Sarah

University Laboratory School 1212 W. Springfield Ave. Urbana, IL 61801 September 28, 2008

Marc Aronson Author Atheneum books for young readers 1230 Ave of Americas # Conc1 New York, NY 10020

Dear Mr. Aronson,

Overall I enjoyed reading your book. I especially liked how you kept the readers' attention without trying to be humorous. The way you wrote made me want to keep reading. But I have a problem with something you indicated multiple times in your book and most prominently on page 208 and 209. You came out and said that you “resent all successful Germans, that they will never feel guilty enough to please you." I had a problem with that because not all Germans were participants in the awful, horrific deeds of World War II and earlier. Many suffered for the heartless things their government did. I believe that it is unfair to link them all to Hitler and the Nazis just because of their nationality. It looks remarkably like the same reasoning the United States government used on all Japanese Americans because their home country bombed Pearl Harbor. I can understand your hatred for the Nazis and any persons who took part in the Holocaust, and I have no problem with that. Anybody that could do that and justify the murder of millions of fellow human beings is forever guilty and shouldn’t have a successful life. But not all Germans did that; many Jews consider themselves German along with the heroic families and people that, at risk to their own lives, hid Jews. You said that you can never forgive the Germans and I ask you to alter your thinking. Never forgive the Nazis, never forgive Hitler, but don’t be prejudiced towards all Germans because of something most of them didn’t take part in but suffered from.

Sincerely,

Sarah Vaughen