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Summer of My German Soldier #1
Summer of my German Soldier
A 1973 National Book Award Finalist, an ALA Notable Book, a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year. When German prisoners of war are brought to her Arkansas town during World War II, twelve-year-old Patty, a Jewish girl, befriends one of them and must deal with the consequences of that friendship.
313 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
231 people are currently reading
6705 people want to read
About the author
Bette Greene
15 books175 followersBette Greene’s award-winning classic novels will be celebrating 40 years in print!
As an award-winning author, screenwriter and news reporter, Bette Greene is read worldwide in over 16 languages. Bette continues her legacy of writing and speaking for the victimized. Within the heartbeat of her storytelling and the realism of her prose lies Bette’s demand that her readers feel what she feels and sees what she sees, taking us beyond our differences.
As the 20th century’s youngest professional news reporter, Bette published her first news story at age eight. Bette Greene’s first book, “Summer of My German Soldier”, won the first “Golden Kite” award. This same novel outsold Prince Charles’ book in his own country.
Bette Greene holds the honor of being the only author included in “Writers of Holocaust Literature”, without having been a victim of the Holocaust.
As a 21st century master author, Bette Greene uses the social media platforms to reach out and touch her readers, Generation - X, Y and Z. According to critics, Bette Greene has given a voice to the voiceless, changing the course of young adults’ literature in America.
For nearly 40 years, Bette Greene’s books have been banned, censored and challenged. The theme of Bette Greene’s award-winning library is always the same - Bullying!
As an award-winning author, screenwriter and news reporter, Bette Greene is read worldwide in over 16 languages. Bette continues her legacy of writing and speaking for the victimized. Within the heartbeat of her storytelling and the realism of her prose lies Bette’s demand that her readers feel what she feels and sees what she sees, taking us beyond our differences.
As the 20th century’s youngest professional news reporter, Bette published her first news story at age eight. Bette Greene’s first book, “Summer of My German Soldier”, won the first “Golden Kite” award. This same novel outsold Prince Charles’ book in his own country.
Bette Greene holds the honor of being the only author included in “Writers of Holocaust Literature”, without having been a victim of the Holocaust.
As a 21st century master author, Bette Greene uses the social media platforms to reach out and touch her readers, Generation - X, Y and Z. According to critics, Bette Greene has given a voice to the voiceless, changing the course of young adults’ literature in America.
For nearly 40 years, Bette Greene’s books have been banned, censored and challenged. The theme of Bette Greene’s award-winning library is always the same - Bullying!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,222 reviews
August 29, 2022
The summer before I entered the sixth grade, a set of fraternal twins and their family moved into our neighborhood.
They were Eastern Europeans and the twins, a boy and a girl, were the same age that I was, getting ready to start at the same middle school.
My best friend (my next-door neighbor) and I had both taken an immediately liking to the girl, and we started a regular habit of going to her window to ask her to come outside. If her mother was home, and it was early enough, she'd always join us outside, but one time we came over at dinner time and her father was already home from work.
We were at her window, as usual, waiting to see if she could come outside. School had just started and she was anxious about something, like she hadn't finished her homework yet. My best friend and I had the types of parents who never asked about homework, so we couldn't understand her stress level, and we were sort of goofing around at the window, sitting on the ground, waiting for her, when we heard her father burst into her room in a fit of anger.
Before we fully understood what was going on, we peeked up into the window and witnessed a grown man punching his 12-year-old daughter repeatedly in the head, over and over again. This man wasn't smacking his daughter, and he wasn't slapping her; he was beating her. He punched her so hard, he was literally knocking her across the room, into the walls.
She was a little thing, just like my friend and I were, small in stature and weight. We slid down the wall and cowered, terrified, not knowing what in the hell to do. We were 12-year-olds, for fuck's sake. At some point we heard the mother try to enter the room and we heard screaming, then it sounded like he knocked her down, too.
I'm not sure how long we sat there in a paralyzed confusion, but at some point we knew she was alone in the room again. When we summoned the courage to make ourselves known to her, we could see he had knocked the clips clear out of her hair, and she couldn't open one of her eyes. She was lying on her bed, quietly crying, and when she saw our faces again, she said, through swollen lips, “I hate him.”
I will never forget how she looked, and I will never forget that she seemed simultaneously horrified and relieved that we knew her secret. My legs feel like rubber right now, just from remembering all of this.
If you've read this book, this coming-of-age classic, published in 1973, you already know why I have shared this, why this memory was triggered. If you haven't, well, all I can tell you is. . . you can't possibly know what you are in for, if you take on this read.
What's interesting: I would not have read this, if I'd known the topic in advance. . . but, if I hadn't read it, I'd have missed out on one of the most unique, memorable, upsetting, and surprising stories I've ever encountered in my life.
I think I can liken my experience of this read to my experience of watching our friend being beaten by her father: I sorely regret seeing what I did, but maybe if I hadn't, I'd never have said to my best friend that night what I did: “If a man ever hits me or my kids like that, I'll kill him.”
We all respond differently to violence, and we all know that our circumstances often control the outcomes (my best friend herself went on to have several physically abusive boyfriends before settling on a verbally abusive husband), but what was revealed to me about myself that night was later echoed by Gerda Weismann Klein, who wrote in her Holocaust memoir, “I prayed that I should never be assaulted, for I knew I would strike back, even though I would have to pay for it with life itself.”
Me, too, Gerda. Me, too, Patty Bergen. We are who we are, and our responses and our opinions are as unique as we are.
This is a powerful, flawed, and unforgettable read. This story will never leave me.
They were Eastern Europeans and the twins, a boy and a girl, were the same age that I was, getting ready to start at the same middle school.
My best friend (my next-door neighbor) and I had both taken an immediately liking to the girl, and we started a regular habit of going to her window to ask her to come outside. If her mother was home, and it was early enough, she'd always join us outside, but one time we came over at dinner time and her father was already home from work.
We were at her window, as usual, waiting to see if she could come outside. School had just started and she was anxious about something, like she hadn't finished her homework yet. My best friend and I had the types of parents who never asked about homework, so we couldn't understand her stress level, and we were sort of goofing around at the window, sitting on the ground, waiting for her, when we heard her father burst into her room in a fit of anger.
Before we fully understood what was going on, we peeked up into the window and witnessed a grown man punching his 12-year-old daughter repeatedly in the head, over and over again. This man wasn't smacking his daughter, and he wasn't slapping her; he was beating her. He punched her so hard, he was literally knocking her across the room, into the walls.
She was a little thing, just like my friend and I were, small in stature and weight. We slid down the wall and cowered, terrified, not knowing what in the hell to do. We were 12-year-olds, for fuck's sake. At some point we heard the mother try to enter the room and we heard screaming, then it sounded like he knocked her down, too.
I'm not sure how long we sat there in a paralyzed confusion, but at some point we knew she was alone in the room again. When we summoned the courage to make ourselves known to her, we could see he had knocked the clips clear out of her hair, and she couldn't open one of her eyes. She was lying on her bed, quietly crying, and when she saw our faces again, she said, through swollen lips, “I hate him.”
I will never forget how she looked, and I will never forget that she seemed simultaneously horrified and relieved that we knew her secret. My legs feel like rubber right now, just from remembering all of this.
If you've read this book, this coming-of-age classic, published in 1973, you already know why I have shared this, why this memory was triggered. If you haven't, well, all I can tell you is. . . you can't possibly know what you are in for, if you take on this read.
What's interesting: I would not have read this, if I'd known the topic in advance. . . but, if I hadn't read it, I'd have missed out on one of the most unique, memorable, upsetting, and surprising stories I've ever encountered in my life.
I think I can liken my experience of this read to my experience of watching our friend being beaten by her father: I sorely regret seeing what I did, but maybe if I hadn't, I'd never have said to my best friend that night what I did: “If a man ever hits me or my kids like that, I'll kill him.”
We all respond differently to violence, and we all know that our circumstances often control the outcomes (my best friend herself went on to have several physically abusive boyfriends before settling on a verbally abusive husband), but what was revealed to me about myself that night was later echoed by Gerda Weismann Klein, who wrote in her Holocaust memoir, “I prayed that I should never be assaulted, for I knew I would strike back, even though I would have to pay for it with life itself.”
Me, too, Gerda. Me, too, Patty Bergen. We are who we are, and our responses and our opinions are as unique as we are.
This is a powerful, flawed, and unforgettable read. This story will never leave me.
July 5, 2008
I wonder if I can ever do this story justice. It's about a young Jewish girl during WWII who befriends a German POW held in a camp near her small Arkansas town. That's the plot, but really it's about so much more: about learning to like and love yourself even when significant others don't; about salvific power of love and kindness; about true agape love.
Some might be tempted to reduce Summer to a modern day Romeo and Juliette story minus the romance, violence and suicides. It is about doomed love across cultural, religious and national barriers unfathomable for the timeperiod. But it really isn't about eros love. It isn't that kind of love story--which is probably why I like it.
I have many favorite quotes from this book, including:
'...the only questions I like to raise are those that are unanswerable.'
(Anton, the German soldier speaking in reference to Hitler) '...a man who is incapable of humor is capable of cruelty.'
'I believe that love is better than hate. And that there is more nobility in building a chicken coop than in destroying a cathedral.'
'...but maybe, just maybe, we all have an enormous capacity for believing in anything that will provide us with a bit of comfort.'
(Anton again speaking about Hitler) 'Cruelty is after all cruelty, and the difference between the two men may have more to do with the degrees of power than their degrees of cruelty.'
'When I read a book, I want to understand precisely what it is the writer is saying, not just almost but precisely. And it's the same when people are talking to you.'
(Anton to Patty) 'Then I want you to learn this, our last, lesson. Even if you forget everything else I want you to always remember that you are a person of value, and you have a friend who loved you enough to give you his most valued possession.'
Highly recommended!
Some might be tempted to reduce Summer to a modern day Romeo and Juliette story minus the romance, violence and suicides. It is about doomed love across cultural, religious and national barriers unfathomable for the timeperiod. But it really isn't about eros love. It isn't that kind of love story--which is probably why I like it.
I have many favorite quotes from this book, including:
'...the only questions I like to raise are those that are unanswerable.'
(Anton, the German soldier speaking in reference to Hitler) '...a man who is incapable of humor is capable of cruelty.'
'I believe that love is better than hate. And that there is more nobility in building a chicken coop than in destroying a cathedral.'
'...but maybe, just maybe, we all have an enormous capacity for believing in anything that will provide us with a bit of comfort.'
(Anton again speaking about Hitler) 'Cruelty is after all cruelty, and the difference between the two men may have more to do with the degrees of power than their degrees of cruelty.'
'When I read a book, I want to understand precisely what it is the writer is saying, not just almost but precisely. And it's the same when people are talking to you.'
(Anton to Patty) 'Then I want you to learn this, our last, lesson. Even if you forget everything else I want you to always remember that you are a person of value, and you have a friend who loved you enough to give you his most valued possession.'
Highly recommended!
April 21, 2012
This book is still a beautiful ache in my heart long after I finished it. I don't know why it never came up in lists of recommended modern classics. It is not a feel good romance, but a beautiful story of courage, friendship and love, and of a young girl learning to filter out the unkindness and prejudice directed towards her to discover the truth and goodness of love.
Adolescents who are used to a diet of feel-good will need to be prepared for some heart stretching, but in the long-run, and with a little talking through, reading this book will help them to be better prepared to face the joys and challenges of life with courage and love. www.GoodReadingGuide.com
July 20, 2025
This book is a lot sadder than I remember reading as a young teenager in school. I suppose now that im 39, I lived life more and have more experiences. However, I still enjoyed going back in time and re-read a book i read from years ago.
August 29, 2022
I loved this one. She hides the German soldier - it has Southern US setting, mother and father are absent working, only the maid finds out, but helps her.
Of course she falls in love with him - for me very dramatic and romantic.
Of course she falls in love with him - for me very dramatic and romantic.
October 20, 2007
OK, I lied. THIS is the worst book I've ever been FORCED to read. Note to teachers, if you make your students read this, THEN YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM! Have you ever wondered why kids don't like reading? It's because of books like these. And, if you continue to say that this book ties in with whatever WWII lesson your teaching, then I truly feel sorry. Not for the teachers, but for the students. Plain and simple, this book sucks. To the teachers who make their kids read this, I advise you to turn yourselves into the police, because your torturing your students.
April 12, 2021
While I have actually not really found Bette Greene's 1973 historical fiction novel Summer of my German Soldier quite as readable and as enjoyable as I had fondly been hoping for (and especially with regard to Greene's writing style, which I do think has the unfortunate tendency to sometimes if not even rather often be a trifle rambling and dragging), I have in fact and with no feelings of either contrition or any guilt whatsoever decided to still rank Summer of my German Soldier with a full five stars.
And yes, my main and primary reason for doing so (for still rating Summer of my German Soldier with five stars instead of the high three stars I was originally considering with regard to my actual enjoyment and reading pleasure) is that I am indeed rather massively infuriated and personally offended by the fact that there sadly and frustratingly are (at least in my opinion) far far too many rantingly negative tirades of ignorant bigotry with regard to Summer of my German Soldier to be found online, vitriol spewing reviews (if one should even consider labelling them as bona fide reviews) claiming that of course ALL Germans are somehow to be seen as Nazis and that Anton is by the mere fact of him being a German soldier and a POW not only an automatic A National Socialist by mere association and by his ethnicity but therefore also totally deserving of his fate, absolutely deserving being killed (not to mention that I have even found a number of online rantings that have dared to categorically state that Summer of my German Soldier should never even have been allowed to be published and that Bette Greene should also and actively have been censored and severely, lastingly punished for penning a novel set in WWII which presents a generally very much positive and likeable German character).
Now I can of course and more than readily and fully understand those more negative reviews of Summer of my German Soldier where the main point of criticism and contention has been about how Bette Greene's stylistics, about how her modes of literary expression often seem to feel a bit tediously dragging (for as mentioned above, this is in fact also my own main issue with Summer of my German Soldier, namely that even with me being very much interested in and engaged with Patty and Anton's story and feeling both uplifted and devastated by it, how Betty Greene has her plot move along, this has certainly at times felt both distancing and not all that engagingly rendered).
But no indeed, as person of German background (and having experienced a lot of very deliberate ethnic and cultural based bullying and ethnic hatred filled bigotry because of the latter when my family immigrated to Canada when I was ten years of age), I will simply NOT consider those entirely negative musings on Summer of my German Soldier where the "reviewer" basically states that ALL Germans are somehow at best problematic and at worst tainted and guilty of Naziism by the mere fact of our birth and our ethnic and genetic backgrounds as being anything but offensive propagandistic bile! And in fact (and also knowing rather full well that this assessment might indeed be possibly offensive to some and perhaps even to many), when I was reading the most vehemently angry and furiously vile online criticisms of Summer of my German Soldier, I was most definitely left with the very distinct and uncomfortable impression of having encountered political propaganda rather totally akin and alike to what the Nazis themselves had used, for the rhetoric I have encountered with the most angry and furious tirades against Summer of my German Soldier was certainly very much the exact same type as had been used by Hitler, Goebbels, Goering etc. (and even reading Summer of my German Soldier for a second time has not at all changed this impression, but has in fact and indeed only augmented this feeling and my frustrated rage ad infinitum).
And yes, my main and primary reason for doing so (for still rating Summer of my German Soldier with five stars instead of the high three stars I was originally considering with regard to my actual enjoyment and reading pleasure) is that I am indeed rather massively infuriated and personally offended by the fact that there sadly and frustratingly are (at least in my opinion) far far too many rantingly negative tirades of ignorant bigotry with regard to Summer of my German Soldier to be found online, vitriol spewing reviews (if one should even consider labelling them as bona fide reviews) claiming that of course ALL Germans are somehow to be seen as Nazis and that Anton is by the mere fact of him being a German soldier and a POW not only an automatic A National Socialist by mere association and by his ethnicity but therefore also totally deserving of his fate, absolutely deserving being killed (not to mention that I have even found a number of online rantings that have dared to categorically state that Summer of my German Soldier should never even have been allowed to be published and that Bette Greene should also and actively have been censored and severely, lastingly punished for penning a novel set in WWII which presents a generally very much positive and likeable German character).
Now I can of course and more than readily and fully understand those more negative reviews of Summer of my German Soldier where the main point of criticism and contention has been about how Bette Greene's stylistics, about how her modes of literary expression often seem to feel a bit tediously dragging (for as mentioned above, this is in fact also my own main issue with Summer of my German Soldier, namely that even with me being very much interested in and engaged with Patty and Anton's story and feeling both uplifted and devastated by it, how Betty Greene has her plot move along, this has certainly at times felt both distancing and not all that engagingly rendered).
But no indeed, as person of German background (and having experienced a lot of very deliberate ethnic and cultural based bullying and ethnic hatred filled bigotry because of the latter when my family immigrated to Canada when I was ten years of age), I will simply NOT consider those entirely negative musings on Summer of my German Soldier where the "reviewer" basically states that ALL Germans are somehow at best problematic and at worst tainted and guilty of Naziism by the mere fact of our birth and our ethnic and genetic backgrounds as being anything but offensive propagandistic bile! And in fact (and also knowing rather full well that this assessment might indeed be possibly offensive to some and perhaps even to many), when I was reading the most vehemently angry and furiously vile online criticisms of Summer of my German Soldier, I was most definitely left with the very distinct and uncomfortable impression of having encountered political propaganda rather totally akin and alike to what the Nazis themselves had used, for the rhetoric I have encountered with the most angry and furious tirades against Summer of my German Soldier was certainly very much the exact same type as had been used by Hitler, Goebbels, Goering etc. (and even reading Summer of my German Soldier for a second time has not at all changed this impression, but has in fact and indeed only augmented this feeling and my frustrated rage ad infinitum).
February 20, 2015
We never read Summer of My German Soldier in class (honestly, what did we read?), nor have I seen the movie, so this Open Road edition from Netgalley was brand new to me. I hadn't realized the main character and narrator of the story, Patty, was so young (12); my first assumption was that she was old enough for this to be a more common sort of love story.
It's not what I was anticipating, but despite her youth, it is a love story, of a sort, or of several sorts. It involves Patty's love for her sister, against all odds: it would have been less surprising to me if she had loathed Sharon for being the apple of their parents' eyes by simply existing. (What were the first five years of Patty's life, pre-Sharon, like, I wonder?) Patty's love for - or desire to love - her parents, against even greater odds. The housekeeper/nanny Ruth's genuine affection for Patty, and her staunch position on Patty's side no matter what. Anton Reiker, the German Soldier, is part of that facet; his point of view is not only as a grateful recipient of her help but as someone who sees what the rest of her life is doing to her. His and Ruth's interaction with Patty reminded me of Aibilene from The Help, constantly telling the browbeaten little girl "You is kind, you is smart, you is good..." - trying desperately to counteract the inevitable result of the horrible combination of intentional and unintentional abuse by the parents. Trying to provide a life raft in a sea of self-hatred.
There is, to be honest, a lot not to like about Patty, at first glance - which is what makes her a compelling character. She - a Jewish girl - decides to aid an escaped German POW purely based on the fact that he was friendly to her, was attractive, and spoke excellent English, and that she was instantly infatuated with him (without really knowing how to express that, even to herself); for all she knew, actually knew, he could have been the deepest-dyed Nazi there ever was. A sheltered and affection-starved twelve-year old isn't exactly the judge of character I'd want to rely on in this situation. In fact, from the little bit I know about Nazi espionage techniques, Reiker is the sort of man most prized by the SS: able to speak unaccented English, plausible and friendly-seeming... My hair stood on end a bit thinking about it. She could have caused unspeakable damage with one thoughtless act.
Also, of course, her constant lies are off-putting, and a little alarming, but in the context of her pitiable desperation to do something, anything to finally reach her parents' hearts they make sense. It seems to be an almost instinctual response to almost any situation – one which, hopefully, she can outgrow.
The introduction - exclusive to the Open Road edition, I think - talks about Bette Greene's parents' reaction to the book. "Couldn't you at least have waited till we were dead?" She apparently either evaded the question or denied outright that she and Patty were one and the same; however, her parents evidently recognized enough of themselves in the narrative to be defensive and outraged. They weren't brought to shame about their behavior, but were instead - as always - put out with their daughter that she had not had more consideration for them. I've encountered Eeeevil Parents in a couple of books lately, and sighed over them, wanting more depth to make them realistic … in Patty's parents the lack of depth is partly down to the story being told by a twelve-year-old. She had no way of knowing any kind of motivation for how they treated her, no way to fathom the psychology. She doesn't look for excuses for them - she simply shoulders the responsibility for it (she's not a good person) and tries to make amends. It's horrifying.
Looking over what I've written I see variations on the word "desperate" popping up. And for a brief book written in a fairly light tone, centered around the suburban life of a twelve-year-old merchant's daughter in 20th century Alabama, there is a wrenching amount of desperation running all through it. Reiker does not escape because he wants to meet up with saboteurs (we hope), but because the confinement was pressing upon him, and he needed freedom. Ruth is, on surface, what the Scots call sonsy; she is the mammy archetype of the middle-aged black servant who actually looks after the white folks' children - but at least one of these white folks' children is in a bad way, and she has a son of her own who is at hazard. Hers is, too, the constant worry of her race and position in her time and place. Patty sees her mother as the consummate salesperson, able to sell ice to an Eskimo, but the little scene we are shown (of a poor farmer's wife being cozened into buying not only the dress she was looking at but an ugly hat as well) is almost heartbreaking in its sordidness: the mother's eagerness to wring another dollar out of someone who can't afford it but who is almost as thirsty for praise as Patty; the false praise being heaped on this stranger when Patty would, literally, do anything for a kind word.
Love and desperation. It packs a punch that surprised me, this little book.
It's not what I was anticipating, but despite her youth, it is a love story, of a sort, or of several sorts. It involves Patty's love for her sister, against all odds: it would have been less surprising to me if she had loathed Sharon for being the apple of their parents' eyes by simply existing. (What were the first five years of Patty's life, pre-Sharon, like, I wonder?) Patty's love for - or desire to love - her parents, against even greater odds. The housekeeper/nanny Ruth's genuine affection for Patty, and her staunch position on Patty's side no matter what. Anton Reiker, the German Soldier, is part of that facet; his point of view is not only as a grateful recipient of her help but as someone who sees what the rest of her life is doing to her. His and Ruth's interaction with Patty reminded me of Aibilene from The Help, constantly telling the browbeaten little girl "You is kind, you is smart, you is good..." - trying desperately to counteract the inevitable result of the horrible combination of intentional and unintentional abuse by the parents. Trying to provide a life raft in a sea of self-hatred.
There is, to be honest, a lot not to like about Patty, at first glance - which is what makes her a compelling character. She - a Jewish girl - decides to aid an escaped German POW purely based on the fact that he was friendly to her, was attractive, and spoke excellent English, and that she was instantly infatuated with him (without really knowing how to express that, even to herself); for all she knew, actually knew, he could have been the deepest-dyed Nazi there ever was. A sheltered and affection-starved twelve-year old isn't exactly the judge of character I'd want to rely on in this situation. In fact, from the little bit I know about Nazi espionage techniques, Reiker is the sort of man most prized by the SS: able to speak unaccented English, plausible and friendly-seeming... My hair stood on end a bit thinking about it. She could have caused unspeakable damage with one thoughtless act.
Also, of course, her constant lies are off-putting, and a little alarming, but in the context of her pitiable desperation to do something, anything to finally reach her parents' hearts they make sense. It seems to be an almost instinctual response to almost any situation – one which, hopefully, she can outgrow.
The introduction - exclusive to the Open Road edition, I think - talks about Bette Greene's parents' reaction to the book. "Couldn't you at least have waited till we were dead?" She apparently either evaded the question or denied outright that she and Patty were one and the same; however, her parents evidently recognized enough of themselves in the narrative to be defensive and outraged. They weren't brought to shame about their behavior, but were instead - as always - put out with their daughter that she had not had more consideration for them. I've encountered Eeeevil Parents in a couple of books lately, and sighed over them, wanting more depth to make them realistic … in Patty's parents the lack of depth is partly down to the story being told by a twelve-year-old. She had no way of knowing any kind of motivation for how they treated her, no way to fathom the psychology. She doesn't look for excuses for them - she simply shoulders the responsibility for it (she's not a good person) and tries to make amends. It's horrifying.
Looking over what I've written I see variations on the word "desperate" popping up. And for a brief book written in a fairly light tone, centered around the suburban life of a twelve-year-old merchant's daughter in 20th century Alabama, there is a wrenching amount of desperation running all through it. Reiker does not escape because he wants to meet up with saboteurs (we hope), but because the confinement was pressing upon him, and he needed freedom. Ruth is, on surface, what the Scots call sonsy; she is the mammy archetype of the middle-aged black servant who actually looks after the white folks' children - but at least one of these white folks' children is in a bad way, and she has a son of her own who is at hazard. Hers is, too, the constant worry of her race and position in her time and place. Patty sees her mother as the consummate salesperson, able to sell ice to an Eskimo, but the little scene we are shown (of a poor farmer's wife being cozened into buying not only the dress she was looking at but an ugly hat as well) is almost heartbreaking in its sordidness: the mother's eagerness to wring another dollar out of someone who can't afford it but who is almost as thirsty for praise as Patty; the false praise being heaped on this stranger when Patty would, literally, do anything for a kind word.
Love and desperation. It packs a punch that surprised me, this little book.
October 27, 2025
“The secret is in absolutely refusing to let the river beat you down.”
― Bette Greene, Summer of My German Soldier
I'm not yet done but I already know I'll have a tough time rating this.
UPDATE -- Done! Review below.
Have you ever had a book that you didn't care for while reading but it brought a tear to your eye anyway because of the poignancy? This is going to be a tough one.
I know how loved this book is.
I just did not really love it personally.
I've no idea why. I had been wanting to read it for AGES. But it did not really engage me.
Of course it was piercingly sad but to tell the truth, I knew how it ends so I was sort of prepared.
The abuse was sickening. And I related so to the protagonist. She was one of those kids, I'd call a dreamer. So was I.
Dreamers have a harder time than most folks because their thoughts and souls never do seem to be in the here and now. They're always searching for their comfort blankets, their Narnias, always wishing away their pain. Sometimes though it doesn't work. Often it doesn't work.
I get why this is considered a classic. I really do. That is why I still gave it a four.
But I skimmed. And dawdled. On paper this would've been a five star for me, an instant favorite. But there was a lot of "filler", and the story goes very slowly and it felt way longer than it was (and it wasn't very long.)
It had a plaintive yearning quality that I will never forget. Even the title.
But this is one of those books that I APPRECIATE, respect, am in awe of, but did not really LIKE all that much -- if that makes any sense.
― Bette Greene, Summer of My German Soldier
I'm not yet done but I already know I'll have a tough time rating this.
UPDATE -- Done! Review below.
Have you ever had a book that you didn't care for while reading but it brought a tear to your eye anyway because of the poignancy? This is going to be a tough one.
I know how loved this book is.
I just did not really love it personally.
I've no idea why. I had been wanting to read it for AGES. But it did not really engage me.
Of course it was piercingly sad but to tell the truth, I knew how it ends so I was sort of prepared.
The abuse was sickening. And I related so to the protagonist. She was one of those kids, I'd call a dreamer. So was I.
Dreamers have a harder time than most folks because their thoughts and souls never do seem to be in the here and now. They're always searching for their comfort blankets, their Narnias, always wishing away their pain. Sometimes though it doesn't work. Often it doesn't work.
I get why this is considered a classic. I really do. That is why I still gave it a four.
But I skimmed. And dawdled. On paper this would've been a five star for me, an instant favorite. But there was a lot of "filler", and the story goes very slowly and it felt way longer than it was (and it wasn't very long.)
It had a plaintive yearning quality that I will never forget. Even the title.
But this is one of those books that I APPRECIATE, respect, am in awe of, but did not really LIKE all that much -- if that makes any sense.
May 10, 2010
Another book I was forced to read for school and consequently now despise to the depths of my soul. But really, it's crap on its own. A twelve year old girl, complete with an abusive father and lacking the three c's of an interesting protagonist (Confidence, Common sense, and Character), gets the brilliant idea of hiding an escaped German POW in her garage. And for an added dramatic twist, SHE'S JEWISH! How's THAT for exciting conflict?
Yeah, not so much. Simply put, this book made me want to vomit.
Read for: 9th grade English
Yeah, not so much. Simply put, this book made me want to vomit.
Read for: 9th grade English
December 30, 2017
From the book jacket: From the minutes before the train pulled in to the station, Patty Bergen knew something exciting was going to happen. German prisoners of war have arrived to make the prison camp in Jenkinsville, Arkansas, their new home. To the rest of her town, these prisoners are Nazis. But to Patty, a young Jewish girl with a turbulent home life, one boy in particular becomes a friend. Anton relates to Patty in ways that her family never can.
My reactions
I didn’t include all the information from the back cover, which makes this sound like a teen romance; that is very misleading. What it is is a novel about compassion, loyalty, self-realization, courage, faith and self-preservation.
Twelve-year-old Patty is obviously not the child her parents hoped to have. She is at best an average student, making mostly C’s in school. Her mother is constantly berating her for her unruly hair, and her lack of interest in fashion. Her father insists on strict obedience and cannot tolerate her constant questioning. In contrast her little sister is the apple of her parents’ eyes – blonde, cute, always ready with a song or dance. It seems that the only person who shows any love to Patty is their African-American housekeeper, Ruth.
Summers are particularly lonely for Patty because the few friends she has from school go away to Bible camp which she cannot attend as a Jew. Her grandparents in Memphis would love to have her visit, but her father won’t allow it. So when a handful of prisoners are brought to her parents’ store to buy hats Patty is intrigued by one polite young man who wants only pencils and a pencil sharpener. Anton treats her with respect and she begins to fantasize about a relationship with him. The way he treats Patty makes her feel, for the first time, that she is a worthwhile person, a person who deserves to be loved.
This book just about broke my heart. Patty is such a wonderful character – intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, and courageous. But she is also a child and her immaturity shows in her impetuous actions and telling of tales. Still, the way she is treated by her parents (and many of the other adults in the novel) made me want to just throttle them. Even at the end she is still feeling misunderstood and alone, yet also strong enough to possibly make it on her own one day. Patty imagines herself treading water, still far out to sea, but in sight of land, and deciding that she’ll try to swim for it.
I know there is a sequel to this book … set some six years after the end of this one. But I’m not sure I’ll read it. I kind of like the ending image of this novel.
My reactions
I didn’t include all the information from the back cover, which makes this sound like a teen romance; that is very misleading. What it is is a novel about compassion, loyalty, self-realization, courage, faith and self-preservation.
Twelve-year-old Patty is obviously not the child her parents hoped to have. She is at best an average student, making mostly C’s in school. Her mother is constantly berating her for her unruly hair, and her lack of interest in fashion. Her father insists on strict obedience and cannot tolerate her constant questioning. In contrast her little sister is the apple of her parents’ eyes – blonde, cute, always ready with a song or dance. It seems that the only person who shows any love to Patty is their African-American housekeeper, Ruth.
Summers are particularly lonely for Patty because the few friends she has from school go away to Bible camp which she cannot attend as a Jew. Her grandparents in Memphis would love to have her visit, but her father won’t allow it. So when a handful of prisoners are brought to her parents’ store to buy hats Patty is intrigued by one polite young man who wants only pencils and a pencil sharpener. Anton treats her with respect and she begins to fantasize about a relationship with him. The way he treats Patty makes her feel, for the first time, that she is a worthwhile person, a person who deserves to be loved.
This book just about broke my heart. Patty is such a wonderful character – intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, and courageous. But she is also a child and her immaturity shows in her impetuous actions and telling of tales. Still, the way she is treated by her parents (and many of the other adults in the novel) made me want to just throttle them. Even at the end she is still feeling misunderstood and alone, yet also strong enough to possibly make it on her own one day. Patty imagines herself treading water, still far out to sea, but in sight of land, and deciding that she’ll try to swim for it.
I know there is a sequel to this book … set some six years after the end of this one. But I’m not sure I’ll read it. I kind of like the ending image of this novel.
November 16, 2007
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IF U HAVE ANY SENSE IN YOU DONT READ THIS BOOK
now that thats over I tell you the truth......the screaming is what you are going to be doing on every single page of this book
there are so many things I would rather do than this, like get punched by everyone in my school or watch teletubies and dora for 1 week striat (never doing anything else)
seriously if you see thsi book burn it and dance around the fire laughing like a maniac
now that thats over I tell you the truth......the screaming is what you are going to be doing on every single page of this book
there are so many things I would rather do than this, like get punched by everyone in my school or watch teletubies and dora for 1 week striat (never doing anything else)
seriously if you see thsi book burn it and dance around the fire laughing like a maniac
January 9, 2008
This was one of the best books that I read. It had a lot of things going on in it. Patty is the main character in this story. She has a normal life, however, it becomes much more interesting as it goes. The setting of this story takes place during WWII. It's about the POW's (Prisoner's of War) and how one of them escaped. His name was Frederick Anton Riecker. Patty see's him at the local drug store that her family owns. He buys some items from her but there was something that felt special to Patty. He was really nice to her and he cared about her. You could tell the mood because he was trying to be nice to her because he was the only one that could speak English.
The main characters in this story are Patty, Anton, Ruth (maid), Patty's mother and Patty's father. Anton is described through direct charaterization because he gets described by the author. Patty, the main character is definitely a dynamic character because she changes a lot from the beginning. Ruth is a great advice giver. She helps out Patty with all of her problems. She had a big problem now because Patty had taken in the escaped prisoner and cared for him and they became great friends. Along the way Patty faces very much adversity. This is because later in the book, people find out that she is helping him. She is also trying to hide him from her father who hates the German's for what they are doing to the Jewish people. The rest you will have to find out in the book.
The main characters in this story are Patty, Anton, Ruth (maid), Patty's mother and Patty's father. Anton is described through direct charaterization because he gets described by the author. Patty, the main character is definitely a dynamic character because she changes a lot from the beginning. Ruth is a great advice giver. She helps out Patty with all of her problems. She had a big problem now because Patty had taken in the escaped prisoner and cared for him and they became great friends. Along the way Patty faces very much adversity. This is because later in the book, people find out that she is helping him. She is also trying to hide him from her father who hates the German's for what they are doing to the Jewish people. The rest you will have to find out in the book.
May 13, 2007
I loved this book. It’s heartbreaking & sad in most ways, but lovely also. What would seem to be strange – a 12 year old American Jewish girl befriending a German solider during World War II, made perfect sense: 12 year old Patty feels unloved and unappreciated by her family and doesn’t even fit in with her community. With this (decent) young man, she finds the acceptance and affection she craves. I was able to identify with her. Beautiful story that I found thought provoking.
August 25, 2010
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Summer of My German Soldier is a poignant coming-of-age story about a young Jewish girl from a small town in Arkansas who helps an escaped German POW, an act which changes her life forever. This short young adult novel is packed with philosophical lessons on human nature that make it very difficult for me to describe, but suffice it to say that it is an amazing little book. I almost wish it had been longer, to give me more time to ponder its depths, but at the same time, it was nearly perfect at its current length. The ending, while not happy, did contain a grain of hope for Patty's future, and I couldn't help but think that it was ripe for a sequel. Imagine my delight, when I discovered that there is indeed one, Morning Is a Long Time Coming, which continues Patty's search for love and meaning in her life. In fact, I probably wouldn't have been able to give this book quite as high of a rating if it had simply ended where it did. That would have been almost cruel.
Patty is very sympathetic as the heroine and first-person narrator of the story. Simply being part of the only Jewish family in town makes her unusual, but she is also a girl with an adventurous spirit and a wild imagination for making up stories. Sometimes I didn't like the way she lied or embellished the truth, but as the story progresses, it becomes quite clear that she is absolutely starving for love and attention from parents who not only criticize and ignore her, but her father is also physically abusive. Sometimes her imagination takes her to admirable places such as dreaming about what it would be like to have her father say he loves and respects her and apologize for all the terrible things he's done to her which was heartbreaking. I thoroughly enjoyed Patty's love of books and words and how she teaches herself a new word from the dictionary every day. At first I thought it rather naïve of Patty to be helping an escaped POW whom she had only met once, but I think that she simply had an open-mindedness and an intuitive sense about the character of the people around her. In this and other ways, she often seemed much older than her mere twelve years, but some occasional careless mistakes and comments (usually brought about by that insatiable need for affection) belied her callow youth. Overall, I thought Patty was very brave to risk literally everything, possibly even her own life, to help a fellow human being in need, and most of all, she was an incredibly strong girl to survive all the hardships that were placed upon her young shoulders.
The two characters who care the most about Patty and have the most influence on her life are Anton, the POW she helps, and her family's housekeeper, Ruth. Anton is a very polite, gentle young man with a very reflective, perhaps even philosophical bent. He truly seems to care about others and had planned on becoming a doctor before the war started. No details on how he ended up in the SS army are given, and I found myself wondering if he was perhaps coerced as he definitely was not a true Nazi. Anton showed his kindness and understanding of Patty when he gave her the most precious gift of all, that of self-worth. In some ways, I wish that the reader was able to get to know Anton more, but it probably would have made later events in the story all the more harder to take. The only other person who truly understands Patty is her African-American housekeeper. Ruth is such a sweet, gentle lady who is nothing but kind and good to Patty. She is a healthy role model and a beacon of light in what would otherwise be a pretty dark world for her.
More than 35 years after its initial publication, Summer of My German Soldier can still be found in the top 100 titles on the American Library Association's list of most banned/challenged books of the past decade. The book does contain a number of mature themes: profanities are used, both a handful of mild ones as well as Patty's father taking the Lord's name in vain several times, but it does fit with his character being an extremely unhappy, violent man; Patty's father brutally abuses her on more than one occasion, but it isn't rendered in a particularly graphic way; on two occasions, Patty's father makes the incorrect assumption that she had sexual contact with a man, but again it is presented in a subtle rather than overt way; there are a number of racial slurs against blacks and Asians which would have been consistent with the time period and setting; Patty briefly wonders when her body will mature and prays to get her “womanly curves”; there are a couple of characters who smoke and the family enjoys some wine with a special dinner, which includes Patty receiving one glass of her own. While I can see how these things might be of concern to some people, I didn't feel that anything was over the top or would be wholly inappropriate for teenagers. I might have some concerns about children younger than middle-school age reading it, although not so much because of the content, but more so because there are many complex elements that might be difficult for them to comprehend. However, with a parent or educator guiding them through the reading they may be OK depending on their maturity level. In general though, I think it is a wonderful book, and it would be a shame to take it out of our youth's hands.
No matter the age of the reader, there are many positive things to be gleaned from this book's pages. There are some solid lessons in tolerance, open-mindedness, and showing care and concern for others who may be in need either physically or emotionally. There was also a wonderful message about how our differences truly don't matter when it comes to love and friendship. Summer of My German Soldier has a strong historical element. In doing some research on the author, I discovered that the story is partially autobiographical as Bette Green's life in many ways mirrored Patty's. I even learned a couple of things I didn't know about POWs being housed on U.S. soil and German U-Boats actually reaching our shores during the war. It was interesting as well how the attitudes of some people were not that much different than those of today, a sure sign that while some things may change others stay the same. Summer of My German Soldier started off a little slow, but it didn't take long for me to be hooked and wondering what would happen next. Overall, I thought it was a great little story. It's not the type that will leave the reader with warm fuzzy feelings, but it is one that can impart some deep food for thought to readers of all ages. I know I'm going to be thinking about it for a while to come. It's a definite keeper for me, and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the sequel to see if Patty finally finds all that she's been searching for.
Summer of My German Soldier is a poignant coming-of-age story about a young Jewish girl from a small town in Arkansas who helps an escaped German POW, an act which changes her life forever. This short young adult novel is packed with philosophical lessons on human nature that make it very difficult for me to describe, but suffice it to say that it is an amazing little book. I almost wish it had been longer, to give me more time to ponder its depths, but at the same time, it was nearly perfect at its current length. The ending, while not happy, did contain a grain of hope for Patty's future, and I couldn't help but think that it was ripe for a sequel. Imagine my delight, when I discovered that there is indeed one, Morning Is a Long Time Coming, which continues Patty's search for love and meaning in her life. In fact, I probably wouldn't have been able to give this book quite as high of a rating if it had simply ended where it did. That would have been almost cruel.
Patty is very sympathetic as the heroine and first-person narrator of the story. Simply being part of the only Jewish family in town makes her unusual, but she is also a girl with an adventurous spirit and a wild imagination for making up stories. Sometimes I didn't like the way she lied or embellished the truth, but as the story progresses, it becomes quite clear that she is absolutely starving for love and attention from parents who not only criticize and ignore her, but her father is also physically abusive. Sometimes her imagination takes her to admirable places such as dreaming about what it would be like to have her father say he loves and respects her and apologize for all the terrible things he's done to her which was heartbreaking. I thoroughly enjoyed Patty's love of books and words and how she teaches herself a new word from the dictionary every day. At first I thought it rather naïve of Patty to be helping an escaped POW whom she had only met once, but I think that she simply had an open-mindedness and an intuitive sense about the character of the people around her. In this and other ways, she often seemed much older than her mere twelve years, but some occasional careless mistakes and comments (usually brought about by that insatiable need for affection) belied her callow youth. Overall, I thought Patty was very brave to risk literally everything, possibly even her own life, to help a fellow human being in need, and most of all, she was an incredibly strong girl to survive all the hardships that were placed upon her young shoulders.
The two characters who care the most about Patty and have the most influence on her life are Anton, the POW she helps, and her family's housekeeper, Ruth. Anton is a very polite, gentle young man with a very reflective, perhaps even philosophical bent. He truly seems to care about others and had planned on becoming a doctor before the war started. No details on how he ended up in the SS army are given, and I found myself wondering if he was perhaps coerced as he definitely was not a true Nazi. Anton showed his kindness and understanding of Patty when he gave her the most precious gift of all, that of self-worth. In some ways, I wish that the reader was able to get to know Anton more, but it probably would have made later events in the story all the more harder to take. The only other person who truly understands Patty is her African-American housekeeper. Ruth is such a sweet, gentle lady who is nothing but kind and good to Patty. She is a healthy role model and a beacon of light in what would otherwise be a pretty dark world for her.
More than 35 years after its initial publication, Summer of My German Soldier can still be found in the top 100 titles on the American Library Association's list of most banned/challenged books of the past decade. The book does contain a number of mature themes: profanities are used, both a handful of mild ones as well as Patty's father taking the Lord's name in vain several times, but it does fit with his character being an extremely unhappy, violent man; Patty's father brutally abuses her on more than one occasion, but it isn't rendered in a particularly graphic way; on two occasions, Patty's father makes the incorrect assumption that she had sexual contact with a man, but again it is presented in a subtle rather than overt way; there are a number of racial slurs against blacks and Asians which would have been consistent with the time period and setting; Patty briefly wonders when her body will mature and prays to get her “womanly curves”; there are a couple of characters who smoke and the family enjoys some wine with a special dinner, which includes Patty receiving one glass of her own. While I can see how these things might be of concern to some people, I didn't feel that anything was over the top or would be wholly inappropriate for teenagers. I might have some concerns about children younger than middle-school age reading it, although not so much because of the content, but more so because there are many complex elements that might be difficult for them to comprehend. However, with a parent or educator guiding them through the reading they may be OK depending on their maturity level. In general though, I think it is a wonderful book, and it would be a shame to take it out of our youth's hands.
No matter the age of the reader, there are many positive things to be gleaned from this book's pages. There are some solid lessons in tolerance, open-mindedness, and showing care and concern for others who may be in need either physically or emotionally. There was also a wonderful message about how our differences truly don't matter when it comes to love and friendship. Summer of My German Soldier has a strong historical element. In doing some research on the author, I discovered that the story is partially autobiographical as Bette Green's life in many ways mirrored Patty's. I even learned a couple of things I didn't know about POWs being housed on U.S. soil and German U-Boats actually reaching our shores during the war. It was interesting as well how the attitudes of some people were not that much different than those of today, a sure sign that while some things may change others stay the same. Summer of My German Soldier started off a little slow, but it didn't take long for me to be hooked and wondering what would happen next. Overall, I thought it was a great little story. It's not the type that will leave the reader with warm fuzzy feelings, but it is one that can impart some deep food for thought to readers of all ages. I know I'm going to be thinking about it for a while to come. It's a definite keeper for me, and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the sequel to see if Patty finally finds all that she's been searching for.
July 19, 2020
It was the most exciting thing to have ever happened to Jenkinsville, Arkansas. German POWs, maybe twenty in all, arrived by train and would be housed in a camp in the small southern town. Twelve-year-old Patty Bergen was among the many townspeople there to witness the event. Each hoping to do their patriotic part to make President Roosevelt proud during this summer of World War II. During a chance encounter in her family’s store, Patty meets young Anton Reicker, a handsome, educated young man who is one of the POWs. Although he is German and she is Jewish, they begin an unlikely friendship that will test Patty’s family bonds, as well as question her national loyalty.
Written in 1973, Bette Greene’s "Summer of My German Soldier" was not only listed on the American Library Association’s Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books from 1990-1999, it also made the ALA’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books for 2001. According to the ALA’s website (www.ala.org), “The American Library Association condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information.” To educate schools and libraries about censorship, they publish these lists which are compiled by the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). With that said, this book (recommended for ages 11 and up) is full of racial slurs, derogatory language, sexual innuendoes, and many instances of physical, verbal, and psychological abuse. It truly runs the gamut for a story written for fifth graders and up. These issues alone are enough to give a reader pause, but these aren’t the only reasons that I found myself disappointed with this book.
First, Patty’s father and mother are inexplicably cruel and violent to her. They fawn over her little sister, Sharon, while Patty endures taunts, intolerance, dismissiveness, and even physical beatings at the hands of her father. I kept hoping for some enlightening backstory as to why these two people could possibly hate their own child so much, but Greene doesn’t even provide a hint to explain their savage and inhuman behavior. Their treatment of Patty is repugnant and demoralizing, which serves as the ideal foundation for many of Patty’s choices—which are often hasty and incredibly unwise. Here is a girl so desperate for acceptance and so eager for kindness that she would say or do anything in order to achieve some modicum of happiness.
Second, Greene gives us a story that seems devoid of any moral lessons. The Bergen family’s black housekeeper, Ruth—who takes on the role of mother figure—is very religious and is often heard singing hymns while doing chores and encourages the children to pray at lunchtime. Despite this being a story about a Jewish family, we get a healthy dose of Christianity and the glory that comes with salvation. Even with this, there really isn’t a central theme tying the entire story together. We understand the courage of putting someone else’s wellbeing ahead of your own and the virtues of seeing beyond religion, ethnicity, or skin color, but these platitudes fall by the wayside with an ending that is absent any sort of clarity, closure, or inspiration. The reader is left feeling just as bewildered and discouraged as Patty whose only “real” friends are the housekeeper, a POW, and the town’s sheriff.
I read Greene’s "Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe." (which I rated 4/5) and was so hoping to find that same feeling of hope and triumph in this book. Instead, Greene delivers a bleak look at family and life and gives us a girl so disillusioned and unsatisfied with her life, that the only thing she clings to is the day she turns eighteen. Unfortunately for Patty, that’s still six very long summers away.
Written in 1973, Bette Greene’s "Summer of My German Soldier" was not only listed on the American Library Association’s Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books from 1990-1999, it also made the ALA’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books for 2001. According to the ALA’s website (www.ala.org), “The American Library Association condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information.” To educate schools and libraries about censorship, they publish these lists which are compiled by the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). With that said, this book (recommended for ages 11 and up) is full of racial slurs, derogatory language, sexual innuendoes, and many instances of physical, verbal, and psychological abuse. It truly runs the gamut for a story written for fifth graders and up. These issues alone are enough to give a reader pause, but these aren’t the only reasons that I found myself disappointed with this book.
First, Patty’s father and mother are inexplicably cruel and violent to her. They fawn over her little sister, Sharon, while Patty endures taunts, intolerance, dismissiveness, and even physical beatings at the hands of her father. I kept hoping for some enlightening backstory as to why these two people could possibly hate their own child so much, but Greene doesn’t even provide a hint to explain their savage and inhuman behavior. Their treatment of Patty is repugnant and demoralizing, which serves as the ideal foundation for many of Patty’s choices—which are often hasty and incredibly unwise. Here is a girl so desperate for acceptance and so eager for kindness that she would say or do anything in order to achieve some modicum of happiness.
Second, Greene gives us a story that seems devoid of any moral lessons. The Bergen family’s black housekeeper, Ruth—who takes on the role of mother figure—is very religious and is often heard singing hymns while doing chores and encourages the children to pray at lunchtime. Despite this being a story about a Jewish family, we get a healthy dose of Christianity and the glory that comes with salvation. Even with this, there really isn’t a central theme tying the entire story together. We understand the courage of putting someone else’s wellbeing ahead of your own and the virtues of seeing beyond religion, ethnicity, or skin color, but these platitudes fall by the wayside with an ending that is absent any sort of clarity, closure, or inspiration. The reader is left feeling just as bewildered and discouraged as Patty whose only “real” friends are the housekeeper, a POW, and the town’s sheriff.
I read Greene’s "Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe." (which I rated 4/5) and was so hoping to find that same feeling of hope and triumph in this book. Instead, Greene delivers a bleak look at family and life and gives us a girl so disillusioned and unsatisfied with her life, that the only thing she clings to is the day she turns eighteen. Unfortunately for Patty, that’s still six very long summers away.
April 5, 2008
When I heard that this book was about a romance between a 12 yr. old and a 22 yr. old I didn't think that I would like it, but it's not a mushy-gushy romance, its more of a friendship really.
My favorite character was Ruth. "Honey Babe",in my opinion this book would have been a complete wash if it hadn't been for Ruth.
I liked this book because it made me think. After I read it I was wishing that I had a group of people to discuss it with. If I were to lead a group discussion about this book, these are some of the questions I would ask:
Was Patty justified in telling all of those lies to her family and neighbors?
Was Patty justified in helping Anton because he wasn't really a Nazi and he wasn't trying to escape so that he could run around and kill people, he just wanted to be free?
Why do you think the author portrayed the German soldier as the "good guy" and Patty's father (the Jew) as the "bad guy"?
Do you think that Patty's behavior was realistic for a 12 year old girl from a dysfunctional family?
In the end, do you think that the punishment fit the crime?
What I didn't like: It starts out really slow and takes a long time to pick up the pace. Things don't really start happening until the last half of the book. And I really didn't like the ending, not that I was expecting a Fairy-Tale-Happily-Ever-After ending - not at all! But couldn't she have given at least a glimmer of hope?
My favorite character was Ruth. "Honey Babe",in my opinion this book would have been a complete wash if it hadn't been for Ruth.
I liked this book because it made me think. After I read it I was wishing that I had a group of people to discuss it with. If I were to lead a group discussion about this book, these are some of the questions I would ask:
Was Patty justified in telling all of those lies to her family and neighbors?
Was Patty justified in helping Anton because he wasn't really a Nazi and he wasn't trying to escape so that he could run around and kill people, he just wanted to be free?
Why do you think the author portrayed the German soldier as the "good guy" and Patty's father (the Jew) as the "bad guy"?
Do you think that Patty's behavior was realistic for a 12 year old girl from a dysfunctional family?
In the end, do you think that the punishment fit the crime?
What I didn't like: It starts out really slow and takes a long time to pick up the pace. Things don't really start happening until the last half of the book. And I really didn't like the ending, not that I was expecting a Fairy-Tale-Happily-Ever-After ending - not at all! But couldn't she have given at least a glimmer of hope?
September 2, 2014
Sweet Jesus I was not expecting this bittersweet ache.
After I finished reading I did nothing. And by nothing, I mean I wasted a good ten or so minutes of my life scrolling it away on Tumblr. But, I did see a post that really pertains to how I feel right now after finishing this book. "do you ever just finish a book and sit there for a while like what the fuck did this author just do to me" -galaxysdefender
Yes indeed that is exactly how I feel. What just happened? What are all these feelings that I am feeling.
While reading, I was reminded of The Help, quite different, obviously, but definitely some similar vibes. Definitely more juvenile than The Help, but as an almost 19 year old year, I was brought to tears (okay I cried while reading both).
The reason why I even picked this up is because I've never read it, and when I saw it in the library some sorts of light bulbs went off in my head. I now know it's because I subconsciously remembered it was one of my mom's favorites!
After I finished reading I did nothing. And by nothing, I mean I wasted a good ten or so minutes of my life scrolling it away on Tumblr. But, I did see a post that really pertains to how I feel right now after finishing this book. "do you ever just finish a book and sit there for a while like what the fuck did this author just do to me" -galaxysdefender
Yes indeed that is exactly how I feel. What just happened? What are all these feelings that I am feeling.
While reading, I was reminded of The Help, quite different, obviously, but definitely some similar vibes. Definitely more juvenile than The Help, but as an almost 19 year old year, I was brought to tears (okay I cried while reading both).
The reason why I even picked this up is because I've never read it, and when I saw it in the library some sorts of light bulbs went off in my head. I now know it's because I subconsciously remembered it was one of my mom's favorites!
July 18, 2017
I was forced to read this book in 8th grade along with George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'.
Want to know the difference in the two?
One possesses fantastic vocabulary, dark humor, and is an allegorical masterpiece of art. One is a chaotic mess of boring characters and is one of the most boring novels conceived in literature.
I'm sure you can figure out which is which.
This review is over with and this book is now gone from my memory....sort of.
Goodbye.
Want to know the difference in the two?
One possesses fantastic vocabulary, dark humor, and is an allegorical masterpiece of art. One is a chaotic mess of boring characters and is one of the most boring novels conceived in literature.
I'm sure you can figure out which is which.
This review is over with and this book is now gone from my memory....sort of.
Goodbye.
January 20, 2023
2023 - ‘70’s Immersion Reading Challenge
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Green (1973; 1999 ed.) 230 pages.
READING LEVEL 5.2 AR POINTS 9.0
SETTING: Early 1940’s during WWII, Jenkinsville, Arkansas
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 - I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with a title like this written for 5th graders. I assure you it is not anything what you would expect. There is no sex involved. But, I do feel like the author should have at least portrayed Patty Bergen, the 12-year-old Jewish girl who hid the 22-year-old German escapee, Anton Reiker, as 15 years old or older. The story could have been more credible because she did have romantic feelings for him and her actions, and the things she says in the story, were more fitting for, at least, a 15 year old.
I have no problem with the age discrepancy. My parents were 14 years apart. They married in 1962, Mom age 17 and Dad age 31. They had a wonderful marriage for 58 years until his death in 2021. My dad’s parents married in 1923. His mother was 16 and his father was 39. But, even after having four kids, he used to put her over his knees and give her spankings just like a child. Their marriage didn’t last. Family had to go get her and the four kids out from deep in the southern Louisiana swamp and bring them back to Texas when my Dad, the youngest, was only two years old.
This book was actually banned by the American Library Association’s “The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1900-1999”, not because of all the racial slurs depicted (nigger, chink, you people, etc.) and the name of the part of town where the blacks lived, Nigger Bottoms, nor because of her very abusive father, but because they felt that Anton’s death and Patty’s punishment in the end were considered “unsuited to the age group”, although all very realistic.
Anton had escaped the camp and went into hiding. Patty hid him and gave him food for just a few weeks during one summer. She fell in love, possibly because he treated her like a real human being, was kind and acted like a gentleman, and her father did nothing but cut her down and beat the crap out of her, literally. Anton realized the danger he was putting her in and left. She found out later he was shot and killed up in New York by the FBI because they believed him to be part of the Germans who entered the U.S. to sabotage a few key major businesses during the war, which he wasn’t. Patty ended up in a reform school (prison for teens) for 6 months.
A few things were based on the author's real life. Her parent's did own and operate a general store and they were the only Jewish family living in Parkin, Tennessee, where she grew up. Some place names and people's names have been changed. And there was a German POW camp nearby, but, she did not aid and abet any escaped German soldier.
Bette Jean Greene (Jun 28, 1934 - Oct 2, 2020)
Sequel
Morning is a Long Time Coming (1978)
Book-to-Movie
Summer of My German Soldier (1978), starring Kristy McNichol as a Jewish-American girl and Bruce Davison as a German prisoner of war.
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Green (1973; 1999 ed.) 230 pages.
READING LEVEL 5.2 AR POINTS 9.0
SETTING: Early 1940’s during WWII, Jenkinsville, Arkansas
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 - I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with a title like this written for 5th graders. I assure you it is not anything what you would expect. There is no sex involved. But, I do feel like the author should have at least portrayed Patty Bergen, the 12-year-old Jewish girl who hid the 22-year-old German escapee, Anton Reiker, as 15 years old or older. The story could have been more credible because she did have romantic feelings for him and her actions, and the things she says in the story, were more fitting for, at least, a 15 year old.
I have no problem with the age discrepancy. My parents were 14 years apart. They married in 1962, Mom age 17 and Dad age 31. They had a wonderful marriage for 58 years until his death in 2021. My dad’s parents married in 1923. His mother was 16 and his father was 39. But, even after having four kids, he used to put her over his knees and give her spankings just like a child. Their marriage didn’t last. Family had to go get her and the four kids out from deep in the southern Louisiana swamp and bring them back to Texas when my Dad, the youngest, was only two years old.
This book was actually banned by the American Library Association’s “The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1900-1999”, not because of all the racial slurs depicted (nigger, chink, you people, etc.) and the name of the part of town where the blacks lived, Nigger Bottoms, nor because of her very abusive father, but because they felt that Anton’s death and Patty’s punishment in the end were considered “unsuited to the age group”, although all very realistic.
Anton had escaped the camp and went into hiding. Patty hid him and gave him food for just a few weeks during one summer. She fell in love, possibly because he treated her like a real human being, was kind and acted like a gentleman, and her father did nothing but cut her down and beat the crap out of her, literally. Anton realized the danger he was putting her in and left. She found out later he was shot and killed up in New York by the FBI because they believed him to be part of the Germans who entered the U.S. to sabotage a few key major businesses during the war, which he wasn’t. Patty ended up in a reform school (prison for teens) for 6 months.
A few things were based on the author's real life. Her parent's did own and operate a general store and they were the only Jewish family living in Parkin, Tennessee, where she grew up. Some place names and people's names have been changed. And there was a German POW camp nearby, but, she did not aid and abet any escaped German soldier.
Bette Jean Greene (Jun 28, 1934 - Oct 2, 2020)
Sequel
Morning is a Long Time Coming (1978)
Book-to-Movie
Summer of My German Soldier (1978), starring Kristy McNichol as a Jewish-American girl and Bruce Davison as a German prisoner of war.
May 22, 2025
Young adult coming of age story set during WWII. Twelve-year-old Patty Bergen lives in the small town of Jenkinsville, Arkansas, where a Prisoner of War camp has been built. She lives with her distant mother, physically abusive father, and younger sister. Her father runs the local General Store. German POWs are brought into the store one day to buy hats. One of the prisoners, Anton Reiker, speaks English and translates for the others. Patty assists him in obtaining merchandise. She finds him extremely polite and handsome and develops a crush on him. When Reiker escapes, Patty helps him hide from the authorities, leading to all sorts of trouble for both of them.
I had heard of this book for a long time but had somehow missed reading it. It was published in 1973. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Patty and her black maid, Ruth, the only person she could call a friend. This story provides a good example of prejudice in many forms, including anti-Semitism, the extreme anti-German sentiments of the time (everyone is assumed to be a Nazi regardless of their personal views), and racism. I think it is appropriate for age twelve and up (the child abuse is pretty severe).
I had heard of this book for a long time but had somehow missed reading it. It was published in 1973. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Patty and her black maid, Ruth, the only person she could call a friend. This story provides a good example of prejudice in many forms, including anti-Semitism, the extreme anti-German sentiments of the time (everyone is assumed to be a Nazi regardless of their personal views), and racism. I think it is appropriate for age twelve and up (the child abuse is pretty severe).
December 11, 2012
I hated this book. It was depressing and awful. Also you couldn't even root for the love story because she was 12 and he was in his twenties. I would not recommend this book.
January 22, 2022
"A person's got to think, otherwise that person's no better than a trained seal balancing a ball on his nose. If only that seal could think, he'd know he was making a thousand children laugh."
—Patty Bergen, "Summer of My German Soldier", P. 160
"Like the Bible tells us, when a man will lay down his life for a friend, well, then there ain't no greater love in this here world than that."
—Ruth, "Summer of My German Soldier", P. 130
I have heard quite a bit about this book before I began to read it, but was looking forward to seeing the literary skills of Bette Greene for myself. I am so very glad that I did just that.
"Summer of My German Soldier" is one of the most captivatingly brilliant stories that it has ever been my privilege to read. Few authors that I have read are capable of evoking such emotional response as what is brought forth in these pages. I felt as if Patty Bergen and I shared one set of feelings, one heart, one mind, one soul. The astonishingly perceptive ways in which Bette Greene unpacked these truths to allow the average reader to deeply feel and understand them is one of the most extraordinary things that I have ever experienced in literature, and I do not make that statement lightly.
Get ready for an immensely moving, powerfully engaging experience when you prepare to read "Summer of My German Soldier". It is a one-of-a-kind novel that will leave you different than it found you. It is one of the most haunting and encompassing stories that you will ever read.
"I wondered if a blessing is still a blessing if it lasts for only a little while".
—Patty Bergen, P. 199
—Patty Bergen, "Summer of My German Soldier", P. 160
"Like the Bible tells us, when a man will lay down his life for a friend, well, then there ain't no greater love in this here world than that."
—Ruth, "Summer of My German Soldier", P. 130
I have heard quite a bit about this book before I began to read it, but was looking forward to seeing the literary skills of Bette Greene for myself. I am so very glad that I did just that.
"Summer of My German Soldier" is one of the most captivatingly brilliant stories that it has ever been my privilege to read. Few authors that I have read are capable of evoking such emotional response as what is brought forth in these pages. I felt as if Patty Bergen and I shared one set of feelings, one heart, one mind, one soul. The astonishingly perceptive ways in which Bette Greene unpacked these truths to allow the average reader to deeply feel and understand them is one of the most extraordinary things that I have ever experienced in literature, and I do not make that statement lightly.
Get ready for an immensely moving, powerfully engaging experience when you prepare to read "Summer of My German Soldier". It is a one-of-a-kind novel that will leave you different than it found you. It is one of the most haunting and encompassing stories that you will ever read.
"I wondered if a blessing is still a blessing if it lasts for only a little while".
—Patty Bergen, P. 199
January 10, 2016
(to the toon of Sk8er Boi by Avril Lavigne)
He's twenty-two. She's only twelve.
Could it be any more obvious?
--
Yep, I read this whole book because I wanted to see how pulling off a romance between a Nazi (he ended up not *technically* being one because he didn't actually like the Nazis or Hitler, so at least one crisis was averted) and a Jewish girl would work out. Then, when I realized the age difference, I just read on desperately hoping that the word 'love' was used in the friendly sense, or that the attraction was one sided, and the twenty-two year old wasn't romantically attached to a not-even-teenager.
It wasn't.
The story itself, apart from being creepy, was just bad. Why does her family hate her--surely not just because she has uncontrollable hair. Why does her father have so many issues? Patty was just so impulsive.
Don't read. There's so much WWII literature out there that's not so creepy.
He's twenty-two. She's only twelve.
Could it be any more obvious?
--
Yep, I read this whole book because I wanted to see how pulling off a romance between a Nazi (he ended up not *technically* being one because he didn't actually like the Nazis or Hitler, so at least one crisis was averted) and a Jewish girl would work out. Then, when I realized the age difference, I just read on desperately hoping that the word 'love' was used in the friendly sense, or that the attraction was one sided, and the twenty-two year old wasn't romantically attached to a not-even-teenager.
It wasn't.
The story itself, apart from being creepy, was just bad. Why does her family hate her--surely not just because she has uncontrollable hair. Why does her father have so many issues? Patty was just so impulsive.
Don't read. There's so much WWII literature out there that's not so creepy.
March 28, 2008
I remember nothing of this book, all I remember is the name stuck in my head and the fact that I hated this book more than almost any other book I was ever forced to read in an English class in middle or high school.
January 31, 2011
I find I've been reading a lot of YA novels about males, so my wife suggested I read this one, a favorite from her adolescence.
Turns out Patty Bergen is a fantastic young adult narrator, a girl who just may have the most wretched parents I've ever read about.
Summer of My German Soldier is a unique sort of book, and it is beautifully written. It is a story about the Holocaust, but it's set in Arkansas. It was a new perspective on this horrible part of our human history. Patty Bergen is a Jewish American who befriends and helps an escaped German POW. I was surprised by the sad paradox of Anti-Semitism and hatred for Hitler and Nazism, but the love and care of Anton and Ruth (the Bergen's black housekeeper) was heart-warming. The book is just as much as a celebration of the goodness in Patty (and in us all) as an indictment of the cruelty we spew at strangers and even our children.
Published in 1973, this had to be one of the first YA books. It may be a little dated, but Patty is a wonderful narrator, and I will look forward to reading the sequel soon.
Turns out Patty Bergen is a fantastic young adult narrator, a girl who just may have the most wretched parents I've ever read about.
Summer of My German Soldier is a unique sort of book, and it is beautifully written. It is a story about the Holocaust, but it's set in Arkansas. It was a new perspective on this horrible part of our human history. Patty Bergen is a Jewish American who befriends and helps an escaped German POW. I was surprised by the sad paradox of Anti-Semitism and hatred for Hitler and Nazism, but the love and care of Anton and Ruth (the Bergen's black housekeeper) was heart-warming. The book is just as much as a celebration of the goodness in Patty (and in us all) as an indictment of the cruelty we spew at strangers and even our children.
Published in 1973, this had to be one of the first YA books. It may be a little dated, but Patty is a wonderful narrator, and I will look forward to reading the sequel soon.
April 15, 2011
Just read this in a few hours this week. I did not care for it, and I wonder why it is so frequently taught in middle schools. The main character is engaging, but all the other characters except for Anton are just a bundle of stereotypes. Her parents are abusive monsters with no redeeming features, quite one-dimensional; her nanny is perfect in every way, really the Mammy stereotype, I felt. And then there's the ickiness factor: the main character is 12 and the German soldier is 20. Most of what he has to teach her is valuable: you are a person of value, he tells her. You will get out of your horrible family and this awful town and have a life you will enjoy. All good. But the girl has a crush on him and he kisses her. Now, 12-year-old girls get crushes on young men who are too old for them all the time. But the mark of a 20-year-old of character, which this man is supposed to be, is that he does not take advantage. I'm sure this wouldn't have bothered me at all as a 12-year-old reader, but as the mother of a 13-year-old girl, it jumped right out at me.
October 1, 2015
While this book is well worded, I didn't feel anything for it. I really wanted to! I mean, talk about a forbidden romance! Jewish girl and German boy during the war? I expected excitement, passion, maybe danger...
Nope. Mostly dull dialogue between the two characters. While I liked both characters and loved seeing Patty mature throughout the story, I was hoping for more. I liked the setting and conflicts at home, especially with her father.
The ages of our characters is partly what put me off. Patty is a young (12) girl and he is an adult (early 20's) soldier. I thought she would be at least a few years older! Although it does explain her maturityis some things it just made the 'relationship' awkward to me. Luckily it is still a very clean book so not too uncomfortable with it.
For me, I felt this was more a coming-of-age novel than anything. It is a fast read that I was able to quickly gulp down. I see why it is popular for required reading with the historical and personal growth blend.
Nope. Mostly dull dialogue between the two characters. While I liked both characters and loved seeing Patty mature throughout the story, I was hoping for more. I liked the setting and conflicts at home, especially with her father.
The ages of our characters is partly what put me off. Patty is a young (12) girl and he is an adult (early 20's) soldier. I thought she would be at least a few years older! Although it does explain her maturityis some things it just made the 'relationship' awkward to me. Luckily it is still a very clean book so not too uncomfortable with it.
For me, I felt this was more a coming-of-age novel than anything. It is a fast read that I was able to quickly gulp down. I see why it is popular for required reading with the historical and personal growth blend.
December 26, 2020
As with many controversial classics, this is the kind of story that initially provokes outrage from prospective readers when they learn the basic plot line, and understandably so; but those who give the book a chance are greatly rewarded with an amazingly well-written, powerful and poignant coming of age tale which focuses as much on maintaining the innocence and ideals of youth as transitioning out of childhood. I think of it as a story about humanity, compassion, unconditional love and what can be gained when we are able to look beyond labels to see who a person truly is, instead of who we expect them to be.
At its heart, Summer of My German Soldier is really about two frightened, misunderstood souls, both more or less victims of circumstance, who find in one another a rare friendship that they each desperately need at that moment in time. These two people who should logically be the worst of enemies, are able to connect and to treasure each other in ways that no one else can during that particular time in their respective lives.
At its heart, Summer of My German Soldier is really about two frightened, misunderstood souls, both more or less victims of circumstance, who find in one another a rare friendship that they each desperately need at that moment in time. These two people who should logically be the worst of enemies, are able to connect and to treasure each other in ways that no one else can during that particular time in their respective lives.
June 17, 2009
This is the first time I have read this book. It's hard to know what I would have thought when I was younger. As it is I was surprised by it, and loved it.
The story isn't quite what I expected. The writing itself is so good I couldn't put it down. First person is done very well. A lot of information is understood in the beginning without being spelled out for you. A nicely pulled off skill.
To really be able to appreciate this book someone would need to be old enough to know back history about WW2, prejudism in our country and the difference between a German soldier who has had to serve his country, and a Nazi.
I read the entire thing last night. Couldn't put it down.
The story isn't quite what I expected. The writing itself is so good I couldn't put it down. First person is done very well. A lot of information is understood in the beginning without being spelled out for you. A nicely pulled off skill.
To really be able to appreciate this book someone would need to be old enough to know back history about WW2, prejudism in our country and the difference between a German soldier who has had to serve his country, and a Nazi.
I read the entire thing last night. Couldn't put it down.
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