Pausewang, Gudrun. Traitor.PAUSEWANG, Gudrun. Traitor. Tr. from the German by Rachel Ward Rachel Claire Ward, AM, (born at Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, September 12 1957), granddaughter of the 3rd Earl of Dudley and of the cricketer Giles Baring, is an English actress (and more recently, a director) who has primarily pursued her career in Australia. . Carolrhoda Books. 220p. c2006. 0-8225-6195-6. $16.95. JS This tale, first published in Germany in 1995, is the German equivalent of Betty Greene's classic YA novel, Summer of My German Soldier. Here the stakes for 15-year-old Anna are much higher: she is hiding an enemy soldier, a Russian; it is near the end of the war and the advancing Russian army will soon lay waste to her town and her way of life. The young Russian, Maxim, has escaped from a nearby prisoner of war PRISONER OF WAR. One who has been captured while fighting under the banner of some state. He is a prisoner, although never confined in a prison. 2. In modern times, prisoners are treated with more humanity than formerly; the individual captor has now no camp and is hiding in the barn. Anna tends to his wounds and moves him to an old bunker on the outskirts of town. Her mother runs a local inn and holds a level of prestige in the village. As Anna makes the decision to care for Maxim, she is drawn by thoughts of her father, his kindness and his understanding of what it means to live as an outsider in the community where he came to be married; he died young. She realizes that her decision will put her on the outside of her community and her family. Her younger brother Wiki is aware of the following uses of "'Younger Brother":
German Hitler-Jugend Organization set up by Adolf Hitler in 1933 for educating and training male youths aged 13–18 in Nazi principles. and is dedicated to the Fuhrer füh·rer also fueh·rer n. A leader, especially one exercising the powers of a tyrant. [German, from Middle High German vüerer, from vüeren, to lead, from Old High German and the Fatherland fa·ther·land n. 1. One's native land. 2. The land of one's ancestors. fatherland Noun a person's native country Noun 1. ; he is looking forward to his turn to fight to protect Germany. For Anna, Maxim is a human being and not an enemy. She is torn between helping him and the knowledge that others like him are advancing on her country and her village. The decision she makes is a complex one, calling to question family loyalty, national pride and military propaganda. Throughout the novel she is torn between saving the Russian's life and facing the consequences of such treason, making this a strong novel on which to base discussions of duty, loyalty and responsibility to oneself and to one's country. Janis Flint-Ferguson, Assoc. Prof., English, Gordon College There are three colleges named Gordon College:
J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
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