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Soldier X
Sixteen-year-old Erik Brandt barely knows what Germany is fighting for when he is drafted into Hitler's army in 1944. Sent to the killing fields of the Eastern Front, he is surrounded by unimaginable sights, more horrific than he ever thought possible. It's kill or be killed, and it seems clear that Erik's days are numbered. Until, covered in blood and seriously injured, he conceives of another way to survive. Filled with gritty and visceral detail, Soldier X will change the way every reader thinks about the reality of war.
227 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 5, 1996
192 people are currently reading
4274 people want to read
About the author
Don L. Wulffson
45 books23 followersDon L. Wulffson is the author of more than forty books, including Point Blank, The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle, Future Fright, and The Upside-Down Ship. He lives in Northridge, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 442 reviews
May 30, 2014
After reading this book both in eighth grade and recently, I consider this book to be my favorite book of all time. Being a World War II buff and fanatic, I picked up this book to pass the time. The story is epic and the character development is one of the greatest I've ever found in literature. I don't think this book gets enough publicity or credit. It is a historical book with real historical battles from World War II, and it gives a Fictional first-person outlook on the trials of a young boy enrolled in the German Army, or Wehrmacht. Being a Russian boy raised in Germany, he is used as an interrogator in his division for all captured Russian Soldiers. He is then found on the front lines of battle, fighting against Russian Infantry and Artillery. After he is knocked unconscious by a rolling tank, he wakes up behind enemy lines. He must either lay there and die, or embrace the Russian that he used to be.
Erik, the main character, is a teenage boy who was brought up by Hitler's Youth. After being enrolled in the Wehrmacht at only age 15, he must learn quickly how to survive in the bloody War. He learns to react quickly in close situations and knows exactly what to do in order to survive across the Russian border. He meets Tamara, a young Russian nurse, and falls in love with her after she takes care of him in a make-shift hospital. They face many trials in this book, running from the War and their own past. I would recommend this book to all ages, as it is very interesting and historical, but would especially recommend it to young adults who are very interested in history. This is a book worth reading over and over.
Erik, the main character, is a teenage boy who was brought up by Hitler's Youth. After being enrolled in the Wehrmacht at only age 15, he must learn quickly how to survive in the bloody War. He learns to react quickly in close situations and knows exactly what to do in order to survive across the Russian border. He meets Tamara, a young Russian nurse, and falls in love with her after she takes care of him in a make-shift hospital. They face many trials in this book, running from the War and their own past. I would recommend this book to all ages, as it is very interesting and historical, but would especially recommend it to young adults who are very interested in history. This is a book worth reading over and over.
February 4, 2009
This probably one of my all time favorite books lots of action and packed with history. It provides a detailed acount of of life trapt behind enemy lines in the Eastern Front. It is baded on a true story
August 11, 2015
Awesome book that tells what war is really like and what people go through in it. Reminded me of All Quiet on the Western Front. Very moving.
September 24, 2009
The book is about a fifteen year old boy named Erik Brandt that likes to be named X. Before Erik was sent to war he was complainig that he was mistaken for a sixteen year old. Erik was not a Russian he was a German but he was supposed to kill his own people (not the Russians, the Germans). When Erik was on the battlefield he got barbed wires stuck below his knee and he got shot. in the emergency room Erik say a beutiful 15 year old girl named Tamara and was a nurse helping alot of other wounded men. Erik had a crush on Tamara. The whole time that Erik was in the emergency rom alot of wounded men died. when Erik could walk again he helped do chores, do opreations and helped make food. One day when he was handeling a pot of boiling water, Erik accidentally screamed ow in German and Tamara got scared becaused all this time she's been taking care of a person from Germany. The next day the fight was getting closer and closer to the hospital so the nurses had to evacuate and tried to find a safer location. during this process alot of wounded people and alot of nurses got killed by getting shot. Tamara, Erik, zoya ( another nurse), and Sergo ( another patient) were the only survivors. Later that day they went to get to saftey but Zoya died by a tree falling ontop of her while the tree was on fire. then Tamara, Erik, and Sergo went ahead to saftey but they got surrounded by Germans but Sergo dies. The next day Erik could not find Tamara. When Erik found her they started talking and Tamara got mad and asked Erik to tell her everything.
December 6, 2018
Very well written and interesting book. I do wish they talked more about his life after the war. But other than that very good. The only other I gave it four stars is because the beginning was very dry, but it all ties in with the story eventually. Overall a very good WW2 novel. I'm going o ask for more novels like this for Christmas!
February 13, 2018
Soldier X was one of my favorite books I have read all year. Even though its a completely different time from now. he is relatable and you can compare with him. I like that in the story he develops and changes. From a naive boy to a wise, strong, and smart man. Soldier X is always interesting and filling your mind with imagery details. It is never boring, and it never stops being intresting.
May 12, 2019
The book was a topic of my interest. It was very exciting and fun. The book had many parts where I really felt scared, happy, and sad. The best thing about Soldier X, was that there was no 'real happy ending'. The book was realistic, and made total sense. There are no miracles that help the main characters along the way. Anyways, it's a great book.
October 17, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. The author describes very well the setting and what is going on. Sometimes it may be confusing, because the author gives too much information at once, like for example in the beggining, I did not understand very well the story, but as you keep on reading you will understand everything and you will find out how amazing this book is. If you like action, war, and love stories, this is a book that you will definetly like, and I would recomend it to everyone. Really good book. The best part? This book is based on real events!
November 7, 2010
Soldier X:
The book is about a 16 year old kid named Erik that is fighting for the Germans. During the middle of a battle that he is in he finds himself in a ditch wounded. The only way for him not to get captured by the Russians is to switch clothes with one of the dead Russians in the ditch. After passing out in the ditch Erik wakes up in a Russian hospital. He doesn't know anyone but he is half Russain and can speak some too. When in the hospital he fakes memory lose and pretentends to forget his name and family.Erik has no one but the nurse Tamara that takes care of him. As days go by he finds himself in love with Tamara.Tamara becomes a closer friend to Erik and names him X. Later down the road X finds himself taking care of Russain sodiers. One day Erik spills hot water on himself and swears in German. Tamara hears it but doesn't know what to think but as Erik keeps helping around the hospital Tamara puts it behind her. At the time the Germans are bombing the Russains. The Hospital soon becomes under attack X and Tamara are the only ones that survive. Later down the road X and Tamara run into difficult times against the Germans but manage to pull through. In The end Erick (X) becomes a Socail Studies teacher and later retires in the U.S. to marry Tamara. One thing leads to another soon enough Tamara and Erik have to kids and name them after the people that they lost on the day of the bombing and attck by the Germans. They named them Nikolai after Eriks friend in the hospital, and Katerina Elen.
The book is about a 16 year old kid named Erik that is fighting for the Germans. During the middle of a battle that he is in he finds himself in a ditch wounded. The only way for him not to get captured by the Russians is to switch clothes with one of the dead Russians in the ditch. After passing out in the ditch Erik wakes up in a Russian hospital. He doesn't know anyone but he is half Russain and can speak some too. When in the hospital he fakes memory lose and pretentends to forget his name and family.Erik has no one but the nurse Tamara that takes care of him. As days go by he finds himself in love with Tamara.Tamara becomes a closer friend to Erik and names him X. Later down the road X finds himself taking care of Russain sodiers. One day Erik spills hot water on himself and swears in German. Tamara hears it but doesn't know what to think but as Erik keeps helping around the hospital Tamara puts it behind her. At the time the Germans are bombing the Russains. The Hospital soon becomes under attack X and Tamara are the only ones that survive. Later down the road X and Tamara run into difficult times against the Germans but manage to pull through. In The end Erick (X) becomes a Socail Studies teacher and later retires in the U.S. to marry Tamara. One thing leads to another soon enough Tamara and Erik have to kids and name them after the people that they lost on the day of the bombing and attck by the Germans. They named them Nikolai after Eriks friend in the hospital, and Katerina Elen.
September 17, 2022
I realize this novel is very enthusiastically received by most readers, but my reaction was quite the opposite. Probably, I'm too old and jaded by poor historical fiction to just enjoy it?
The narrative presents a series of the most implausible events occurring to the protagonist ("Soldier X") who ends his voyage through World War 2's Eastern front at the conclusion of a romantic love story as unlikely as it is clunky. Consistent with the narrative, but utterly fantastic when you think about it, the protagonist ends up being called "X" (as a name) by his love interest because after consistently misleading her about himself she just doesn't know what else to call him. But, darn it all, she just loves him so much she can't let go. No matter how many lies he tells her.
He starts out as a school-age German kid, drafted into the armed forces and shipped off to the Eastern front. Because of narrative necessity, he has the unlikely backstory of being the child of Russian emigrants. Voila, he therefore speaks German and Russian, both fluently, and even knows enough about Russian culture to pass himself off as a Russian - to other Russians. Because he's so young, the narrative sets him up as an innocent of politics and nationality. Sure, he was raised in the Hitler Youth, but he never was influenced by any of that, of course. He just wants to get by, live and let live, and all that sort of thing.
Because he speaks fluent Russian, he's flagged for service in German intelligence. Except, he really isn't. He's just sent to the front as another expendable. But at one critical point, he's pulled away to do some interpreting. It's the sort of muddy military "detail" in the book that makes absolutely no sense when you step back and think about it. A German "intelligence" operative assigned to a front-line rifle unit? Hm.
None of the book's military details are convincing. During his first near-combat experience, he reflects on the smell of "Cordite" in the air. Ah, yes, cordite. Whatever it is, clearly it widely was used by the Russians and Germans during World War 2 because... well... because Cordite, right? Fact: Cordite was an English propellant used through about the end of World War 1. But the "smell of Cordite" just has a ring to it that trumps reality.
Later (p. 63) Soldier X fires all four rounds from his rifle - "the semiautomatic Mauser in my hands". A four-shot semiautomatic... Mauser... eh? Just one page later (p. 64) he takes careful aim and fires a "fifty-caliber" into a bunker of bad guys. This is one amazing rifle he's got - a true one-of-a-kind. Later, he swaps his never-existed type of German rifle for "a Russian Simonova" (pp. 156-157). Fact: The SKS rifle entered service only after the war, not in 1943/4 when the novel is taking place.
The cover of the edition I read has a soldier sporting a Brodie-type helmet. Maybe that's the guy that brought some Cordite to the fight? Admittedly, the author can't control the publisher's stupid choice of cover image.
There are other strange constructions in the text. For example, when Soldier X picks up a "roughly twenty-two kilograms" pack and immediately concludes "we carried almost seventy pounds each" (both p. 33). As with the "fifty-caliber" weapon, the Germans didn't measure things in Imperial units. Even if Soldier X happened to be particularly gifted in mathematical conversions he wouldn't have thought about an "almost seventy pounds" pack.
Anyhow, he gets into combat and gets a "golden ticket" wound - he's obviously unfit for combat, will require a very lengthy convalescence, but suffers no long-term disability. Lucky. Despite being wounded he has the clarity of mind to swap uniforms with a dead Russian soldier - and does it while hiding under a knocked-out tank, so nobody sees - and then lets himself be captured by the Russians. Except he's not captured - remember, he speaks Russian fluently - he's saved. They ship him off to Hospital where against all odds he receives excellent medical care. He'll make a complete recovery, except he pretends to have the deux-ex-machina of all narrative devices - amnesia! "Gosh, docs, I'm a good Russian boy who speaks Russian without any accent, but I don't remember where I'm from or my own name or anything else, except I love Mother Russia!"
The Russia he wakes up in is a sanitized place that's good for a budding love story but bears little resemblance to any version of Stalin's Russia - especially the part that was over-run by the Nazis and then seesawed back and forth for a few months before being recovered by the Reds. There's enough food; there's enough transportation; there's good medical care for wounded soldiers; there's even a reliable news information grapevine that includes a type of package service (a nurse sends her brother off to war with a memento - he's killed and the memento gets returned to her). Sure, the Hospital has to evacuate at one point, but it's a short trip to a new place and it's back in orderly business soon enough. The doctors enjoy some influence over the army officers, and the whole hospital is remarkably free of any type of political commissar oversight.
He gets great medical care, and then they put him to work as an orderly once he's mobile. The cute nurse naturally falls head-over-heels in love with him. He reciprocates. The Hospital moves from place to place. Once, Russian officers come through and retrieve fully-recovered men. Somehow he muddles through it all and along the way the cute nurse figures out that he's telling her a mass of lies about himself. She even comes to realize he's German. But she doesn't care, because love, blah blah. He finally tells her everything and she just keeps on loving. But she still calls him "X". Because that's cool.
So, like everything good in fiction the war grinds toward an end. The lovebirds wander off into the sunset. Literally. They wander West until they wander right out of Russia, and then they wander right across Germany and wander through the Front until they stumble into an allied unit of jumpy American kids who open fire and gun down Soldier X once again. But he comes to again, once again in a hospital, once again wondering what lies he should tell about who he might be or where he might have been. Sadly for X, the Americans are much better shots than the Russians (probably the only correct military detail in the novel) and he's been horribly disfigured. It's all so depressing, but darn it all she's still by his side and she still loves him no matter what, though she still calls him "X".
As unlikely as it all is, Papa X and Mama Tamara keep on keepin' on and the story ends in the glorious blaze of young, disfigured, German/Russian love in the American zone.
If you can put the complicated, unlikely melodrama aside, there's just not much else here. Except Cordite, of course.
The narrative presents a series of the most implausible events occurring to the protagonist ("Soldier X") who ends his voyage through World War 2's Eastern front at the conclusion of a romantic love story as unlikely as it is clunky. Consistent with the narrative, but utterly fantastic when you think about it, the protagonist ends up being called "X" (as a name) by his love interest because after consistently misleading her about himself she just doesn't know what else to call him. But, darn it all, she just loves him so much she can't let go. No matter how many lies he tells her.
He starts out as a school-age German kid, drafted into the armed forces and shipped off to the Eastern front. Because of narrative necessity, he has the unlikely backstory of being the child of Russian emigrants. Voila, he therefore speaks German and Russian, both fluently, and even knows enough about Russian culture to pass himself off as a Russian - to other Russians. Because he's so young, the narrative sets him up as an innocent of politics and nationality. Sure, he was raised in the Hitler Youth, but he never was influenced by any of that, of course. He just wants to get by, live and let live, and all that sort of thing.
Because he speaks fluent Russian, he's flagged for service in German intelligence. Except, he really isn't. He's just sent to the front as another expendable. But at one critical point, he's pulled away to do some interpreting. It's the sort of muddy military "detail" in the book that makes absolutely no sense when you step back and think about it. A German "intelligence" operative assigned to a front-line rifle unit? Hm.
None of the book's military details are convincing. During his first near-combat experience, he reflects on the smell of "Cordite" in the air. Ah, yes, cordite. Whatever it is, clearly it widely was used by the Russians and Germans during World War 2 because... well... because Cordite, right? Fact: Cordite was an English propellant used through about the end of World War 1. But the "smell of Cordite" just has a ring to it that trumps reality.
Later (p. 63) Soldier X fires all four rounds from his rifle - "the semiautomatic Mauser in my hands". A four-shot semiautomatic... Mauser... eh? Just one page later (p. 64) he takes careful aim and fires a "fifty-caliber" into a bunker of bad guys. This is one amazing rifle he's got - a true one-of-a-kind. Later, he swaps his never-existed type of German rifle for "a Russian Simonova" (pp. 156-157). Fact: The SKS rifle entered service only after the war, not in 1943/4 when the novel is taking place.
The cover of the edition I read has a soldier sporting a Brodie-type helmet. Maybe that's the guy that brought some Cordite to the fight? Admittedly, the author can't control the publisher's stupid choice of cover image.
There are other strange constructions in the text. For example, when Soldier X picks up a "roughly twenty-two kilograms" pack and immediately concludes "we carried almost seventy pounds each" (both p. 33). As with the "fifty-caliber" weapon, the Germans didn't measure things in Imperial units. Even if Soldier X happened to be particularly gifted in mathematical conversions he wouldn't have thought about an "almost seventy pounds" pack.
Anyhow, he gets into combat and gets a "golden ticket" wound - he's obviously unfit for combat, will require a very lengthy convalescence, but suffers no long-term disability. Lucky. Despite being wounded he has the clarity of mind to swap uniforms with a dead Russian soldier - and does it while hiding under a knocked-out tank, so nobody sees - and then lets himself be captured by the Russians. Except he's not captured - remember, he speaks Russian fluently - he's saved. They ship him off to Hospital where against all odds he receives excellent medical care. He'll make a complete recovery, except he pretends to have the deux-ex-machina of all narrative devices - amnesia! "Gosh, docs, I'm a good Russian boy who speaks Russian without any accent, but I don't remember where I'm from or my own name or anything else, except I love Mother Russia!"
The Russia he wakes up in is a sanitized place that's good for a budding love story but bears little resemblance to any version of Stalin's Russia - especially the part that was over-run by the Nazis and then seesawed back and forth for a few months before being recovered by the Reds. There's enough food; there's enough transportation; there's good medical care for wounded soldiers; there's even a reliable news information grapevine that includes a type of package service (a nurse sends her brother off to war with a memento - he's killed and the memento gets returned to her). Sure, the Hospital has to evacuate at one point, but it's a short trip to a new place and it's back in orderly business soon enough. The doctors enjoy some influence over the army officers, and the whole hospital is remarkably free of any type of political commissar oversight.
He gets great medical care, and then they put him to work as an orderly once he's mobile. The cute nurse naturally falls head-over-heels in love with him. He reciprocates. The Hospital moves from place to place. Once, Russian officers come through and retrieve fully-recovered men. Somehow he muddles through it all and along the way the cute nurse figures out that he's telling her a mass of lies about himself. She even comes to realize he's German. But she doesn't care, because love, blah blah. He finally tells her everything and she just keeps on loving. But she still calls him "X". Because that's cool.
So, like everything good in fiction the war grinds toward an end. The lovebirds wander off into the sunset. Literally. They wander West until they wander right out of Russia, and then they wander right across Germany and wander through the Front until they stumble into an allied unit of jumpy American kids who open fire and gun down Soldier X once again. But he comes to again, once again in a hospital, once again wondering what lies he should tell about who he might be or where he might have been. Sadly for X, the Americans are much better shots than the Russians (probably the only correct military detail in the novel) and he's been horribly disfigured. It's all so depressing, but darn it all she's still by his side and she still loves him no matter what, though she still calls him "X".
As unlikely as it all is, Papa X and Mama Tamara keep on keepin' on and the story ends in the glorious blaze of young, disfigured, German/Russian love in the American zone.
If you can put the complicated, unlikely melodrama aside, there's just not much else here. Except Cordite, of course.
February 27, 2020
The book, Soldier X, by Don Wulffson, takes place during WWII. The book is about a half-German and a half-Russian boy named Erik Brandt who joins the Wehrmacht, Hitler's army, during World War II. The book tells about the war from the perspective of Erik Brandt as he leads a life as both a German and a Russian. He lives with his mother and his grandparents in an apartment above a restaurant they owned. After his first battle against the Russians, they take over the area he is forced to switch into a Russian uniform and later on gets set to a military hospital. After some time, he gets better from a major injuring to the knee he is able to walk again. This is when he starts helping around the hospital and finally meets Tamara Imanov, a young nurse who cares for Erik and quickly becomes the object of his affection. When he learns that her brother was a Russian soldier killed in the war, his secret becomes the source of more tension for Erik. The setting switches between the frontlines of Germany and Russia, but later on gets to America. But soon he and Tamara need to leave the hospital and everyone else in it to survive. Their goal is to get to America. After weeks on the road, he and Tamara reach an abandoned city where they are looking for shelter. When a machine gun starts shooting, hitting both of them but not fatally. After some time being unconscious, they both find themselves in an American Red Cross hospital.
The theme for this book would be to never give up and that war (major conflicts in general) affect people to a point that can’t be fixed by therapy. This would be a good theme because the major characters are changed by war and that the only reason why he is still alive.
I really liked this book of the non-stop action, one moment you could be reading about Erik helping in the military hospital, and the next moment he is killing Germans in the grass. I would rate this book a 4.5/5 just because I don’t like historical fiction books. Anyone that likes non-stop action and a mixture of history and suspense.
The theme for this book would be to never give up and that war (major conflicts in general) affect people to a point that can’t be fixed by therapy. This would be a good theme because the major characters are changed by war and that the only reason why he is still alive.
I really liked this book of the non-stop action, one moment you could be reading about Erik helping in the military hospital, and the next moment he is killing Germans in the grass. I would rate this book a 4.5/5 just because I don’t like historical fiction books. Anyone that likes non-stop action and a mixture of history and suspense.
June 5, 2018
I had read this book before; one of my 8th grade groups chose this to read and finished this morning. One of the students said, "This book makes me want to read more WWII books; it was so inspiring."
I like the structure of the book--it is written almost as a memoir starting with the protagonist as an old man, then telling his story. The end ties up neatly, which students often find satisfying though plenty of characters die and suffer greatly with enough detail to keep the reader engaged.
I like the structure of the book--it is written almost as a memoir starting with the protagonist as an old man, then telling his story. The end ties up neatly, which students often find satisfying though plenty of characters die and suffer greatly with enough detail to keep the reader engaged.
February 24, 2023
Erik Brandt finds himself fighting off the germans in world war II. At his platoons, he makes several
new friends. Erik is still young so the war is traumatizing to him especially when he had to lie quietly next to a dead man so the Germans couldn't find him. This book is historical fiction. I think that this book was well written. It had a good balance of action and relaxed time. This book was a bit more entertaining than I thought it would be. I was expecting more of an adventure-type book but it had a good balance of action and adventure. At the end of this book, Erik finds out that Tamara isn't dead but injured and the two end up getting married. Overall I liked this book and I would recommend this book to people who like action and adventure with a good storyline.
new friends. Erik is still young so the war is traumatizing to him especially when he had to lie quietly next to a dead man so the Germans couldn't find him. This book is historical fiction. I think that this book was well written. It had a good balance of action and relaxed time. This book was a bit more entertaining than I thought it would be. I was expecting more of an adventure-type book but it had a good balance of action and adventure. At the end of this book, Erik finds out that Tamara isn't dead but injured and the two end up getting married. Overall I liked this book and I would recommend this book to people who like action and adventure with a good storyline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2021
Highly recommended!
Read
December 10, 2025Wow, this one I'm going to be thinking about for a long time.
November 3, 2017
"I don't know who I am!" I told him with half-feigned terror. He glanced around at his look alikes. " Join the group, he said with a pained, raspy laugh. "We're not sure who we are, either!" p.87
Soldier X is a young man who fights for both Germany and Russia and the terror of battle, youth, love and the process of survival from war wounds and life.
Soldier X is a young man who fights for both Germany and Russia and the terror of battle, youth, love and the process of survival from war wounds and life.
December 22, 2018
I only read this to fulfill an "X" book and because it sounded like it might be interesting. It was! I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a quick read.
November 29, 2012
Paul Harrington
Soldier X by Dun Wulferson is a true story. READ: Therefore it does not have the normal plot line of a normal novel! The book is set in WWII during the last part of the war. The book takes place in Germany then Russia then Germany again.
The main character’s name is Soldier X. He is a soldier drafted into the Nazi army at 15. But this is complicated by the fact that he is half Russian. This means he can speak fluent Russian, making him invaluable as an interpreter. However everything goes wrong when he is trapped behind enemy lines. To give a hint he ends up in a Russian hospital where his Russian is put to the test! Later he meets a Russian girl named Tamara and this creates problems. To find out what happens next you will have to read!
Although “names, dates, and places were altered wherever necessary,” the story is true and very amazing. Also according to the author’s note this story closely parallels the stories of other Nazis trapped behind enemy lines. These characters I found incredible, almost fictional, which is why the truth behind the story surprised me. One character, Dobelman, had his face so scarred he faked death so he would not have to return home.
I had trouble relating to the book. The extremes that the characters go through are, well… extreme to say the least (for example I have never been shot in the face!). But through it all, the characters survive. That is a situation I believe we can all relate to.
Whether or not I would recommend this book determines on what you are looking for. For someone looking for an amazing WWII story this is for you. However, should you be looking for an entertaining novel with a normal story plot I would not recommend this book. (The action reaches a climax halfway through, then tapers off very slowly as they walk across Euroe I also would not recommend this to a younger child. There are many gruesome scenes, scenes that often end in more than one friend’s death.
Recommendations aside the book was entertaining. It also pays respect to the absolute destruction to Europe, as well as the sheer number of deaths. (Many of the characters friends die early on; one of his friends even gets his hand shot off! This character later gets killed). So I enjoyed the book but for it’s historical accuracies and it’s story, not necessarily for it’s plotline.
Soldier X by Dun Wulferson is a true story. READ: Therefore it does not have the normal plot line of a normal novel! The book is set in WWII during the last part of the war. The book takes place in Germany then Russia then Germany again.
The main character’s name is Soldier X. He is a soldier drafted into the Nazi army at 15. But this is complicated by the fact that he is half Russian. This means he can speak fluent Russian, making him invaluable as an interpreter. However everything goes wrong when he is trapped behind enemy lines. To give a hint he ends up in a Russian hospital where his Russian is put to the test! Later he meets a Russian girl named Tamara and this creates problems. To find out what happens next you will have to read!
Although “names, dates, and places were altered wherever necessary,” the story is true and very amazing. Also according to the author’s note this story closely parallels the stories of other Nazis trapped behind enemy lines. These characters I found incredible, almost fictional, which is why the truth behind the story surprised me. One character, Dobelman, had his face so scarred he faked death so he would not have to return home.
I had trouble relating to the book. The extremes that the characters go through are, well… extreme to say the least (for example I have never been shot in the face!). But through it all, the characters survive. That is a situation I believe we can all relate to.
Whether or not I would recommend this book determines on what you are looking for. For someone looking for an amazing WWII story this is for you. However, should you be looking for an entertaining novel with a normal story plot I would not recommend this book. (The action reaches a climax halfway through, then tapers off very slowly as they walk across Euroe I also would not recommend this to a younger child. There are many gruesome scenes, scenes that often end in more than one friend’s death.
Recommendations aside the book was entertaining. It also pays respect to the absolute destruction to Europe, as well as the sheer number of deaths. (Many of the characters friends die early on; one of his friends even gets his hand shot off! This character later gets killed). So I enjoyed the book but for it’s historical accuracies and it’s story, not necessarily for it’s plotline.
July 10, 2011
Read this with my teenage son a few years back. I appreciated the experiences through the eyes of a young German who has been more or less brainwashed by the Nazi propaganda machine (as many Germans were). Sent to the Russian front, he finds himself trapped behind the lines & desperate to survive. Putting on a Russian uniform to blend in, Erik is mistakenly wounded by a fellow German soldier & brought to a Russian field hospital as a "war hero" putting him in precarious circumstances as he tries to keep from being discovered as the enemy or a "spy," explain his German accent & his presence on the battlefield, stay alive, & hopefully return to his unit or back home.
The unlikely friendship with a Russian Jewish nurse (Tamara)that blossoms into a young romance enhances this story and makes this book appeal not to just teen boys. The action & suspense keeps the reader engaged as well.
This is a book that I would HIGHLY recommend for classroom reading at the high school level (perhaps even middle school). It's an easy read & relatively short. More importantly, it can open the discussion among youths regarding the effect of a culture of hatred propigated by a government & the consequences when a people permit a small group of individuals the reigns of power within that government. Despite what one may feel about the Nazis/German soldiers, he/she cannot help but be moved by the struggle of these 2 hapless youths through the killing zone of one of the most horrific events in our human history. One cannot help but be affected by the courage of these two characters - their determination to save each other & to survive their horrendous environment.
The battles between the Russians & Germans in this conflict were particularly brutal, but this story of bravery & the unconquerable soul within bears witness to the extraordinary courage & strength that lies within each of us. Also, that people can do great things despite the devastation or the evil that surrounds. That it is based on a true story is even more meaningful.
The unlikely friendship with a Russian Jewish nurse (Tamara)that blossoms into a young romance enhances this story and makes this book appeal not to just teen boys. The action & suspense keeps the reader engaged as well.
This is a book that I would HIGHLY recommend for classroom reading at the high school level (perhaps even middle school). It's an easy read & relatively short. More importantly, it can open the discussion among youths regarding the effect of a culture of hatred propigated by a government & the consequences when a people permit a small group of individuals the reigns of power within that government. Despite what one may feel about the Nazis/German soldiers, he/she cannot help but be moved by the struggle of these 2 hapless youths through the killing zone of one of the most horrific events in our human history. One cannot help but be affected by the courage of these two characters - their determination to save each other & to survive their horrendous environment.
The battles between the Russians & Germans in this conflict were particularly brutal, but this story of bravery & the unconquerable soul within bears witness to the extraordinary courage & strength that lies within each of us. Also, that people can do great things despite the devastation or the evil that surrounds. That it is based on a true story is even more meaningful.
January 15, 2008
SOLDIER X is an appropriate title. 16-year-old Erik Brandt, a German, is bilingual thanks to one set of Russian grandparents. When he is sent to the eastern front in the final, desperate year of WWII, he becomes not the proverbial man without a country, but the unusual one with TWO (which doesn't work out so well when those two countries are at war).
Appealing to adults and teens alike, this war novel's narrative is compelling and graphic in its description of trench warfare. The German conscripts are teased relentlessly by the bitter and disillusioned veterans they are sent to reinforce, and when Erik's battalion gets overrun by the Russians, he is only saved by quick thinking and his knowledge of the Russian tongue.
Behind enemy lines, Erik Brandt becomes Aleksandr Dukhanov, then "X." Even away from the fighting, he is in danger at all times -- a man who could be rightfully executed as a traitor by both Germany and Russia. Teenaged reluctant readers (especially boys interested in history or war) will find this especially compelling. Don Wulffson has done his homework and written a historically-accurate book. What's more, it is based on a real-life soldier who went through this very experience.
Though the war story gradually morphs into a war/love story, it remains at heart a war story. Erik falls in love with a Russian girl, Tamara, who has lost her brother to the Nazis. You can see the suspenseful possibilities for the plot, and Wulffson handles them deftly.
SOLDIER X will not disappoint young readers and should please most adult ones as well. I recommend it.
Appealing to adults and teens alike, this war novel's narrative is compelling and graphic in its description of trench warfare. The German conscripts are teased relentlessly by the bitter and disillusioned veterans they are sent to reinforce, and when Erik's battalion gets overrun by the Russians, he is only saved by quick thinking and his knowledge of the Russian tongue.
Behind enemy lines, Erik Brandt becomes Aleksandr Dukhanov, then "X." Even away from the fighting, he is in danger at all times -- a man who could be rightfully executed as a traitor by both Germany and Russia. Teenaged reluctant readers (especially boys interested in history or war) will find this especially compelling. Don Wulffson has done his homework and written a historically-accurate book. What's more, it is based on a real-life soldier who went through this very experience.
Though the war story gradually morphs into a war/love story, it remains at heart a war story. Erik falls in love with a Russian girl, Tamara, who has lost her brother to the Nazis. You can see the suspenseful possibilities for the plot, and Wulffson handles them deftly.
SOLDIER X will not disappoint young readers and should please most adult ones as well. I recommend it.
September 19, 2013
Soldier X is like All Quiet on the Western Front, written in the style of a video game, with a love story, WWII, and The Russians.
A young German boy, whose family is half-Russian, goes off to fight the Russians on the Eastern Front, on a roller-coaster journey into hell. Expertly-paced for reluctant readers more familiar with story-lines from WWII FPS games, Wulffson draws the reader in with engaging, visceral, brutal, and often heavy and thought-provoking prose. The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 features lots of tension-building and action, as well as a mix of FPS and tower-defence style narrative, Part 2 is sort of a behind-the-lines/relationship/character-building interlude, and, just when many reluctant readers will be wondering if they should continue reading, Part 3 returns to tension and action.
For what it is, the one main flaw I can find with the book is on page 137 (Tamara's realization). After all that time, the author unbelievably has Tamara completely change her opinion of the main character based on a few swear words, in a tiny, abrupt paragraph. Otherwise, the excitingly raw style is filled with scenes which will make readers of any age question their morality and what they would do in the same situation. Likewise, it will cause them to question their ability to put the book down.
Great book, and I suspect a great way to get modern video-game-loving, book-shy kids, especially boys, to read. It is also based on a true story, or stories rather, which goes to show how truth can indeed be stranger and more amazing than fiction.
True Rating:4.2 Stars
A young German boy, whose family is half-Russian, goes off to fight the Russians on the Eastern Front, on a roller-coaster journey into hell. Expertly-paced for reluctant readers more familiar with story-lines from WWII FPS games, Wulffson draws the reader in with engaging, visceral, brutal, and often heavy and thought-provoking prose. The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 features lots of tension-building and action, as well as a mix of FPS and tower-defence style narrative, Part 2 is sort of a behind-the-lines/relationship/character-building interlude, and, just when many reluctant readers will be wondering if they should continue reading, Part 3 returns to tension and action.
For what it is, the one main flaw I can find with the book is on page 137 (Tamara's realization). After all that time, the author unbelievably has Tamara completely change her opinion of the main character based on a few swear words, in a tiny, abrupt paragraph. Otherwise, the excitingly raw style is filled with scenes which will make readers of any age question their morality and what they would do in the same situation. Likewise, it will cause them to question their ability to put the book down.
Great book, and I suspect a great way to get modern video-game-loving, book-shy kids, especially boys, to read. It is also based on a true story, or stories rather, which goes to show how truth can indeed be stranger and more amazing than fiction.
True Rating:4.2 Stars
April 21, 2013
Soldier X tells a courageous story a young boy's experiences during WWII as a German soldier used to question the Russian prisoners of war. Brainwashed under Nazi rule, 16 year old Erik Brandt has no choice but to follow the commands of his superiors. Erik is able to escape the battle by changing into the uniform of a nearby dead Russian. However, during his escape he is shot by a fallen German soldier. He is then taken to a Russian hospital where he becomes acquainted with his nurse, Tamara, and other Russian soldiers. In order to avoid conflict, he covers his background by claiming amnesia. Eventually they are forced to evacuate the hospital due to invading German forces. Erik and Tamara travel together as they survive opposing conflicts with allied soldiers. Although their loyalty originated with opposing nationalities, Erik and Tamara eventually fall in love, and survive the war.
At first I was interested in the story because of the whole concept of WWII and Nazi rule. But the reason why I loved the book so much was because I became so fascinated by the journey of the young boy. The adventure of the story is what kept me reading.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by the WWII era and enjoys following the journey of main character. This story demonstrates the forming of relations with humans of the opposing side after being brainwash by Nazi rule during a time of war.
At first I was interested in the story because of the whole concept of WWII and Nazi rule. But the reason why I loved the book so much was because I became so fascinated by the journey of the young boy. The adventure of the story is what kept me reading.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by the WWII era and enjoys following the journey of main character. This story demonstrates the forming of relations with humans of the opposing side after being brainwash by Nazi rule during a time of war.
October 24, 2016
Soldier X is an exciting World War II era thriller that makes you want to keep reading. The novel follows the life of a teenage boy named Erik Brandt who fought for the German army in World War II. As the story continues Erik makes new friends, meets the love of his life, and keeps a secret that is life or death if anyone finds out. Some insights that the book enlightened me to is the quality of life that the solders had to live in. They had to dig bunkers into the side of hills as living quarters. They also had to ride in a train for hours, then walk out to the front lines only to have to fight along side your best friend and watch their head get blown of right beside you. The novel also created a personal vision of a war hospital, all the injuries that somebody would see in there. One thing that I really like about this book was that I physically could not put it down, I started reading it one day and by the next afternoon I had finished the entire book. Another thing that I liked about this book is that it humanized the big old mean general by making him hate the elements of war just as much as the teenagers. The last thing that I really liked about this novel is that it told the story of World War II from a German's perspective. That is something you don't see very often. I would recommend this novel for anyone who is interested or is learning about World War II because it tells the story of the war really well.
October 27, 2016
The book “Soldier X” was a thrilling non stop book that was based on a true story during World War ll. The book was just constantly having things happen. Like right when you think it’s all calm nope. The book has so many twists and turns and it honestly made me cry. I can’t believe I liked a book about war. But I think I enjoyed it because it wasn't just about survival. It was showing how scary things can get but you just have to keep pushing and pushing no matter what happens. It also shows that if even if the little things didn't happen then it would a completely different. The book also makes you really see people differently.
“Soldier X” is a book many teachers should be having their students read. Why? Well because the book is about a German soldier who has to stay alive behind enemy lines. I feel like you always read books about the “good” quote on quote soldiers. But never the “bad” quote on quote soldiers. I mean has anybody really just sat down and thought “Man I wonder what it was like to be German soldier?” Like just telling someone you were a Nazi and or German soldier probably made people not like you or possibly even lose trust in you. But it’s not your fault you are German and terrified or Hitler. That is why I really enjoyed this book because not only do you get to read from the other sides view you also get to go on this incredible journey he has, what he learns, what he faces and what he has to overcome.
“Soldier X” is a book many teachers should be having their students read. Why? Well because the book is about a German soldier who has to stay alive behind enemy lines. I feel like you always read books about the “good” quote on quote soldiers. But never the “bad” quote on quote soldiers. I mean has anybody really just sat down and thought “Man I wonder what it was like to be German soldier?” Like just telling someone you were a Nazi and or German soldier probably made people not like you or possibly even lose trust in you. But it’s not your fault you are German and terrified or Hitler. That is why I really enjoyed this book because not only do you get to read from the other sides view you also get to go on this incredible journey he has, what he learns, what he faces and what he has to overcome.
January 13, 2012
the book solder x is about a and young Nazi soldier during World War II. The character’s real name in the book is Erik Brandt. His family immigrated from Russia to Germany during the Bolshevik revolution because they were wealthy and they did not want the Bolsheviks to take all of their money. Their family’s 1st language was Russian and the 2nd was German. When the main character was born his 1st language became German in a 2nd language became Russian similar to many immigrants.
when he was 17 he joined the Army to get away from home where he was sent to Russia to fight the Red Army. There he experienced the horrors of war in his 1st combat which was more or less a suicide mission. In that day he got shot and while he was laying in a trench full of his dead friends, a tank rolled right over the trench and broke down in that convenient location. While he was there he switched his uniform with a dead Russian boys one.
A day later he woke up in a Russian field hospital lying in a stretcher. at the hospital he has to Hide his real identity and pretend to be somebody else.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy war novels or just a captivating story. There are a few disturbing scenes in this book that do consist of gore and violence it's not all too bad but it could upset some people.
when he was 17 he joined the Army to get away from home where he was sent to Russia to fight the Red Army. There he experienced the horrors of war in his 1st combat which was more or less a suicide mission. In that day he got shot and while he was laying in a trench full of his dead friends, a tank rolled right over the trench and broke down in that convenient location. While he was there he switched his uniform with a dead Russian boys one.
A day later he woke up in a Russian field hospital lying in a stretcher. at the hospital he has to Hide his real identity and pretend to be somebody else.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy war novels or just a captivating story. There are a few disturbing scenes in this book that do consist of gore and violence it's not all too bad but it could upset some people.
March 17, 2012
Soldier Xby Don L. Wulffson is a terrible book with a dead, dragging plot and undeveloped charaters. Soldier X is about a boy named Erik who is forced to join the Nazi army and fight on the Eastern front. Erik becomes trapped behind enemy lines. He meets many undeveloped charaters and has many conversations with a blank, dull style of speech. The author does allow this story to be historically accurate though. The setbacks Germany and the Soviet Union experienced are historically accurate. The setting also is historically accurate, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were in similar conditions during World War Two. The setting is identifiable because of the conversations that Erik has with others. The style of writing detracts from the book because of its blankness. The mood of war is tuned down which greatly subtracts from the plot and tone of the story. Themes are pathetically expressed and there is no tone to this book. Themes are either expressed bluntly or not at all. People should read this book if they want to waste a couple hours of their life that they will never get back.
March 17, 2017
I finished "Soldier X" today and it was amazing! It had suspense drama action and even love! It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. This is a book i recommend to many.
It started off amazing and was good the whole time. The book was based around a kid named Erik who was scared. He lost many people in the book including his best friend. The whole book was dedicated to his survival. He knew if he was caught by anyone he would be killed.
He starts on the Germans but then in a desperate act to survive he flips his uniform with a Russian soldier. For a while is cared for but after a little while the whole makeshift hospital he is in is turned up side down by the Geramans. Him and a few people escape and this is where he really gets to know his future wife. On his way to survival he meets a lot of good people that help him tom survive. Sadly, he looses his arm and left eye after the war.
Anyways, hope you chose to get this book. As i have said it is amazing and will keep you on the edge of your seat. It has Everything a good book will contain. A thriller from the beginning to the end!
It started off amazing and was good the whole time. The book was based around a kid named Erik who was scared. He lost many people in the book including his best friend. The whole book was dedicated to his survival. He knew if he was caught by anyone he would be killed.
He starts on the Germans but then in a desperate act to survive he flips his uniform with a Russian soldier. For a while is cared for but after a little while the whole makeshift hospital he is in is turned up side down by the Geramans. Him and a few people escape and this is where he really gets to know his future wife. On his way to survival he meets a lot of good people that help him tom survive. Sadly, he looses his arm and left eye after the war.
Anyways, hope you chose to get this book. As i have said it is amazing and will keep you on the edge of your seat. It has Everything a good book will contain. A thriller from the beginning to the end!
February 4, 2017
B.R.5
This book is a heartwarming tale about World War II. Soldier X is very well written by Don L. Wulffson and is 227 pages long so perfect for a fun quick read. This book is composed of drama and suspense, for example,“I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell out the truth. But I couldn’t.” This book is full of suspenseful moments like this and if you read this I promise you will be on a roller coaster of emotions.
This book also has many fun layered people for you to decode, the main character even has multiple names. Here is an example of characterization, “I am not here to frighten you…I am here to save your lives.” There are many characters that will have you gasping, laughing, and crying. I would strongly suggest reading this book so that you can find out what it was like during WWII and the hardships people had to face. I would suggest this book for mature kids and up and I think that everyone should read this book.
This book is a heartwarming tale about World War II. Soldier X is very well written by Don L. Wulffson and is 227 pages long so perfect for a fun quick read. This book is composed of drama and suspense, for example,“I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell out the truth. But I couldn’t.” This book is full of suspenseful moments like this and if you read this I promise you will be on a roller coaster of emotions.
This book also has many fun layered people for you to decode, the main character even has multiple names. Here is an example of characterization, “I am not here to frighten you…I am here to save your lives.” There are many characters that will have you gasping, laughing, and crying. I would strongly suggest reading this book so that you can find out what it was like during WWII and the hardships people had to face. I would suggest this book for mature kids and up and I think that everyone should read this book.
February 6, 2012
Soldier X, by Don Wulffson, is a great book that shows what life was like in a realistic way for soldiers in WWII. A young German soldier who is half Russian is chosen to fight for the Nazis in a great theme plot of friendship, love, and sorrow. This book shows in a great way the life of young German soldiers. The plot is very credible because it was based on a true story about a man who now lives in Oregon. In addition, the authentic setting of Nazi Germany and even on the front lines of battle, really adds to the depth of the book. There are many themes in this book as well including love, hardships, and fear. Another great attribute to this book is the way it shows how the Nazis lived during war. It shows in a very powerful way how hard life was and how the soldiers could do things so horrible to so many people. Solder X also portrays great realism with language and cultural influence. People looking for an action packed thriller of a great point of view from a young man who is on both sides of the war, will love Soldier X.
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