The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Once again I have come upon a book late, after everyone else in the world has already read it. Published in 2006, this was a best seller and a movie was made (which I also missed). Evidently it was first marketed as a children's book (12 and above), but gained a large adult audience, much as The Hunger Games series has done.

It is the story of Bruno, a nine-year-old German boy, whose father becomes the Commandant of Auschwitz. Lonely and separated from all his friends in Berlin, Bruno strikes up a friendship with another nine-year-old boy, a Polish Jew, who lives on the other side of the fence in the prison camp, although Bruno doesn't realize that it is a prison. The results are tragic.

For those 12 and slightly above, this novel is very instructive as a cautionary tale. I plan to give it to my granddaughter to read. It is easy for young people to think of war atrocities as happening to strange people in the olden days. This book makes the situation real and teaches the lesson that people of all persuasions are basically the same. The reading level, tone, and chapter titles all make it attractive to young readers. Previous knowledge of Germany's actions against the Jews and other minorities
in World War II would be necessary for understanding.

For adult readers, I would say that the novel has several shortcomings, the most glaring being that the protagonist is far too naive to be nine years old. Perhaps the author did not know any children and did not remember exactly what he was like at nine, but no child of that age in my experience would be totally unaware of world events and of the prejudices of his parents and the other adults around him. That he would not have perceived that the people beyond the fence were captives is beyond belief. That, at nine, he would not have shared some of the bigotry of his parents is illogical.

I would recommend this book for anyone who needs reinforcement in the idea that people should not be stigmatized and persecuted because of beliefs or cultural heritage. And perhaps that reinforcement is really needed right now.