The Neighbor's Son

by Liesel Appel

Nine-year old Liesel Steffen’s charming world is shattered one sunny Spring afternoon in her front yard in Bottrop—Eigen, Germany, 1951, when a handsome Neighbor returns ‘home.’ Proud Liesel parades the man inside to celebrate her idol—her late father— certainly the hero who saved the Neighbor’s infant son during Kristallnacht, also known as ‘The Night of Broken Glass.’ Liesel is whisked away to her room while her mother ejects the Jew from their home. When the young girl discovers that her father was a German Nationalist, one of Hitler’s Loyal Lieutenants…she • How could her parents be part of such unspeakable evil? • Was Liesel herself so wicked? • Was she too a German Nationalist, destined to carry out this hideous mission? • Should Liesel turn her back on her parents? Could she love them anymore? • Could she love herself? Who is she? Who are our ‘Neighbors?’ Who are we? Candid, coming-of-age story of a generation of unknowing Germans who wear the ‘Yellow Star’ of guilt and shame. Liesel questions her identity across three continents. More important, this gripping story chronicles Liesel’s search for self, truth, family, guilt, forgiveness, and justice and delivers a different look at this dark time in our history.

418 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Thea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story of how the other side saw WW2. It is told from the eyes of an Aryan child, born as a gift to the Fuhrer. It shows through her words, that not all children were fond of this 'birthright', and how they dealt with such feelings. After reading her story, it is not hard to empathize, if not sympathize with the authors and her life.