The Hitler Dilemma: A Mormon Boy in the German Army

by Carolyn Twede Frank

[sstaley]

This novel is based on the life of Max Adam, a German, Latter-Day-Saint boy. It tells the story of WWII (World War 2) from the view of a teen living in Germany during this great war. I’ve read many stories of WWII from the American soldier or the Jewish survivor perspective. There are very few that I’ve read from the German viewpoint, and especially one of a teen that didn’t support Hitler. The story is told in such a moving way that you feel such sorrow and angst for Max and his family. His own precious, younger brother was a casualty of the war. This family had to do whatever it took to survive. It was hard to openly fight against the Nazis and stay alive. I agonized along with Max as he was forced to join the Hitler Youth group, and then was sent away from home for a year to work on a farm for the government. Then to have to serve on the battlefront and end up a prisoner of war really makes this novel heart-wrenching.

Knowing from the start that this novel was based on true events made me look at everything differently. Author Carolyn Twede Frank heard about Max Adam from his daughter-in-law. Once hearing about him and his life, she knew she had to write a story about him and the struggles he lived through.

This book will give tweens and teens (and adults) a great look at the other side of life during WWII. It will strongly show that not all Germans supported Adolf Hitler and what he was doing to the Jews and those who did not perfectly fit into his Master Race.I know that any reader will go away with a new sense of being less judgmental until you’ve heard the other side. It should also make people more thankful for the blessings and freedoms that we have in our country.

I read and reviewed Carolyn’s other books, Promises, and The Big Debate and I really liked them. This new book shows how she has continually grown in her writing.The Hitler Dilemma is a crowning jewel for Carolyn!