Gara

I enjoy books about this time period, and I felt as if the theme of this story touched on some unique aspects. I had not considered the thoughts of German soldiers as the atrocities of places like Auschwitz were uncovered. Of course, not all soldiers were Nazis, and the author helped me to understand the national pride that they experienced as being part of a new vision, and the conflicts they felt upon discovering the cruelty inflicted upon so many in order to make this vision a reality. The dividing line between compassion and collaboration was not as well defined as many believed, and I sympathized with Millie as she pondered this. In our current era of "everyone and everything is either this OR that," I appreciated the idea that acts of kindness and compassion can overcome violence and negativity.