Summer of My German Soldier is a book by Bette Greene

Bette Greene

Bette Greene is the author of several books for children and young adults, including Summer of My German Soldier, The Drowning of Stephan Jones, and the Newbery Honor book Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe...

 first published in 1973.

The story is told in first person narrative

First-person narrative

First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...

 by a twelve-year-old Jewish

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

 girl named Patty Bergen living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The story focuses on the friendship between Patty and an escaped German POW

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

 named Anton. Patty first meets Anton when a group of German POWs visits her father's store. Anton teaches Patty that she is a person of value. In return, she protects Anton by hiding him above her father's garage.

The book was followed by a sequel, Morning Is a Long Time Coming.

Main characters

• Patricia Anne Bergen: Patty is a 12-year-old Jewish girl living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas
  Arkansas
  Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
  
   during World War II
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
  . Patty is very intelligent and intellectually curious, particularly about words. On the other hand, she can also be naive and unworldly. At the beginning of the novel Patty has low self-esteem brought on by her troubled family life. During the novel and as Patty becomes friends with Anton, she begins to gain the self-esteem she is lacking.

• Frederick Anton Reiker: Anton comes from Germany, but is half English (his mother is from Manchester). His English-educated father is a professor of history who gets into trouble for making fun of Hitler in lectures. Anton has no sympathy either with the Nazi party or its ideology.

• Ruth Hughes: The Bergen's black maid who takes care of Patty and Patty's sister, Sharon. As one of the individuals who is closest to Patty, she is very loving and is extremely influential in Patty's life.

Minor characters

• Harry Bergen: Patty's abusive father who runs a local department store. He is known for flirting with other women in town and is very conscious of money. Harry seems to loathe his elder daughter and tends to favor his younger daughter, Sharon.

• Pearl Bergen: Pearl is Patty's mother. Pearl is a vain woman who negatively comments on Patty's looks and behavior, both directly to her daughter and to others. As the story is being told through Patty's eyes, she also tends to favor her younger daughter, Sharon.

• Sharon Bergen: Patty's younger sister. Sharon appears loved by everyone in Jenkinsville, including Patty. Patty is jealous of the adoration and encouragement her sister receives from their parents but is very fond of her sister.

• Freddy Dowd: Patty's only school friend. Patty's father doesn't approve of their friendship, possibly because he is poor, or because he is a Gentile. In one instance Harry Bergen beats Patty with his belt when he catches her with Freddy. Freddy is slow and naive, and does not understand Patty's reluctance to be friends with him, which she feels unable to explain truthfully.

• Edna Louise Jackson: A wealthy friend of Patty's. Along with most of the children Patty is friends with, Edna goes away to Baptist camp for most of the summer. Patty wants to be able to go, too, but her mother will not permit it because they are Jewish. It is revealed at one point that Edna's grandfather cheated Ruth's mother out of her lifesavings, an example of the themes of hypocrisy and injustice that the book addresses.

• Charlene Madlee: A reporter and friend of Patty's.

• Sister Parker: Works at the department store and was present when Anton first came in. She is also the worker Patty tells about the golden ring.

...

• Calvin Grimes: The Bman in charge of driving Patty to the Reformatory. Mr. Grimes is a kind man who is sympathetic towards patty

• Sheriff town sheriff.

Themes

There are many themes in this novel, including prejudice and self-esteem.

Prejudice exists in many forms, some of them ironic. While Anton, as a German soldier, might be assumed to be a Nazi sympathizer and therefore antisemitic, he is not pro-Nazi and develops a relationship with Patty, who is Jewish. On the other hand, the townspeople show prejudice towards the German soldiers, and many white families in town maintain black servants.

Another theme is that of self-esteem, especially in the face of abuse or personal difficulty.
At the beginning of the book, Patty is abused by her father and is insulted by her mother. As she gets to know Anton and forms an attachment to him, her self-esteem grows and she learns that she has value as a person.

Adaptations

In 1978 the novel was turned into a made-for-television film of the same title, Summer of My German Soldier

Summer of My German Soldier (TV film)

Summer Of My German Soldier is a 1978 made-for-TV movie based on the novel of the same name written by Bette Greene. It stars Kristy McNichol as a Jewish-American girl and Bruce Davison as the German prisoner of war whom she befriends.-Plot:...

. It was fairly well received and won an Emmy Award

Emmy Award

An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

 and a Humanitas Prize

Humanitas Prize

The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...

. In the movie Anton was shot outside of Jenkinsville, not in New York City. Patty was played by Kristy McNichol

Kristy McNichol

Christina Ann "Kristy" McNichol is an American actress.McNichol is best known for her roles as Leticia “Buddy” Lawrence on the television drama series Family and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is also the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol...

 and Bruce Davison

Bruce Davison

Bruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...

 played Anton.

A new musical version of the novel with music and lyrics by David Brush and Jim Farley opened in Ohio in August 2003, staged by Encore Theater Company.

Reception

Bette Greene is a well established author who has won many awards for her classic novels. Summer of My German Soldier has won ALA Notable Book along with New York Times Book of the Year (1973) and National Book Award Finalist. Her work is described as "courageous and compelling" by Publishers Weekly. She is known for her ability to evoke deep emotion through her writing style. Referencing the book's popularity, the mockumentary

Mockumentary

A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...

 C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America

C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America

C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America is a 2004 mockumentary directed by Kevin Willmott. It is a fictional "tongue-in-cheek" account of an alternate history, in which the Confederates won the American Civil War, establishing the new Confederate States of America...

, which details an alternate history where the Confederacy won the Civil War, alludes to an in-universe novel called "Summer of My Union Soldier" which is described as echoing romanticism in literature between North and South.

Sources

• Greene, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier. Bantam Doubleday Dell Books: New York, NY, 1993. ISBN 978-0-440-90056-6.