
Weren't willing to talk about
And remember.
Paula married, had two children and lived near her parents until they died of old age. She and her husband, also a refugee of T4
...were glad we
Had survived the worst, but we also felt guilty.
That feeling--that we had escaped when others equally
Important had died--would never subside.
LeZotte's choice to tell Paula's story in free verse has the effect of shining the brightest light on both the bold horror into which the German people were thrown and the refusal of many to divest themselves of their compassion and humanity. LeZotte's final reminder to the reader following Paula's story is to remember. It is only by remembering the crimes and cruelty of the Nazi regime that we ensure it never happens again.
T4 is a quick read as a resource for classroom units or as a read-aloud at home which can springboard important discussions on tolerance and acceptance of differences.
NOTE: The only heads-up I would offer to adults planning to use this is that LeZotte does, at one point in Paula's journey of hiding, have her reflecting on the physical changes in her body. Because there is only a single mention, the topic doesn't have any import on any other part of the story and is--in my opinion--superfluous. It is only a couple of lines, and are easily skipped in a read-aloud in a classroom, but it is there--in case you have a young reader using it as an independent reading choice and want to discuss this with him or her.
March 25, 2013
Germany in 1939 was a lethal place, not only for the Jews. This is the story of Paula, a thirteen-year-old Deaf girl targeted by Hitler's program (called Tiergartenstrasse 4 or T4) mandating euthanasia of the mentally and physically disabled. The author pushes us into Paula's world with a balance of research and characterization. Paula learns from other fugitives about doctors and victims of T4, many of them historical personalities. Simultaneously, she tells her own story--a story of Deafness, coming of age, persecution, survival, and spirit--in moments of poignant, vibrant detail.
One could wish this story had been written in prose, fully fleshed out. "A Novel" isn't really accurate. This is more a collection of impressions and moments, and the frugal free verse is sometimes almost too sparse. Overall, for me, it works. The writer picked each image perfectly, from dark red lipstick "like the wing of a cardinal, or a fancy automobile" to a frozen forest "that looked like it was made of glass." She cites the grisly statistics of the T4 murders and quotes from an actual German bishop's sermon against it, but she also keeps the atrocities personal for Paula and those she encounters.
Ms. LeZotte manages to meld history's big picture and Paula's little story, the greatest challenge for historical fiction. History is nearer after one reads this book. This is a bright flare of a story, brighter for its brevity. It burns with the strong, straightforward voice of the Deaf and the spirit of all persecuted people.
One could wish this story had been written in prose, fully fleshed out. "A Novel" isn't really accurate. This is more a collection of impressions and moments, and the frugal free verse is sometimes almost too sparse. Overall, for me, it works. The writer picked each image perfectly, from dark red lipstick "like the wing of a cardinal, or a fancy automobile" to a frozen forest "that looked like it was made of glass." She cites the grisly statistics of the T4 murders and quotes from an actual German bishop's sermon against it, but she also keeps the atrocities personal for Paula and those she encounters.
Ms. LeZotte manages to meld history's big picture and Paula's little story, the greatest challenge for historical fiction. History is nearer after one reads this book. This is a bright flare of a story, brighter for its brevity. It burns with the strong, straightforward voice of the Deaf and the spirit of all persecuted people.
April 8, 2019
Audience: Grade 6 & Up
Format: Hardcover/Library Copy
Hear the voice of the poet!
I see the past, future, and present.
I am Deaf, but I have heard
The beauty of song
And I wish to share it with
Young Readers.
A poem can be simple,
About a cat or a red
Wheelbarrow.
Or it can illuminate the lives
Of people who lived, loved,
And died. You can make
People think or feel
For other people, if you
Write poetry. In T4, the facts
About history are true, and
My characters tell the story.
- first page
During World War II, the Nazi's Action T4 program called for the euthanasia of mentally ill and disabled people. Paula, a thirteen-year-old deaf girl, fled from her home, and her family, and went into hiding in order to survive.
This is a moving account of one little girl's survival told through beautiful, unflinching language. I loved this book and highly recommend it to young readers. It's a short book and a great introduction to the novel in verse format.
Format: Hardcover/Library Copy
Hear the voice of the poet!
I see the past, future, and present.
I am Deaf, but I have heard
The beauty of song
And I wish to share it with
Young Readers.
A poem can be simple,
About a cat or a red
Wheelbarrow.
Or it can illuminate the lives
Of people who lived, loved,
And died. You can make
People think or feel
For other people, if you
Write poetry. In T4, the facts
About history are true, and
My characters tell the story.
- first page
During World War II, the Nazi's Action T4 program called for the euthanasia of mentally ill and disabled people. Paula, a thirteen-year-old deaf girl, fled from her home, and her family, and went into hiding in order to survive.
This is a moving account of one little girl's survival told through beautiful, unflinching language. I loved this book and highly recommend it to young readers. It's a short book and a great introduction to the novel in verse format.
October 29, 2008
Told in first person free verse, T4 tells the story of Paula Becker. Deaf since age two Paula has a happy and comfortable life at home, communicating with her family though her own unique sign language. Her life is changed forever when she is forced into hiding due to the Nazis' Action T4 which aims to euthanize the mentally and physically handicapped.
The free verse style made this a compelling and moving book. T4 is a great introduction to an often untold episode from the horrific Nazi regime.
The free verse style made this a compelling and moving book. T4 is a great introduction to an often untold episode from the horrific Nazi regime.
June 23, 2009
Paula Becker in a German teenager who is deaf. Normally, this wouldn't prevent someone from leading a relatively normal life - however, Paula is disabled in 1939 in Berlin. Due to the onset of Adolf Hitler's Tiergartenstrasse 4 (T4), the headquarters where metally ill or disabled people are killed by Nazis, Paula is forced to go into hiding.
A short story written in verse that portrays the Holocaust from a different perspective - a victim by disability, not "race" or religion.
A short story written in verse that portrays the Holocaust from a different perspective - a victim by disability, not "race" or religion.
August 12, 2014
Definitely not the most interesting juvenile book on wwII. Though, it was the first I'd read that explored the extermination of disabled individuals. So, that was interesting. Even though it was written in verse, it read more like non-fiction to me.
Pros:
Informative
Really fast read
Cons:
Pretty boring
Pros:
Informative
Really fast read
Cons:
Pretty boring
October 25, 2012
i think its a good book it talks about how disabled children are mistreated or killed because worthless and weak.
May 6, 2021
Normally, I struggle with verse novels, but this was absolutely gorgeous. LeZotte references both William Carlos Williams and William Blake on the prologue, and both of their influences really shine in her choice of verse.
As I had family who survived the Holocaust (my grandma as a child), it was nice to see the harsh world overtly told in clear diction, simple images, and impactful character beats.
Often, when kids' books try to cover heavy topics, I find they can get overly sappy or sentimental ("oh how terrible it all was!"). This book sidesteps that impulse to "talk down" to younger readers. Instead of spoon-feeding emotion or opinions, LeZotte used lovely prose to distribute facts in a meaninful order, leaving the audience to interpret the emotional complexity of each situation (a hallmark of good poetry).
--
Skimming the other reviews before writing my own, I'm pretty disappointed in the other reviewers, especially in their interpretation of the style as "not real poetry." What did people want? Sonnets? Not to pull the "I study poetry" card, but LeZotte's style of poetry perfectly aligns with the era it's covering (1930-1940s). Yes, poets really wrote that simply. She tackles the story in a historically relevant way, while teaching modernist poetry trends. I just don't....I don't....do other people read poetry here? Or are they going to bash historic poetry because they don't understand it? Or because it's meant to be understood?
Also, as an adult, I find it gorgeous.
As I had family who survived the Holocaust (my grandma as a child), it was nice to see the harsh world overtly told in clear diction, simple images, and impactful character beats.
Often, when kids' books try to cover heavy topics, I find they can get overly sappy or sentimental ("oh how terrible it all was!"). This book sidesteps that impulse to "talk down" to younger readers. Instead of spoon-feeding emotion or opinions, LeZotte used lovely prose to distribute facts in a meaninful order, leaving the audience to interpret the emotional complexity of each situation (a hallmark of good poetry).
--
Skimming the other reviews before writing my own, I'm pretty disappointed in the other reviewers, especially in their interpretation of the style as "not real poetry." What did people want? Sonnets? Not to pull the "I study poetry" card, but LeZotte's style of poetry perfectly aligns with the era it's covering (1930-1940s). Yes, poets really wrote that simply. She tackles the story in a historically relevant way, while teaching modernist poetry trends. I just don't....I don't....do other people read poetry here? Or are they going to bash historic poetry because they don't understand it? Or because it's meant to be understood?
Also, as an adult, I find it gorgeous.
April 29, 2021
A novel in verse about the horrible Eugenics program devised by the Nazis during WW2 that meant only those they considered worthy and pure could live. Paula Becker who was deaf was on their radar of children who should be killed so as not to sully the human race so she escaped with a priest known to the family.
Learning sign language opened up a new world for her but the atrocities of war meant that she had to keep moving.
It's too short to be anything but a factual account of what was done to those with disabilities but does manage to convey the horrors of a war that definitely should remain the worst war ever fought by mankind.
Learning sign language opened up a new world for her but the atrocities of war meant that she had to keep moving.
It's too short to be anything but a factual account of what was done to those with disabilities but does manage to convey the horrors of a war that definitely should remain the worst war ever fought by mankind.
November 9, 2017
This book was chosen by my 12 year old and I'm so glad she is beginning to learn about past atrocities.
"Educating people is the best tool we have against forgetting. We must make sure nothing like T4 ever happens again."
Profound passage - "Most people I knew disapproved of these actions. But they were too afraid to say so."
"Educating people is the best tool we have against forgetting. We must make sure nothing like T4 ever happens again."
Profound passage - "Most people I knew disapproved of these actions. But they were too afraid to say so."
August 31, 2020
Not very poetic! I got so bored of it I gave up after five pages...
February 8, 2023
A perfect book to begin learning about the Holocaust and all its horrors. The poems are very simple free/blank verse with little poetic richness but the story they tell is historically accurate and the end notes are especially rich with the inspiration the author used in writing. I recommend this as a partner to NUMBER THE STARS or other WWII YA books.
Hoping to use this book in combination with IT RAINED WARM BREAD and ON THE HORIZON, which are two other verse stories of WWII.
Hoping to use this book in combination with IT RAINED WARM BREAD and ON THE HORIZON, which are two other verse stories of WWII.
August 14, 2024
Very sad and an eye opening read of the other groups of people who were persecuted during the holocaust.
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