The order of the Crown Cross, Third Class with Swords.” I hold up the metal cross on a blue riboon. And every adventure Moritz has broadens our knowledge of the time and place and society by delivering important exposition as well as revealing national motivations, as during this robbery scene: I found each encounter fascinating and Schröder has a gift for making me feel as though I’m there, witnessing each event first-hand. Through different plot contraptions, Moritz is brought into contact with different characters in multiple locations representing multiple viewpoints, all of which contribute to Moritz’s new view of himself and the reader’s understanding of Germany’s coming revolution. Does it not follow that this is also true in other countries? After all, American people as a whole are basically good, even as we move from one dark part of our history to the next. This is a book about Moritz and the German spirit and how it will triumph, even in the face of dark times. And why not? In both cases, a dark empire is coming and we can see it forming in the horizon.īut for all that, My Brother’s Shadow is not about Hans or the likeminded that are going to bring about nasty business for a time. With his rhetoric and his appearance, Hans reminded me a bit of Anakin Skywalker toward the end of Revenge of the Sith. Poor Moritz is torn between them and comes to symbolize Germany as a whole-clinging to a revered past for which so much has been sacrificed and yearning for a new future in which democratic prosperity and Jewish girlfriends will be cool with everyone (I don’t have the heart to tell him he might be in for a bit of a wait).Īnd then there’s Hans, who loses an eye and half an arm in a gas explosion and is badly disfigured. Moritz’s mother and sister and new Jewish girlfriend are revolutionaries. When my mother read one of those sad letters to us my older brother, Hans, turned red in the face and yelled, “Maybe we should send him a nerve tonic to build up his strength if he is such a weakling.” Hans can get angry like that. At first his letters are proudly described the devastating impact of the German flamethrowers on the enemy’s morale, but as the battle dragged on he openly expressed his despair. It reminds me of Papa, who died at Verdun two years ago. His brother Hans is a soldier and he’s hardcore: Moritz Schmidt is our sixteen-year-old hero caught between two worlds: the repressive regime's traditional order and the coming democratic revolution. If you’re smart, you’ll pick up a copy and enjoy it. She has a story to tell and she’s telling it. The Left Behind books were probably never going to be read by Christopher Hitchens and so on. Almost every book does this to some degree. But I’m talking about the children willing to read any historical fiction in the first place, let alone a book about German Nazi-less history set during the First World War.īy its very nature, My Brother’s Shadow has ruled out readers. My Brother’s Shadow is a YA book rather than a middle grade, but I have no doubt some children under 12 would enjoy this story and there’s nothing so very adult to prevent them from reading it. There are some spoiled American children who are never going to read a story about people in another country that happened before they were born (why this should matter to American children, I have no idea, but it does seem to). And it is my sad duty to inform you that in My Brother’s Shadow, although the groundwork is being laid for Nazis, there are no actual Nazis. Does that mean there won’t be any Nazis? Of course, there’s a great deal more to the history of Germany than the Nazi party, but you can’t convince Hollywood of that. My Brother’s Shadow is historical fiction set in Germany in 1918 during the First World War. There will, of course, be a literary agent interview on Saturday. Monika Schröder has already been kind enough to face the 7 Questions and you can read her interview anytime you like. It absolutely does and Schröder can be proud that not only has she written one amazing book that everyone should read, now she’s written two.Īll this reminds me, there won’t be a writer interview this week. More, I loved Saraswatti’s Way and was looking forward to see if this book would live up to Schröder's last. I absolutely loved this book and I have no doubt most readers will love it as well. The book won’t be for everyone, and that’s not a put down by any means. Monika Schröder knows who she is and what kind of story she’s telling in My Brother’s Shadow.
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