The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Title: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Author: John Boyne
ISBN: 97803857519637

Plot Summary: Bruno is a young German boy living in Berlin with his parents and older sister. When his father's job requires them to move to a remote village in Poland, Bruno bemoans the lack of other children to play with, general ugliness of his surroundings, and the loss of his old friends. However, when he starts to observe the goings-on behind the large fence visible from his bedroom, he makes the acquaintance of a boy his age who helps him realize that there is much more going on in his new home than he previously realized.

Critical Analysis: It is true that during the Holocaust, many ordinary German citizens were either ignorant or in denial of the crimes against humanity being perpetrated by its government and military. However, the idea that the son of a Nazi commandant would not even have heard the term "Jew" before, let alone understand what one was, strains credibility, especially as "Aryan" children under Hitler's regime were subject to mandatory indoctrination starting at very young ages. The idea that Bruno could have even gotten close enough to the fence to talk to Schmuel is equally improbable, given that the fences were heavily guarded and often electrified. Moreover, Schmuel himself would most likely have have been killed as soon as he arrived at Auschwitz, being too young to perform hard manual labor, so the chances of their meeting at all would have been slim at best. The author has expressed his intent in writing this book to present a "dialogue" between two characters on either side of a fence, one of whom is entirely innocent to what is befalling the other. Although his intentions are no doubt good and his idea an intriguing concept, the execution appears shoddily conceived and even more poorly researched. The fact that this book has been made into a motion picture indicates there are compelling elements to the story, but the overall finished product suggests to me that the author set out to tackle a subject about which he ultimately possessed only a bare minimum of understanding.

Reader's Annotation: Bruno, a young boy living in World War II-era Berlin, is dismayed when his father's new job relocates the family to a remote Polish town. His eyes are opened, though, when he becomes friends with a boy who lives on the other side of the vast fence he can see from his window.

About the Author: John Boyne was born in 1971 in Dublin, Ireland. He attended Trinity College in Dublin and the University of East Anglia, where he studied creative writing. He began writing during this time, working part-time to support himself. He has since published seven novels and numerous short stories and novellas. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, his most successful work to date, was adapted for the screen in 2008. He currently lives in Dublin, where he continues to write.

Genre: Fiction: Holocaust

Curriculum Ties: European History

Booktalking Ideas:

Hook: Bruno's father confronts Lieutenant Kotler about the fact that his father has left the country. (p. 145-147).
Approach: Scene-based.
Ideas for Booktalk: Some Germans, especially older ones, left the country for places such as Switzerland because they disagreed with the current regime. Bruno's father goes through a similar conversation with his grandmother when he is first made a Commandant. Discuss impact First World War had on Germany, difference in beliefs between those who supported and opposed the Nazi regime. Hyper-zealotism of younger generation in response to doubts from older generation. Bruno's father using the discussion of emigration as a tool to undermine Kotler: to what end?

Hook: Bruno's friendship with Schmuel.
Approach: Character and plot-based
Ideas for Booktalk: Could this friendship have actually happened? Why or why not? Discuss what would have happened if the circumstances had been slightly different: Bruno was the son of a Polish peasant who bartered food with the camp prisoners in work areas; Schmuel was trying to "pass" as Aryan or was hidden in a friend's house in Berlin. Hypothesize scenarios, brainstorm if warranted. Schmuel is not as innocent as Bruno, but does not let on all that he knows. Is this out of friendship, or fear of saying too much?

Reading Level/Interest Age: Grades 7-10

Challenge Issues: Violence, character death, anti-semitism
This book depicts the horrors of the Holocaust from a child's perspective. Although Bruno glosses over terms, including offensive ones, that he does not understand, there is much anti-Jewish sentiment and violence in the book, and concentration camp inmates are frequently beaten and abused by their guards. Furthermore, both the main character and his Jewish best friend die in one of Auschwitz's notorious gas chambers. For younger readers who may know little or nothing about the Holocaust and World War II, however, this book might provide a relatively gentle introduction to the subject from the eyes of a child who is only just figuring out the situation for himself.

Why I Chose This Book: I did not pick every book on this list because it was an all-time favorite, or even because I found reading it an enjoyable experience. In my future career as a librarian, I am sure I will come across books I feel are poorly written or researched, personally offensive, or simply not enjoyable to read. That said, I would never discourage a patron from checking out any materials they wished, including this book, although I would certainly listen to any complaints or questions they had once having finished the material in question. Ultimately, materials such as this book serve the purpose of furthering dialogue and debate on controversial subjects, and open the door for recommendations of other titles that may address the subject in a more faithful and accurate manner.